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Ⅰ、 Literature Review
Body language, which was first named by the American psychologist Birdwhistell, is the most important part of nonverbal communication. It is not a language in the strict sense of the word：“language”. Body language is defined as “expressing how one feels by the way one sits, stands, moves, etc, rather than by words” in the Oxford Advanced Learners English-Chinese Dictionary.
Today, generally speaking, body language refers to these body actions or facial movements which are intended to transmit messages or communicate between people, and it includes sign language, facial expressions, postures, eye contact, touch, body movement, etc. Among these, sign language is the most common and useful one. Sign language can be defined in two ways. Sign language in its narrow sense, refers to the gestures used by the deaf people, and in its broad sense, refers to the movement language people used consciously or not consciously during their communication. (Lu Kailian, 1994(1): 34)
Since sign language is a part of nonverbal communication, it is necessary for us to know something about nonverbal communication. As for nonverbal communication, the western scholars have put forward many definitions. ① The nonverbal communication is communicating without saying a word. ② The nonverbal communication is the attribute or behavior of the person expressed without words and understood by the society, which is sent out purposefully or regarded as purposefully by the sender and received by the recipient’s conscious acceptance, and may be fed back. ③ The nonverbal communication refers to the factors outside the language element in certain communication environment, which contain the information value for the senders or recipients. And these factors can both be artificially generated and created by the environment. (Bi Jiwan, 1999: 1)
Sign language is the most important part of body language in intercultural nonverbal communication. As we all know, international communications are connected closely with the culture, which makes an impact on sign language. Sometimes, sign language can cause certain misunderstanding for people who send the same massage with different hand gestures in different counties. These misunderstanding and misinterpretation will lead to the feelings of offence, insult and suspicion on the part of the individuals involved. Based on the above reasons, we can see that it is highly necessary to make intercultural studies of sign language.
Frend Sigmund once said that: “Men all can’t hide their hearts. Though their mouth can keep silent, their fingers will be gossipy and meddlesome.” （Lu Kailian, 1994(1): 34）What he said was vivid about sign language. When we take part in the interview, we may feel nervous sometimes. Though we keep calm apparently, our sign language may let out the nervousness. We may make this sign-----the fingers of the two hands clamping with each other with the two thumbs rubbing around.
According to Larry A. Samovar, nonverbal communication involves all those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the source and his or her use of the environment and that have potential message value for the source or receiver.
To sum up, we can understand nonverbal communication, just as its name implies, as all the communication behaviors except language.
Sign language can replace the language to express and exchange ideas through the movements and patterns of hands and fingers. It is the core of body language and the earliest communication tools used by human beings during the process of evolution. We can do lots of hand movements, which are the most exquisite and vivid body language. The meanings expressed by the hands are very clear because hands are comparatively more flexible than others.
The famous American linguist Leonard Bloomfield held that gesture was the most important one in the various nonverbal communication ways, sign language can strengthen or replenish the verbal language, and it was the most original, basic, common one in movement language with the strongest expression. So sign language is often used to emphasize or describe something in public speech, such as shrugging one’s shoulders, waving one’s hands, and so on. These gestures not only strengthen the appeal to the audience, but also increase the value of the lecture content. All in all, sign language is useful and important in our daily life.
Ⅱ、Outline
Abstract in English
（一）Introduction
（二）Sign language
i.The features of sign language
ii.The functions of sign language in international
（三）The cultural links and differences of sign language between Chinese and English countries
i.The same meaning coming from the same sign language.
ii.The same meaning coming from the different sign language
iii.The same sign language conveying the different meanings
iv.Some characteristic sign language in Chinese or English countries
v.Some offensive sign language in Chinese and English speaking countries
（四）Conclusion
Ⅲ、 References
[1] Hall , E .T. , The Silent Language . Anchor Books, 1959.
[2] George Yule, The Study of Language. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2000.
[3] Levine, D. & Adelman, M. Beyond Language. Prentice-Hall. 1982: 43.
[4] Roger E. Axtell, Gestures. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1991.
[5] Samovar, L.et al. Understanding Intercultural Communication. Wadsworth. 1981: 155.
[6] Sana Reynolds, Deborah Valentine. Guide to Cross-cultural Communication. 清华大学出版社，2004: 86.
[7]Oxford advanced LEARNERS English-Chinese Dictionary (Extended fourth edition). Oxford University Press, 2002: 145.
[8] 毕继万.：《跨文化非语言交际》外语教学与研究出版社, 1999年1月6日；
[9] 邓炎昌、刘润清.：《语言与文化》外语教学与研究出版社, 1989年；
[10] 卢开（石廉）：动作语言概要(之三)——动作语言分述（一）. 云南电大学报, 1994年；
[11] 郑慧敏：《无声语言——身势语.》宁波高等专科学校学报, 2003年；
[12] 许力生.：《跨文化交流入门》 浙江大学出版社, 2004年； |
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