On Nonverbal Communication Differences Between China And Western Countries-from The Perspective Of Hidden Cultures

People have their daily interaction in two ways, that is, verbal communicationand nonverbal communication. Most people tend to attach more importance to theformer and lose sight of the latter. The truth is that nonverbal communication playssuch an essential role in daily communication that one can not understand others or beunderstood by others correctly without its accompaniment. Thus, more attentionshould be shifted to the nonverbal aspect. Nowadays, the globalization of worldeconomy has boosted the cross-cultural communication in which misunderstandings,jokes or even conflicts make their appearance. The reason for people to encounter thecultural shock is not that they lack the language skills but that they can not figure outthe meanings behind the nonverbal signals in different cultures. Culture, especiallythe hidden culture, determines the nonverbal communication. Therefore, the study ofthe differences in nonverbal communication between China and western countries inthe perspective of the hidden culture is of practical significance.For decades of years, scholars home and abroad have committed themselves tothe study of the nonverbal communication differences from the perspective of cultureand presented people with plentiful precious principles. Different scholars have theirown definition of the nonverbal communication and thus its classification varies fromone to another. As to the characteristics and functions of nonverbal communication,this thesis employs the methods of comparison to demonstrate the universal and thespecial characteristics and its macro-functions and micro-functions.It is known that culture is closely linked to nonverbal communication. In order tomake clear the relationship between them, the author first studies the cultural structureand proposes that culture consists of covert and overt cultures. It is the covert culturethat determines the use of the nonverbal behavior in different countries. What’s more,in the core of the covert culture lies the cultural value concept which controls thenonverbal behaviors by influencing people’s thinking patterns and behavioral habits.Hidden cultures in China and western countries are compared to show theessential differences of the nonverbal communication. Based on four categories of nonverbal communication, that is, body language,paralanguage, object language and environment language, the author employs thecases of smile, silence, clothing and territory for each section to give a clear picture ofthe nonverbal differences between China and western countries. After a detailedexplanation of each case, the hidden culture of each nation is discussed to show theinner reasons. Thousands of years of the doctrine of Confucius and Mencius madeChinese value the collectivism while the belief in Christianity leads western people tothink highly of individualism. The influences on people’s thinking patterns and habitscause the essential differences.The author writes this thesis in hope that it can arouse people’s interest in thenonverbal communication and help them realize its existence and importance. Then,people can not only notice the use of their own nonverbal behaviors but also observethe true meanings of other people’s nonverbal signals from different nations. In thisfoundation, people can decrease the misunderstandings, avoid the conflicts incross-cultural communication, and eventually understand and be understood by othersbetter.