3。 General Description of Nonverbal Communication

3。1 Definition文献综述

For the definition of nonverbal communication, scholars at home and abroad have different opinions。 Larry Samovar (1981) made a brilliant exposition in his book Understanding Intercultural Communication that nonverbal communication refers to the factors which contain the value of information to the exporter or the recipient in a certain environment, in addition to the language。 These factors can be man-made or caused by the environment。

Chen Wangdao (1932) one of the most famous Chinese educators, rhetorician and linguists in our country, defined and classified the body language in his book The Main Ideas of the Rhetoric。 He thought body language is a linguistic form which is based on facial expressions, body movements, spatial distance and dress as the material in interpersonal communication and social development。 As one of the most important means of expression in nonverbal communication, body language can’t be ignored。 His definition of body language has initiated the research of nonverbal communication in China。 However, the most authoritative definition of nonverbal behavior has been shown in the Encyclopedia of China in 1988。 It said nonverbal behavior, generally, is a kind of paralanguage。 It refers to an image which is silent but visible。 That means gestures, body movements, facial expressions, the location and distance, which are used with the words at the same time or exclusively。 What’s more, the Dictionary of Psychology called nonverbal behavior as body language and defined it as means or cues which can express the information of verbal with the help of gestures, postures, facial expressions and other body movements。 

Therefore, in the author’s opinion, nonverbal behavior is one of the most important tools for people to transmit the information。 It can convey people’s thoughts and emotions through facial expressions, eye movements, gestures, postures, and appearance。 In the middle school English teaching, teachers can make full use of nonverbal behavior, so as to enliven the classroom climate, enhance the communication between teachers and students, emphasize the key points and difficulties in the classroom to help the students improve their understanding and strengthen their memory。 At the same time, teachers can get the feedback from students as soon as possible in order to exalt the lesson efficiency。