Non-verbal Cross-cultural Communication in College English Teaching

Abstract： Non-verbal behavior is regarded as a direct and obvious way to express one's feelings and ideas in class， which has been widely concerned in English teaching. This paper aims to analyze the implications for foreign language teaching from the definition， functions and categories of nonverbal communication in order to arouse teachers' attention to nonverbal communication and improve teaching effect.

Key words： nonverbal communication; cultural differences; English education

1 Introduction

Speech is the cornerstone of human social interaction， and communication activities between people are mainly realized through oral and written language. Besides language， human beings also use other means to convey information and express feelings. However， compared with speech acts， non-speech acts can express feelings more truly. Non-verbal communication mainly includes paralanguage， silence， chronology， spatial relations and so on. Paralanguage plays a fundamental role in cross-cultural communication.

2 Definition of Nonverbal Communication

Yan Ming （2015） pointed out that non-verbal communication is called non-verbal communication. Lei Yu 'e （2013） explained that nonverbal communication is subconscious and uncontrollable. There are no general rules and patterns in nonverbal communication， because the meaning of nonverbal symbols needs to be analyzed according to the speaker's environment and cultural background.

3 The Function of Nonverbal Communication

The functions of nonverbal communication include repetition， supplement， substitution， adjustment and contradiction. Each function overlaps to a certain extent in nonverbal communication. Repetition plays an essential role in nonverbal cross-cultural communication. Supplementary function refers to adding information based on current information. In some cases， nonverbal behavior can replace verbal behavior.

4 Enlightenment of Non-verbal Communication in College English Teaching

In college， using a large number of nonverbal communication means to ensure that students can master English cultural knowledge accurately and comprehensively. Reasonable and effective use of nonverbal behavior in English classroom teaching can not only stimulate students' interest in learning English， but also improve the quality of classroom teaching through interesting and effective interaction between teachers and students， thus helping students improve their knowledge level and strengthen their English communicative competence.

Taking facial expressions as an example， English teachers should have appropriate facial expressions in classroom teaching. Teachers with smiling faces can give students a kind of intimacy and shorten the distance between teachers and students. Some students are introverted and shy， and dare not answer teachers' questions. If the teacher can smile and nod， it can not only increase the students' self-confidence， but also promote the smooth progress of teaching activities.

Eye contact is also very important in class. Teachers and students should keep proper eye contact to help teachers get feedback in time， control the whole class and concentrate students' attention so as to improve teaching effect. In addition， gestures are another way for teachers to promote their teaching. Teachers' correct use of gestures can help describe and emphasize teaching activities， and make language expression more vivid and convincing. However， teachers need to explain the different meanings of the same gesture in different cultures and help students avoid misunderstanding in cross-cultural communication.

In a word， we should pay attention to the role of nonverbal communication in English teaching. Teachers should introduce the culture of the target language consciously in teaching， and make students pay attention to the differences between mother tongue and target language in daily life， body language， time， space， values and beliefs. In addition， teachers need to design various cross-cultural communication activities， so that students gradually form a sense of cross-cultural communication， cultivate students' cultural awareness， and develop students' core literacy.

5 Summary

Non-verbal communication is an indispensable part of English classroom teaching. To sum up， nonverbal communication is conducive to promoting the teaching process， attracting students' attention， stimulating their interest and enabling them to participate in classroom activities， thus gradually developing their English communicative competence. In addition， English teachers must have the awareness of cross-cultural communication， and make students realize that non-verbal behavior has different meanings in different cultural backgrounds. In short， in non-verbal intercultural communication， various factors should be considered comprehensively， which is a process that teachers and students who participate in intercultural communication have to go through.

參考文献

[1]雷玉娥.非言语行为：课堂教学不可忽略的方面[M].湖南广播电视大学学报，2014，2（2）：80-82.

[2]Fast，Ju1ius.Body Language[M].New York：Pocket Books，1971.

作者简介：

刘艳君（1982-），女，满族，河北承德人，研究生，兰州信息科技学院，讲师，研究方向：外国语言学及应用语言学;