PAGE學號：06437318常州大學畢業(yè)設(shè)計（論文）（2010屆）題目OnBodyLanguageinInterculturalCommunication學生學院外國語學院專業(yè)班級校內(nèi)指導教師專業(yè)技術(shù)職務(wù)校外指導老師專業(yè)技術(shù)職務(wù)二○一○年六月PAGEIOnBodyLanguageinInterculturalCommunicationAbstract:Nowadays,withthecontinuousdevelopmentofeconomyandculture,theinternationalexchangeshavebecomeincreasinglyfrequent.Thereisanoldsaying“towatchtheweatheroutsideandthefaceinside,”whichisverybeneficialtointerculturalcommunication.Asanimportantpartofnon-verbalcommunication,bodylanguagealsoplaysacrucialroleininterculturalcommunication.However,bydifferentculturaltraditionsbodylanguagesarenotexactlythesame.Theyarerestrictedbycultureandmeanwhilehaveuniqueculturalconnotation.Inordertosucceedintheinterculturalcommunication,weshouldhaveacorrectunderstandingoftheculturaldifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweenbodylanguagesindifferentcultures.Thispaper,onthebasisofsomeexamplesconcerninggestures,facialexpressions,eyecontact,posturesandspace,attemptstomakeacomparisonbetweenbodylanguagesindifferentcultures.Italsoaimsatenumeratingtheculturaldifferencesandsimilaritiesofbodylanguage,puttingforwardtheprinciplesthatshouldbefollowedininterculturalcommunication,andmakinganeffectivecontributiontoculturalcommunication.Keywords:Interculturalcommunication;Bodylanguage;Culturaldifferences;Culturalsimilarities;Principles論跨文化交際中的體態(tài)語摘要：隨著經(jīng)濟文化的不斷發(fā)展，國際交流活動日益頻繁。俗話說：“出門看天色，進門看臉色”。作為非語言交際中的重要組成部分，體態(tài)語在跨文化交際中起著舉足輕重的作用。然而，不同文化習俗下的體態(tài)語并不是完全相同的。它們由文化制約并擁有獨特的文化內(nèi)涵。為了在跨文化交際中能夠成功的進行交流，我們應(yīng)該正確認識不同文化下的體態(tài)語之間的差異性，同時也必須承認世界各國的體態(tài)語與語言和文化一樣，也有相似之處。本文從手勢語，面部表情，目光語，身體姿勢和空間距離等方面對不同文化下的體態(tài)語進行對比。其目的在于通過列舉體態(tài)語的文化差異與共性，提出交際中應(yīng)遵循的原則，從而有效促進跨文化交流，避免誤解的產(chǎn)生。關(guān)鍵詞：跨文化交際；體態(tài)語；文化差異；相似之處；遵循原則ContentsAbstract. I中文摘要 II1Introduction 12BodyLanguage 12.1Theintroductionofbodylanguage 12.2Theimportanceofbodylanguageininterculturalcommunication 13Thecommunicativefunctionsofbodylanguageininterculturalcommunication 23.1Expressingtrueemotions 23.2Showingandhidingemotions 33.3Replacingverbalwords 33.4Meetingtheneedofsocialcommunication 33.5Reflectingsocialrelationships 44Theclassificationofbodylanguage 44.1Gestures 44.2Facialexpressions 54.3Eyecontact 54.4Postures 54.5Space 65Theculturaldifferencesofbodylanguage 65.1Traditionalcultures 65.2Nationalcharacteristics 75.3Socialcustoms 86Conclusion 8References 10Acknowledgements 11 常州大學本科生畢業(yè)設(shè)計（論文）第12頁共11頁1IntroductionTherearetwokindsofcommunicationexistinginthehumansociety.Theyareverbalcommunicationandnon-verbalcommunication.Thenon-verbalcommunicativebehaviorreferstotheprocessthatpeopleusethenaturalcharacteristicsofbodytotransferinformationandexpressspecificthoughtsandideas.Itincludesbodylanguage,objectlanguageandcontextlanguage.Bodylanguage,ofthethreekindsofnon-verbalcommunication,isthemostimportantpartincommunicationbothhomeandabroad.Withtherapideconomicandculturaldevelopmentinthelatestdecades,interculturalcommunicationisbecomingafashionabletrendininternationalaffairs,andmeanwhile,bodylanguageininterculturalcommunicationisinevitablyahottopicamongpeopleandscholarsofvariousfields.Bodylanguage2.1TheintroductionofbodylanguageBodylanguageininterculturalcommunicationhasalwaysplayedanimportantroleinthestudyofvariousscholars.Itwasnotuntil1950sthatsomescholarsmadeasystematicalstudyofbodylanguageininterculturalcommunication.Fromthelateof1970stotheearlyperiodof1980s,morecontentshavebeenaddedtobodylanguage,whichhaveagreatinfluenceontheotherfields.Today,bodylanguagehasachievedgreatdevelopmentsandbecomeamarginalsubjectinforeignresearch.Birdwhistell,theprofessorattheUniversityofPennsylvaniaofAmerica,madeanaccurateevaluationofthequantityoflanguagecommunication.Accordingtohisstudy,verballanguageonlytakesup30%ofthewholecommunicationwhilenonverballanguage(mainlybodylanguage)accountsforalmost65%ofthat(Birdwhistell,1970:189).AndpsychologistDavidAberconbiealsopointedoutthatwespeakwithverbalorgansbutwetalkwithourbody.AndinChina,famousscholarBiJiwanstatedin1999thatnon-verbalcommunicationwasthemostimportantpartofthecommunication(Bi,2001:9).Alltheseresearcheshomeandabroadarevitalevidencesshowingtheimportanceofbodylanguageininterculturalcommunication.TheimportanceofbodylanguageininterculturalcommunicationNowadays,withtherapideconomicandculturaldevelopment,internationalcommunicationisbecomingparticularlyimportant.Interculturalcommunicationreferstotheinteractionbetweenpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgrounds.Broadlyspeaking,interculturalcommunicationincludesnotonlytheinternationalcross-culturalcommunicationandinterracialcommunicationacrossthenation,butalsothecommunicationbetweendifferentgroupswhichbelongtothesameculturalbackground.Withtheexpansionofculturalexchangesofwesternandeasterncountries,moreandmoreattentionisbeingpaidtointerculturalcommunicationbypeoplearoundtheworld.Inthemeanwhile,bodylanguageisanimportantfactorwhichcannotbeneglectedininterculturalcommunication.However,bodylanguagesderivingfromdifferentculturaltraditionsarenotexactlythesame.Theyareconfinedbycultureandhaveuniqueculturalconnotations.Forexample,intheyearof1959,aftervisitingAmericaandsteppingontotheairplane,KhrushchevclappedhishandsabovehisheadsinordertoexpressfriendshiptoAmericans.ButitwasthegesturethatmadeAmericansfeeluneasyandcausedamisunderstanding.ThisgestureinRussiaisasymboloffriendship,whichinAmericaitisusuallyexpressedafterthevictory,pride,andsatisfaction.AndespeciallyKhrushchevhadmentionedwordsthathewantedtoburyAmericancapitalism.ManyAmericansconsideredthisgestureashowofKhrushchev(Deng,1989:45).Whydidsuchalittlegesturecausesomuchmisunderstanding?Thisisactuallytheculturaldifferencesofbodylanguage.So,inordertosucceedintheinterculturalcommunication,weshouldhaveacorrectunderstandingoftheculturaldifferencesbetweenbodylanguagesindifferentcultures.Andatthesametimewemustadmitthatbodylanguagesaroundtheworldalsohavesomesimilarities.3.ThecommunicativefunctionsofbodylanguageininterculturalcommunicationBodylanguageisoneofthemostcommonmeansofnon-verbalcommunicationininterculturalcommunication.Itiswellknownforitsexpressivenessandasenseofhumor.Thecommunicativefunctionsofbodylanguagecanbedividedintofivecategoriesaccordingtoitsclassification(Claire,2000:27).3.1ExpressingtrueemotionsBodylanguageisveryeffectiveinexpressingemotions.Boththe“makeeyesatsomebody”inChineseandthe“castsheep’seyesatsomebody”inEnglishseemstobeself-evidentthatbodylanguagecanexpressemotions.Forexample,Chineseyoungpeopleoftenuseeyestoexpresstheirfeelingswhentheyfallinlovewithsomebody.Inthefirststageoflove,theywilllookawayshyly;thereafterthrowoneglanceateachother,andthenturntheirheadtooneside(Hu,1988:76).DuetotheinfluenceofChinesetraditionalculture,Chinesepeopleoftenshowtheirfeelingsinareservedway,andcontroltheiremotionsinaproperway.InChina,itiscommontoseeawomansmilingwithherhandscoveredhermouth.However,itisquiteoppositeforAmericanswhooftenshowtheirtrueemotions.Therefore,westernerscannotguesseasterners’truefeelingsaccordingtotheirfacialexpressiononmanyoccasions.Inourdailylife,ourconversationisalwaysaccompaniedbysomebodylanguagesunconsciously.Agoodcommandofbodylanguageishelpfultoperceivepeople’strueemotions.3.2ShowingandhidingemotionsBodylanguagesometimesrevealsrealfeelings.Peopleoftensmilewhenhappywhilemakeablessingexpressionwhenanxious.Thechangeoffacialexpressionisgenerallyanexpressionoftruefeelings（Jia,1997:23）.Forexample,inafootballgame,wecanoftenseetheplayerstakeofftheirshirtsorrunonthepitchtoexpressafeelingofexcitementwhentheykickaball.Inaddition,bodylanguagecanalsoconcealtherealfeelings.Peopleoftenhidetheiruneasyfeelingsbysomepettyactssuchasscratching,rubbinghands,ordustingtheclothes.Forinstance,intheclassroom,studentwhocannotanswerthequestionwillsometimesusehisforefingertomakeafrictiononhisnoseinordertohidethenervousmood.Butthisactmaybemisunderstoodbyaforeignteacher.Thatisbecauseinwesterncountries,peoplewhousetheforefingertomakeafrictiononthenosemaybethoughtasaliar.Inourdailylife,one’sbodylanguagesaresocomplicatedthatcaneasilyshoworhideemotions.Ifonewantstoperceivepeople’sinneremotionscorrectly,trytoreadtheirbodylanguagesfirst.3.3ReplacingverbalwordsBodylanguagecanbeusedtoreplaceverbalwords.Itplaysauniqueroleonmanyoccasions.Anillustrationcanmakethepointclear.Thepoliceusuallyusebodylanguagetocommandthemovingoftraffic.Andbasketballrefereesusebodylanguagetoorganizeabasketballgame.Indailyworkandlife,peopleoftenusebodylanguagetocommunicatewitheachother.Theyusehandshaketoshowgreeting,handwavetoshowfarewell,applausetoshowwelcome,andthumbtoshowpraiseandsoon.However,thesamebodylanguagemayhavethedifferentconnotationsininterculturalcommunicationduetotheculturaldifferences.Forinstance,puttingtongueoutcanbeunderstoodinAmericaasafeelingofcontemptandarrogance,whereasinChina,puttingtongueoutisakindofeasingembarrassment.StretchingthethumbandtheforefingerinAmericameans“2”,whileinChina,thesamebodylanguagemeans“8”.Therefore,bodylanguageisasilentlanguagewhichcanexpressusmosteffectivelyandefficiently.3.4MeetingtheneedofsocialcommunicationBodylanguageplaysanimportantroleinmeetingtheneedofsocialcommunication.Insocialcommunicativesituations,especiallyinface-to-faceconversation,peopleoftenusebodylanguagetofigureoutthemessagefromtheconversationtogoonorfinishaspeech.Acaseinpointisthatpeoplemayintendtofinishatalkbywatchinghiswatchfromtimetotime.Ifpeopleareinterestedinthetopic,theymayexchangeeyeswiththespeaker.ForAmericanspeakers,theywillscantheaudiencewitheyemutuallyintheprocessofaspeech,andtheaudiencewillrespondtothespeakerwiththesamebodylanguagetoshowtheirinterestinthespeech.OnthecontraryChineseaudiencesusuallyavoideyecontactwiththespeaker.Somanywesternspeakersassumethattheirspeechisnotappealing.Amisunderstandingwhichcouldbepreventediscaused.Thus,indailysocialcommunication,bodylanguagemaybehelpfulwhenyouarepuzzledinatalk.3.5ReflectingsocialrelationshipsBodylanguagesometimesisasymbolofsocialrelations.Intheprocessofcommunication,wecanoftenknowpeople’ssocialstatus,familybackgroundandeducationbackgroundthroughtheirbodylanguage.Forexample,therelationshipbetweentwopersonsissubordinateorequalcanbespeculatedbytheirsittingorstandingpostures.Inaface-to-faceconversationbetweenChinese,whetherthesuperiorandthesubordinateortheelderandtheyounger,thelateronesalwayssitorstandprettystraighttoshowrespectwhiletheformeronesalwayssitbackwardtoshowdignity.However,itisoppositeinthewesterncountries,generallyspeaking,thepeoplestandingaremuchsuperiortothepeoplesittingbothinageandrank.Andkissinginwesterncountriesiscommonlyusedtoshowpolitenessinthepublic.Wecanjudgetherelationshipandtheirsocialstatusbylookingthebodypartswheretheykisseachother.It’sacustomthatthehusbandandthewifealwayskissonthelipwhiletheelderlyandtheyoungeralwayskissonthecheekorforehead.Andtwopeerscanmakeacheek-cheektouchandagentlemancankissabeauty’shandtoshowfriendship.Inthisaspect,bodylanguagecanfullyshowusthecorrectrelationshipofpeoplewhomwedon’tknowwell.4TheclassificationofbodylanguageLanguageisthemainbutnottheonlymeansforhumanstoexchangeideasandfeelings.Peopleoftenneedtoandevenhavetousenon-verbalmeansindailycommunicationsuchasbodylanguage,dressingandcolor,ofwhichbodylanguageisthemostimportant(Xu,2001:62).Human’snon-verballanguagesuchaseyemovementandfacialexpressionsaresorichandcolorfulthattheycaneasilyconveymeaningsthatverballanguagecannotexpress,properlymakingupfordeficienciesofverballanguage.Bodylanguageisalsoasvariousasverballanguages.Somebodylanguageisveryspecificandsomeareverygeneral.Andsomeareusedtocommunicateonlyandsomeareusedtoprovideinformationonly.Bodylanguageisonepartofacountryornation,makingaclosecontactwiththenationalculture.Onemustfirstobserveandstudythegestures,facialexpressions,eyecontact,andposturesandsoonifhewantstounderstandbodylanguagecomprehensively(Knapp,1978:65).4.1GesturesGesturesarethemainpartofnon-verbalcommunication,whosemeaningisquitecolorful.Thereasonwhygesturesarewidelyusedtocommunicateisthatourhandsareveryflexibleandmosteasilyseen.Ithasbeengenerallyacceptedthatifonespreadshisforefingerandmiddlefinger,hemusthavethedeterminationtowinsomethingorwantstosharehisjoywithothers.Andsomeprofessionalpersonsevenusegesturestoformtheiruniqueimage.Forexample,theconductorwithdiversegesturescandirectdozensof,evenhundredsofmusicianswithdifferentinstrumentstoplayanexcellentsymphonyorchestra.Andthetrafficpolicewithstandardgesturescancommandthebusytrafficfloworderly.Andtheinternationalrefereewithvariousgesturescanhandlethecomplexsituationsontheplaygroundsmoothly.Whattheseprofessionalpersonsneedisaccurate,rapidandresolutegesturesinsteadoftheslow,vagueandhesitantgestures.4.2FacialexpressionsPeoplefromdifferentnationsmayhavethesamefacialexpressionsandbodymovements.Somepeople,likepoets,novelistsandartists,areinclinedtostressthefacialexpressionsincommunication.Theyoftenfocusonthefacialexpressionsinportrayingacharacter,whichcanreflecttheinnerworldofaperson.Therefore,wecansaythatfacialexpressionisthemirrorofthesoulandatthesametimethereflectionofthethought.Someexamplescanbecited,makingmouthupwardmaymeandelight,happinessandmodestywhilemouthdownwardmaymeansorrow,despairandarrogance.Andtheopeningoflipsmaymeannumbandsillywhiletheshiveringoflipsmaymeanangerandexcitement.Inaword,everypartonthefacecannotbeisolatedtoexpressacomplexidea.Onlythecoordinationofmouth,nose,lipsandeyebrowscanexpressvariousemotions.4.3EyecontactPeople’seyesareoneofthemostimportantpartstodeliverinformation.Accordingtoforeignstatisticaldata,weknowthatpeoplecantransmitthousandofkindsofinformationonlywiththeireyes.Someexamplesareeasilynoticedinourdailylife.Usuallypeoplewilllaughwitheyeslikealinewhenhappy,andtheireyeswillbelookedaggressivewhenangry.Andeveryeyecontactinourdailytalkiscloselyconnectedwiththespeaker’sinnermind,conveyingmuchinformationtolisteners.Eyecontactcanreflectnotonlytheinnerworldtoalargeextent,butalsothecomplexthoughtsofdifferentcharacters.Generally,theeyesofthosewhoarehonestandbroad-mindedmustbecalm,andtheeyesofthosewhoarecunningandinsinceremustbetreacherous.So,weshouldbecautioustowatchtheeyesofyourtalkingpartnerincommunicationbecausetheycanshowtherealmeaningandinnerworldtosomeextent.4.4PosturesPosturesareusuallyknownas“kinetics”,whichoftenrefertotherichgestures,facialexpressionsandbodyexpressionsoftheparticipantsincommunication.Indifferentethnicculture,thesameposturemayconveydifferentmeanings.Therefore,posturesareanimportantstudyforculturaldifferences.Peopleindifferentsituationscanuseposturesaccompaniedbyfewwordstoexpressdifferentmeaningssuchasbeingangry,happyorconfused.Wecanoftenobservesomeposturesfromourdailycommunication.Forexample,whenwetalk,thelistenersalwayslaytheirbacksagainstthechair,andtheirarmsandlegsarealwayscrossed.Butwhentheydonotagreewiththespeaker’sview,theywillchangetheirpostures;maybetheywilllaytheirbacksforwardandleavetheirarmsandlegsapart,gettingreadytoputforwardtheirownideas.Usuallyifyouseealistenermovehisbodycloselyforwardtothespeaker,whichmeansthelistenerisinterestedintheconversationwiththespeaker.Thus,differentposturescanbeadoptedaccordingtodifferentpeopleanddifferentoccasions.4.5SpaceSpaceisastudyofdistancelearning,whichmakesuparesearchontheinteractionofspaceofthecommunicatorsinconversation.Usuallythespaceofcommunicatorsplaysanimportantroleinthecommunication,whichshowsnotonlytherelationshipbetweenthecommunicators,butalsothenationalandculturalcharacteristics.Spaceisaresearchonhowtousespacedistancetoexpressthoughtsandinformation.Peoplealwayshaveafeelingofoccupiedspacedistance,whichwillbedifferentbecauseofculturaldifferences.Forexample,JapanesethinkaclosespacedistanceisapleasantfeelingwhileAmericansandBritishliketomakeadistanceofonearminconversation.EdwardHall,theanthropologyprofessoratNorthwesternUniversity,dividedtheindividualspaceintofourarea1.Closearea:0-18inches.Thiscloseareabelongstothespacedistancebetweenfamilymembers,loversandclosefriends.Inthisarea,thetwocommunicatorscanmakeaclosetouchsuchaskiss,embraceandsoon.Usuallytheytalkquietlyandclosely.2.Acquaintancearea:18inches-4feet.Thisacquaintanceareabelongstooldclassmates,harmoniousneighborandsoon.Inthisarea,thetwocommunicatorsalwayshavewordstotalktoeachother,buttheirrelationshipisnotveryclose.Thisareaisaprivatespace.Anditincludescloseprivatedistanceandfarprivatedistance.Thecloseprivatedistanceisaspaceforhusbandandwife.Ifanotherwomanbumpsintothisarea,maybeshehasawilddesireintootherpeople’sinnerworld.Farprivatedistanceisoftenseenbetweenpeopleinaparty,whichwillmakepeoplefeelcomfortableandwarm.3.Socialarea:4-12feet.Thissocialareabelongstothosewhoareknowneachotherbutarenotacquaints.Communicatorsinthisareaalwaysjustmakeagreetingtoeachother.4.Presentationarea:above12feet.Thispresentationareabelongstothosewhomakepresentationinbigclassroomorauditorium.5Theculturaldifferencesofbodylanguage5.1TraditionalculturesItisbelievedthatcultureisalltheformofactivitiesofanation(Nida,2006:85).Chinaandwesterncountriesallhavetheirownsocialsoilandculturalatmosphere.Andduetotheirindependentdevelopmentoflonghistoryandspecialspace,theyhavetheirdistinctnationalcharacteristics.Bodylanguagereflectsfeaturesofanation,includingnationalhistory,culturalbackground,andattitudetowardstolife.Andbodylanguagealsoreflectspeople’slifestyleandtheirwayofthinking.SomepeopleregardtheoldChinesecivilizationas“theculturalcircleoftheChinesepeople”.ThereasonwhypeoplecallitacircleisthatChinahasbeeninarelativelyclosedconditionofself-sufficiencyduetothousandsofyearsofgeographicalfactorsandinfluenceofConfucianism.Inthereserved“circle”,Chineseformaculturalsystemofgivingprioritytofamilylife.Inthepast,housewasalwaysacourtyard,citywasalwaysquadrate.OldChinesepeopleoftenvaluefamilyandharmony,formingabehaviorpatternof“circle-type”.The“circle-type”isfundamentalconflictwithwesterners’ideaofindividualism.Westernersalwayshaveaweakideaoffamily.Althoughtheymaysaythat“East,west,homeisbest”,theyareactuallyexpressinghomesicknessratherthanafamilyfeeling.Theydonotagreewithfamilyidea,needlesstounderstandthegenerationslivingunderthesameroof,whichisverydivinetoChinesepeople.Thereasonisthatessentiallywesterncivilizationisakindof“sailing”and“nomadic”.Itisasnowballexpandingoutwardinsteadofaclosedself-sufficientcircle.Therefore,whatwesternerspursueisaspiritofbeingindependent.Thusinthelonghistorytheyhaveformedabehaviorpatternof“dispersedtype”.Thereisobviousreflectiononbodylanguagesbetweendifferentnations.Take“individualspace”asanexample.Theindividualspacereferstoaninvisibleareasurroundedbyeachperson.Indailycommunication,ifsomepeopleentertheindividualspace,thentheywillbethoughtasrudeinvaders.Butifsomepeoplestandfarawayfromtheindividualspace,thenwefeelwearealienated.Chinesepeopleandwesternershavearatherdifferentviewabouttheindividualspace.Chinesepeoplelikeaclosedistancewhilewesternerslikeafardistance.Allthisdifferencesarecausedby“circle-type”and“dispersedtype”.5.2NationalcharacteristicsNationalcharacteristicsarearelativelyfixedanddevelopgraduallyinthelonghistoryofculture(Mehrabian,1978:85).Everynationhasitsowndistinctnationalcharacteristics.Chinaandwesternnationshaveagreatcontrastinbodylanguagesbecauseofthenationalcharacteristics.Chinahaslongbeenacountryofdecorum.Withthefeudalautocraticcentralizedpatternandthemoststableandlongtraditionalculture,thisnationalcharacteristicmakesChinesemorehumble,obedient,restraintandreserved.However,duetothedevelopedtrafficandthefrequentethnicmigration,mostwesterncountriescanhardlymaintaintheirdistincthistoricalcontinuity,thusformamulticulturalmixedlifepatternincludingvariabilityandmobilitystyle.Atthesametime,althoughthewesterncountrieswithdrawfeudalslavesocietylongago,theyhadsomeideasof“republican”and“democracy”andsteppedintothemodernsocietymuchearlierthanChinadid.Suchhistoricalculturesandsocialbackgroundcausewesternerstoadvocatethespiritofadventureandindependence.Thetwodistinctpersonalitiesformedtwokindsofbodylanguages.Andthelackofthemutualunderstandingofeachnationalcharacteristiccaneasilyleadtoculturalconflict.WesternersmaytakeChinese’smodestyandreservationasalackofconfidenceorself-abasement.Onthecontrary,Chinesemayconsiderwesterners’openingandoutgoingasanexpressionofarrogance.Takebowasanexample.Asweallknow,bowisacommonpolitegestureofallthehumanbeing,butthispolitegestureisnotcompletelythesameineasternandwesterncountries.Chinesedobowslightlymoreoftenwhilewesternersdothesamebodylanguagemuchless.Inbrief,thenationalcharacteristicsforminginthelonghistoryhaveanapparentimpactonbodylanguages.Weshouldpaymuchattentiontothesesubtledifferences,whichcanhelpavoidsomeunnecessarymisunderstanding.5.3SocialcustomSocialcustomisaspecialkindofculturalform,whichpartlyresultsinthedifferencesofbodylanguageinthatbodylanguageiscloselyrelatedtosocialcustom.Therefore,eachbodylanguagehasaspecialcolorwithsocialcustom.ChinahaddevelopedhighlycivilizedmannersinShangDynastyandcontinuedtodevelopduringtheperiodofMingandQingDynasty.AndthesecivilizedmannersinfluenceChinesepeoples’behaviorandthoughts.InChina,twosame-sexpersonscanmakeabodytouchcasuallywhileamanandawomanmustkeepsomemoralrulesincommunication.Mencanshowtheirstrongmuscleswhilewomenhavetodressinconservativeclothes.Moreover,couplesarenotexpectedtoexpresstheirintimacyinpublic.However,westernersshowtheirowndistinctfeatures:theypursuebodybeautyandadvocatefreedominheterosexualcommunication.Hugandkissoccurnotonlyinprivatebetweenlovers,butalsoonsomesocialoccasionsinthepresenceofsocialpartners.Itisourfinetraditiontorespecttheelderlyandlovetheyoung.Rankideahasdeep-rootedinChina.Butinwesterncountries,usuallytheyhaveafaintideaofranksystem.Inshort,socialcustomsaretheinherentcharacteristicsofeverycountry,andtheirculturaldifferencesinbodylanguagearecomplicated.Ininterculturalcommunication,onlybyunderstandingtheconnotationofsocialcustomscanweeffectivelymakesenseofthevariousbodylanguages.Whatweneedtodoistohaveenoughrespecttoeachnation’ssocialcustomandtowidelyspreadthegoodaspectsofthosesocialcustoms.However,weshouldrejectthebadaspectsofthosesocialcustomsresolutely.6ConclusionThedifferencescausedbybodylanguageofChinaandwesterncountriesshouldcatchourattention.SinceChinesemakearelativelylatestudyonbodylanguage,soinordertograspbodylanguageofvariouscountriesandmakeamultinationalexchangeofbodylanguage,weshouldconducttheresearchofbodylanguagefurtherandmakeadetailedcontrastbetweendifferentcultures,throughwhichwecanfindouttherootofculturaldifferencesandconflicts.Onlyinthiswaycanweeliminateculturalinterferenceandcreatethecommonbasisofinterculturalcommunication.Hegel,oneofthegreatestphilosopherswhohavegreatimpactonmodernideas,putit:“Ifapersoncantelltheobviousdifferences,forexample,hecandistinguishapenandacamel,wewouldnotthinkthispersonsmart.Ifapersoncandistinguishthedifferencesoftwosimilarthings,suchasamonasteryandachurch,wewouldthinkthispersonveryintelligent(Fasold,2000:98)”.Whatwereallyneedininterculturalcommunicationistheabilitytoidentifythesimilaritiesbetweenthe