Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on authors
- Acknowledgments
- Note to the reader
- Part I Learning
- Part II Language
- 6 Verbal language
- 7 Sociolinguistics: the right expression
- 8 Unspoken communication
- Part III Independence
- Epilogue: from here to there: attaining near-native proficiency
- Appendix A Answers to “practicing what you have learned”
- Appendix B Learning strategies taxonomies
- References
- Index
8 - Unspoken communication
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 November 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on authors
- Acknowledgments
- Note to the reader
- Part I Learning
- Part II Language
- 6 Verbal language
- 7 Sociolinguistics: the right expression
- 8 Unspoken communication
- Part III Independence
- Epilogue: from here to there: attaining near-native proficiency
- Appendix A Answers to “practicing what you have learned”
- Appendix B Learning strategies taxonomies
- References
- Index
Summary
Preview
Communication between two or more individuals is accomplished in many ways. Words are only one of these ways. This chapter addresses nonverbal means of communication. Topics that this chapter will address include:
Greetings and partings
Gestures.
Taboos.
Personal space.
Body language.
Touch.
Facial expression.
Clothing and coverage.
Communication between two or more individuals is accomplished in many ways. Words are only one of these ways. Gestures and body language are often even more important than words and can sometimes convey the opposite meaning to one's words – making understanding difficult. Unfortunately, these topics are addressed only in passing in textbooks, so you will need to make some effort to find out about them.
Greetings and partings
All foreign-language textbooks will teach you very early in the program the words used to greet people and to take leave of them. You may, in fact, already know these in the language you are studying. Words, however, are only part of the equation. What you do when greeting (and parting) is just as important as what you say – and accepted practices vary widely among cultures. Here is some possible non-verbal language you may encounter, followed by a short discussion of each item:
handshake
bow
hug
kiss
order of introductions
Handshake
In the western world, the handshake is the typical non-verbal part of a greeting (and parting). A firm handshake is held in higher esteem than a weak one although, in general, men tend to have firmer handshakes than women.
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- Information
- Achieving Success in Second Language Acquisition , pp. 183 - 198Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005