Abstract:As we all know, in human communication, people use body language to communicate, as well as verbal language. Body language is also called Kinesics. It belongs to the scope of nonverbal communication. Besides, body language plays an important role in complementing, accenting, symbolizing or substituting utterance meaning. In addition, body language, like verbal language, is also a part of culture. But in different cultures body language contains different meaning. As a result different people have different ways of making nonverbal communication. So in this case, understanding the different cultural implication of English and Chinese body language can promote people’s cross-cultural communication competence, reinforce the heart-to-heart understanding and in the end will benefit the communication between English and Chinese people. This paper mainly expounds the features and functions of body language in pragmatics, presents the meanings of body language in different cultures from the point of cultures, researches body language’s cultural differences between the east and the west, especially those in gesture, facial expression, eye contact and physical distance, and discusses the importance of knowing the taboos in different cultures. The research of English and Chinese body language in nonverbal communication is helpful for people to diminish or avoid misunderstandings caused by the cultural differences of body language.
Key words: body language; the eastern and western countries; contrast
摘要:我们都知道，人们在进行交流的过程中，除了运用语言这种普遍的方式外，也经常运用身体语言。身体语言又称体态语，是人类交际中最常见的一种非语言交际手段。身体语言对话语意义起着补充，强调，表情，象征或替代作用。身体语言同语言一样，都是文化的一部分。在不同文化中，身体语言的意义并不完全相同。各个民族有不同的非语言交际方式。了解英汉身体语言的不同文化内涵，有助于英汉国家的人民之间更好地交流，提高跨文化交际能力，增进感情与心态的理解，做到入乡随俗，传情达意。本文重点论述了身体语言的语用特征，功能，并从文化角度对身体语言在不同的文化背景中的含义作了介绍，探讨了东西方国家在手势，面部表情，眼神与体距等方面的文化差异，论述了了解在非语言交际中禁忌的重要性。对跨文化交际中的英汉体态语进行探讨，有助于人们减少或避免在跨文化交际中因体态语的文化差异而引起的误解。
关键词:身体语言；东西方国家；对比
