By: Dr.Himdad Abdul-Qahhar Muhammad College of Education Salahaddin University-Erbil/Iraq /12/06 1 Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

C ONTENTS Introduction & Background Definitions Types of Body Movement Cultural Differences & Examples Conclusions 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Introduction & Background: Body language and various other nonverbal cues have long been recognized as being of great importance to the facilitation of communication. There has been a long running debate as to whether body language signals and their meanings are culturally determined or whether such cues are innate and thus universal. how much of nonverbal communication is innate and how much is culturally defined? Are there any true universal nonverbal cues or just universal tendencies modified to suit cultural ideals and constraints? Body language certainly encompasses where the body is in relation to other bodies (often referred to as 'personal space'). Body language certainly includes very small bodily movements such as facial expressions and eye movements. Body language also arguably covers all that we communicate through our bodies apart from the spoken words. We could define body language as: "Body language is the unconscious and conscious transmission and interpretation of feelings, attitudes, and moods, through: body posture, movement, physical state, position and relationship to other bodies, objects and surroundings, facial expression and eye movement, 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Definitions: The Oxford English Dictionary (revised 2005) definition is: " body language - the conscious and unconscious movements and postures by which attitudes and feelings are communicated" The Oxford Business English Dictionary : " body language - the process of communicating what you are feeling or thinking by the way you place and move your body rather than by words.“ kinesics - the technical term for body language - depends on the interpretation of 'non-verbal communication': " kinesics - the study of the way in which certain body movements and gestures serve as a form of non- verbal communication." 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Definitions: World of body: o Body language refers to any kind of bodily movement or posture, including facial expression, which transmits a message to the observer. Every part of the human body, either in motion or stillness, conveys a meaning which depends upon the physical, social, and cultural context of the action. The message may be deliberately intended, expressed in some sort of accepted code — as when a person points, shakes a fist, or nods the head — or they may be involuntary gestures of response, as when someone grimaces or cries aloud in pain.posturefacial expressiongestures Colombia dictionary: Body language, nonverbal communication by means of facial expessions, eye behavior, gestures, posture, and the like. Body language expresses emotions, feelings, and attitudes, sometimes even contradicting the messages conveyed by spoken language. Some nonverbal expressions are understood by people in all cultures; other expressions are particular to specific cultures. Kinesics, the scientific study of body language, was pioneered by the anthropologist Ray L. Birdwhistell, who wrote Introduction to Kinesics (1952). Wikipidia: Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals subconsciously.non-verbal communication body posturegesturesfacial expressionseye movements 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Cultural differences: Handshake: US & Canada…firm handshake France: Soft and quick handshake Japan: Handshake with arms fully extended, accompanied by a bow Germany: Firm handshake(Men traditionally accompany handshake with a slight bow) Middle East : Handshake with free hand placed on the forearm of the other person. Kurdistan: Handshake, firm(depending on the nature of the relation),accompanied by cheek kisses(for showing closeness and missing),women mostly do not use shaking hands, kisses on cheeks 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Cultural differences: Peter Collett (cited in Argyle, 1975) found that Arabs tend to have a high sense of self-esteem which leads to an expectation of praise. It also often leads to exaggeration and “keeping up appearances.” In conversation a pair of Arabs will look into one another’s eyes more than would two Americans or Englishmen (Argyle, 1975). It is considered impolite not to face someone directly when engaged in conversation. 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Cultural differences: The Japanese do not look one another in the eye very much. Instead they are taught to look at the neck. In particular they avoid looking very much at the faces of superiors. An Arab attempting to indicate respect by holding the gaze of a Japanese person would offend him instead. 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Cultural differences: Putting a hand on a person’s neck: Chinese it means “ someone will be killed” Americans it means “ I am full” Ask someone to come near to you: Thailand: palm down, move the fingers back and forth US : Palm up, fingers towards your body Kurdistan: palm down or up, sometimes only finger is used(depending on the status difference between the two 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Cultural differences: In Turkey: Putting one’s hand in one’s pocket is a sign of disrespect. In China: People do not kiss or hug each other(except his/her lover). For Arabs: It is a good manner to stand close to his friend when they are talking. For English: They don’t like to be close to one another 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Cultural differences: Sitting cross-legged: In US it is a sign of being relaxed In Korea it is not allowed In Kurdistan (it shows disrespect in some cases, especially when your foot is pointing to another person. 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Conclusions:  Body language is both the most basic, fundamental form of expression used by human beings to communicate with one another, and at the same time a part of a highly sophisticated and culturally specific system of coded signals, in which bodily and facial movement play at least as important a part as verbal utterance.  Body language also depends on context: body language in a certain situation might not mean the same in another. 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Conclusions: Someone rubbing their eye might have an irritation, rather than being tired - or disbelieving, or upset. Someone with crossed arms might be keeping warm, rather than being defensive. Someone scratching their nose might actually have an itch, rather than concealing a lie.  The facial expression of emotion does not vary cross-culturally.(photos….)  Certain body language is the same in all people, for example smiling and frowning but some body language is specific to a culture or ethnic group. 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad

B ODY L ANGUAGE : U NIVERSAL OR C ULTURE - SPECIFIC ? Thank you for your time 12/6/ Dr.Himdad A.Muhammad