Tiểu luận môn Giao thoa Văn Hóa

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH - - ASSIGNMENT ON INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION AND SOME DIFFERENCES IN NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION OF VIETNAM AND AMERICA Hà Nội, 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I: INTRODUCTION PART II: DEVELOPMENT Theoretical Background 1.1 Definition of intercultural communication 1.2 Non-verbal communication Some differences in Non-verbal communication of Viet Nam and America 2.1 Gestures 2.2 Appearance and dress 2.3 Facial Expressions 2.4 Posture 2.5 Touch 2.6 Eye Contact PART III CONCLUSION REFERENCES PART I: INTRODUCTION Each country has its own culture which has been formed by natural conditions and historical development Each nation is also proud of its own original and diverse cultural characteristics “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people”- Mahatma Gandhi It is true that knowing the culture of a country is, in effect, a guide to understanding the soul of that country and its people When becoming a student of English falcuty, I always desire to learn other countries‘s culture as much as I can Through intercultural communication, I have known custom, communication ways, viewpoint of many countries around the world In this subject, non-verbal communication I pay attention to Non-verbal communication refers to gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, eye contact (or lack thereof), body language, posture, and other ways people can communicate without using language We use it in daily life, almost instinctively, for example, smiling when you meet someone conveys friendliness, acceptance and openness or wave your hand to the waiter when you want to order and so on From this above-mentioned reason, I found that non-verbal communication express meaning or feeling without words Universal emotions, such as happiness, fear, and sadness, are expressed in a similar non-verbal way throughout the world There are, however, non-verbal differences across cultures that may be a source of confusion for foreigners And each country has its non-verbal communication with their own meanings As a result, I make this study in order to understand much more about the differences between non-verbal of Vietnamese and American Especially, thanks to non-verbal communication, I know how people of two countries express their emotion, information, and so on PART II: DEVELOPMENT Theoretical Background 1.1 Definition of intercultural communication • Cuture - Culture is defined as a learned set of shared interpretations about belief, values, norms, and social practices, which affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people - Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other hand, as conditioning influences upon further action - Culture is the patterns of learned and shared behavior and beliefs of a particular social, ethnic, or age group It can also be described as the complex whole of collective human beliefs with a structured stage of civilization that can be specific to a nation or time period Humans in turn use culture to adapt and transform the world they live in • Communication - Communication is the process of sharing meaning through verbal and non-verbal communication/ behaviour - Communications is fundamental to the existence and survival of humans as well as to an organization It is a process of creating and sharing ideas, information, views, facts, feelings, etc among the people to reach a common understanding Communication is the key to the directing function of management For example, a manager may be highly qualified and skilled but if he does not possess good communication skills, all his ability becomes irrelevant A manager must communicate his directions effectively to the subordinates to get the work done from them properly • Intercultural communication - Intercultural communication is can be defined as the interpersonal interaction between members of different groups, which differ from each other in respect of the knowledge shared by their members and in respect of their linguistic forms of symbolic behaviour - The influence of culture on people's reactions and responses to each other 1.2 Non-verbal communication • Definition of non-verbal communication Non-verbal communication express meaning or feeling without words Universal emotions, such as happiness, fear, and sadness, are expressed in a similar nonverbal way throughout the world There are, however, non-verbal differences across cultures that may be a source of confusion for foreigners While the key to success in both personal and professional relationships lies in your ability to communicate well, it’s not the words that you use but your nonverbal cues or “body language” that speak the loudest Whether you’re aware of it or not, when you interact with others, you’re continuously giving and receiving wordless signals All of your nonverbal behaviors the gestures you make, your posture, your tone of voice, how much eye contact you make send strong messages They can put people at ease, build trust, and draw others towards you, or they can offend, confuse, and