Body Language in Daily Use Unit Eight

Contents Warming-up Discussion Background Information Key Language Points Explanation to some difficult sentencesExplanation to some difficult sentences

Warming-up Discussion 1.Do you know any gestures commonly used in the Chinese culture? Can you name some? 2.Why people usually use body movements to go with their oral communication. 3.Ask the students to answer the questions in the “Exploring” part in the text book. Back

Background Information When you travel, you may think that if you don’t know the language, you can just communicate using gestures. BZZT! Knowing what gestures and body language mean in foreign countries can mean the difference between making friends and getting beaten up and it’s all too easy to make mistakes. Take the quiz to find out how much you know about body language, gestures and foreign customs:

What does this symbol mean? 1. all right 2. zero 3. money This is a trick question, as this symbol means all of these things. In the U.S. (and other places), it means “all right,” in Japan it means “money,” and in France it means “zero”.

Ok, how about this symbol? Does it mean: 1.“I love you” in sign language, silly. 2.“Goat” in sign language. 3.The sign of the devil, man, aren’t we at a Black Sabbath concert? 4. A sign to ward off evil spirits. This is a trick question. The symbol, called the “corna”, is both a heavy metal symbol and a way to ward off bad luck. NOTE: This symbol also means “bullshit” in American Sign Language !

This fellow is doing something offensive to Muslims or the Thai. What is he doing wrong? 1. He’s wearing socks. 2. He’s pointing at his head with an object. 3. His leg is crossed and the sole of his foot is exposed. It’s No.3. In middle eastern countries and Thailand, the foot is considered the lowest part of the body, physically as well as spiritually. This man is exposing his foot to those around him, and is pointing his foot at the person to his right.

You are eating dinner in Pakistan, and use your left hand to reach for another piece of bread. Your host looks offended! What have you done wrong? 1.You’ve served yourself, you should always wait and be asked if you want more. 2.You wanted seconds, you greedy pig! 3.You used your left hand. It’s not that you went to get more food, but that you used your left hand. In many middle-eastern countries, the left hand is seen as “unclean” as it is used to wash your private areas (instead of toilet paper).

You are in Kenya, and an old woman spits on the top of your head. What’s going on? 1.She was giving you a blessing. 2.The spit is part of the curse she just placed on you. 3. It is part of a marriage ceremony. No.1: In the Maasai tribe of Kenya, spitting on the head is a form of blessing (this is an old custom that is fading away). What is still common though, is the older person of two meeting spitting on their hand before shaking hands - thereby transferring the goodness of their spirit in saliva as a blessing to the other.

You flag down a cab in Australia, and hop in the back. You try to make pleasant chat with the driver, but he seems angry. What’s going on? 1.You insulted him by getting in the back. 2.You’re not supposed to talk to the cabbies. It’s No.1: In the United States, people hop in the back of the cab. But Australians pride themselves on everyone being equals, so you’ve just insulted the cabbie by hopping in the back instead of getting in the front with him! Back

Key Language Points

Verbal: spoken, not written Verbal communication is more informal. A verbal promise is the same as an empty one. Nonverbal: the opposite of verbal; not using words Nonverbal means of expression Please notice the word formation with the prefix: “non-“ Nonstop; nonstandard; nonsmoker; nonwhite

Gesture: v. call or direct with a movement of the body The traffic police gestured the driver over with a movement of his head. n. the use of movement of the body, especially of the hands, to express a certain meaning He made a gesture to the left with his hands to show me the direction of the bookstore. She did this only as a gesture; in fact, she was doing it unwillingly.

Along with : together with I was chosen, along with three other students, to take part in the speech contest. End with: bring something to an end with something or doing something We’ll have some nice fruits to end with. He ended his letter with good wishes to the family.

Finish up: be in the end (in the stated place, condition, etc.) Having no children or relatives, the old couple thought they would finish up in loneliness. Without the police, I would have finished up being drowned.

Pick out: 1) recognize; see someone or something clearly among others. She picked out the suspect in the crowd. Try to pick me out in this old photograph. 2) choose something or someone specially or carefully from a group He picked out a book for his mother as a birthday gift. Please pick one out.

Tell from: know or recognize something by judging something In England, it is easy to tell what part of the country someone was born in, from his speech. I could tell that you were lying from the look on your face.

Emphasize: vt. Place emphasis on Our parents always emphasize the importance of working hard. The boss emphasized the importance of punctuality.

Spell out : write or explain in the most detailed way Some people suggested that we spell out a book about these people and their special customs. I don’t understand the process, would you please spell out it for me? Back

Explanation to some difficult sentences

We move around in our chairs, gesture with eyebrows or a hand, meet someone else’s eye and look away. (Para. 1.) Meaning: We change our positions while we are sitting in chairs, make gestures with our eyebrows or a hand, see someone else’s eyes by chance and then look away quickly.

They finish up a question with a raise of the hand, a lift of the chin, or a widening of the eyes. (Para.2) Meaning: They end a question by raising one of their hands, raising their chin or opening their eyes widely.

When films of his speeches are run without sound, it’s not too difficult to tell from his gestures the language being spoken. (Para. 4) Meaning: When you watch films of his speeches that have no sound, you can easily know from his gestures what language he is speaking.

What the nonverbal gestures put across very often and very efficiently is the emotional side of the message. (Para. 5) Meaning: Very often a person’s feelings can be understood better through his nonverbal gestures.

This is clear when a person feels liked or disliked, as he or she will often communicate emotion “not in what is said but in the way it is said”. (Para. 5) Meaning: You can easily know a person’s feelings because he or she will often communicate them by using gestures along with words. Back

The End Thanks for your appreciation! Back