undermine what you’re trying to convey These messages don’t stop when you stop speaking either Even when you’re silent, you’re still communicating nonverbally There are common types of non-verbal communication: Eye contact, Facial expressions, Gestures, Posture and body orientation, Body Language, Space and Distance, Proximity, Para-linguistic, Humor, Touch, Silence, Personal Appearance, Symbol, Visual Communication • The important role of nonverbal communication Basically, it is one of the key aspects of communication (and especially important in a high-context culture) Non-verbal communication can play five roles: - Repetition: It repeats and often strengthens the message you’re making verbally - Contradiction: It can contradict the message you’re trying to convey, thus indicating to your listener that you may not be telling the truth - Substitution: It can substitute for a verbal message For example, your facial expression often conveys a far more vivid message than words ever can - Complementing: It may add to or complement your verbal message As a boss, if you pat an employee on the back in addition to giving praise, it can increase the impact of your message - Accenting: It may accent or underline a verbal message Pounding the table, for example, can underline the importance of your message Some differences in Non-verbal communication of Viet Nam and America 2.1 Gestures Gestures are woven into the fabric of our daily lives You may wave, point, beckon, or use your hands when arguing or speaking animatedly, often expressing yourself with gestures without thinking However, the meaning of some gestures can be very different across cultures • In America: - Americans will often wave to another person and then turn to make hand scoop inward; or raise the index finger palm toward one's face, and make a “curling” motion with that finger means to beckon or summon another person - Arm raised and the open hand “waggles” back and forth means signaling “hello” or “good-bye.” Or trying to get someone's attention - Make a “V” sign means “Victory” when you make the sign with your palm facing away from you If you face your palm in, the same gestures means “Shove it” - Thumb and forefinger form a circle with the other three fingers splayed upward; it is used frequently and enthusiastically “O.K.” meaning “fine” or “yes” • In Viet Nam: - Custom of shaking hands is the customary form of greeting, but often nod of the head or slight bow is sufficient - Waving hands is not really common with old people in Viet Nam, but opposite to young people , wave hands is very common and friendly way when say goodbye to their friends - Thumb and forefinger form a circle with the other three fingers splayed upward also used by Vietnamese people to give signal or it mean “good”, “great” - “V” showed by forefinger and middle finger mean “hi” or “hello” 2.2 Appearance and dress Appearance is also an important non-verbal communication tool Appearance includes dress, hair, jewelry, makeup, belt buckles and so on All cultures are concerned for how they look and make judgements based on looks and dress • In America: Both men and women in business wear suits, meaning the jacket is of the same material and matches the trousers or skirt Shoes are well maintained and shined Women wear nylon stockings of appropriate color for the season Men wear neckties, and many women wear some kind of neatly tied scarf with a suit Attending to a wedding, women like to wear bright or colourful dress Most brides usually wear a white wedding gown after their final outfit change • In Viet Nam: In general, Vietnamese clothing is very diverse Every ethnic group has its own unique dressing and the festival is the best occasion for them to wear all their favorite clothes The Ao Dai (Long silk tunic) has been the traditional dress for Kinh ethnic There are many different kinds of Ao Dai: the four-part flowing tunic had two equal front flaps that women tied together, while the five-part flowing tunic had an additional small flap that buttoned up onto the right side of the dress Thai ethnic traditional costumes include a plain blouse and a long skirt, which was embroidered brocade motifs fussy The H’Mong ethnic group has traditional costumes that are very sophisticated and colorful, usually made of linen with many colors highlighted with a variety of design In wedding Kinh ethnic (Viet people) wear bright clothes and bless bride and groom happily In contrast, Vietnameses often clothe dark or black stuffs in one's funeral to show their respectation to the death and sympathy with dead's family members 2.3 Facial Expressions Facial expressions are used by humans to convey various types of meaning in various contexts Some prior research has supported the notion that facial expressions are a hard-wired human behavior with evolutionary origins, so facial expressions wouldn’t differ across cultures Majority opinion is that these have similar meanings world-wide with respect to smiling, crying, or showing anger, sorrow, or disgust However, the intensity varies from culture to culture: • In America: Most American people hide grief or sorrow • In Viet Nam: Most people exaggerate grief or sadness 2.4 Posture Consider how your perceptions of people are affected by the way they sit, walk, stand, or hold their head The way you move and carry yourself communicates a wealth of information to the world This type of nonverbal communication includes your posture, bearing, stance, and the subtle movements you make • Americans not make their bow to greet each other, but they greet everyone with a handshake, kiss on the cheek, or hug Because in American culture bowing is a sign of submission, the admission that another person is superior to you • Vietnamese young people usually make their bow to older people when greeting expressing respect to old people 2.5 Touch Touch is a widely used form of non-verbal communication tool By touching, one can express a wide range of emotions However, the accepted modes of touch vary depending on the gender, age, relative status, intimacy and cultural background of the persons • In America: - Handshake is common (even for strangers) in U.S Shake hands is a polite way to greeting At early age they are taught to so with a firm, solid grip When greeting one another - Giving hugs, kisses for members of family or relative or friends is on an increasingly more intimate basis • In Viet Nam: - Touching one's head means impolite but with children that action express encourage them But a special reason is Asian’s thought Head houses the soul and a touch puts it in jeopardy - Hugging and kissing when greeting are not prevalent Especially, in public it's unacceptable to display of affection like kiss or hug or any action that too affectionate 2.6 Eye Contact Since the visual sense is dominant for most people, eye contact is an especially important type of nonverbal communication The way you look at someone can communicate many things, including interest, affection, hostility, or attraction Eye contact is also important in maintaining the flow of conversation and for gauging the other person’s interest and response • In America: American children are taught to look others directly in the eyes meaning when greeting and conversing If not, means shyness or weakness African-Americans use more eye contact when talking and less when listening with reverse true for Anglo Americans This is a possible cause for some sense of unease between races in US A prolonged gaze is often seen as a sign of sexual interest • In Viet Nam: From early age, Vietnamese have been taught be avoid direct eye-contact, especially with older people and those of higher status because looking straight into the eyes of listeners indicate a challenge or express deep passion Thus, avoiding eye-contact in talking to people who are not an equal or the same sex is deemed to be appropriate, polite behavior in Viet Nam PART III CONCLUSION Non-verbal communication plays a significant role in our lives, as it can improve a person's ability to relate, engage, and establish meaningful interactions in everyday life A better understanding of this type of communication may lead people to develop stronger relationships with others On the theoretical background of speech act, politeness and in the light of cross-cultural communication, the author has conducted an investigation so as to find out the definition, types, imfortances of non-verbal communication and so on Especially, the author has investigated the differences of non-verbal communication between Vietnamese and American As the global village continues to shrink and cultures collide, it is essential for all of us to become more sensitive, more aware, and more observant to the myriad motions, gestures, and body language that surround us each day And as many of us cross over cultural borders, it would be fitting for us to respect, learn, and understand more about the effective, yet powerful “silent language” of body language Despite my best effort, the author is fully aware that short-comings and mistakes are inevitable and therefore it is she who stands entirely accountable for those weaknesses Every constructive comment and feedback from readers is highly appreciated REFERENCES Lumen Cutural Anthropology, What is Culture?, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/culturalanthropology/chapter/what-is-culture/ Toppr.com, Communications: Process, Importance, Types, Barriers, https://www.toppr.com/guides/business-studies/directing/communication/ IeduNote, Nonverbal Communication: Definition, Types, Importance (Explained), https://www.iedunote.com/nonverbal-communication HelpGuide, Nonverbal Communication and Body Language, https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/nonverbalcommunication.htm Life in the USA, Clothing and Dress in America, http://www.lifeintheusa.com/everyday/clothing.htm Viet Vision Travel (2018), Vietnamese Traditional Costumes & Dress | Origin & Uniqueness, https://www.vietvisiontravel.com/post/vietnamese-traditionalcostumes/ I Tour Viet Nam (29/6/2020), How to Understand Vietnamese Non-verbal Communication, https://www.itourvn.com/blog/how-to-understand-vietnamesenon-verbal-communication Inside Viet Nam Travel, Vietnam Non-verbal Communication, https://www.insidevietnamtravel.com/travel-guide/vietnam-non-verbalcommunication.html 10