2. 2 Importance of non-verbal behavior in oral English classes
The non-verbal behavior applied in oral English teaching includes body language, sign behavior, eye contact and object display. The first three categories belong to “subject means”, while the last one “object means”.
The application of the non-verbal behavior in oral English classes can not only help teacher express their thoughts and emotion, but also can simplify teacher’s teaching language. Furthermore, the expressive and performative non-verbal behavior can stimulate students’ zeal of oral English learning, and make classes more active and vivid. Thus, the students will practice and study English more initiatively and effectively.
2. 3 Function of non-verbal behavior in oral English classes
An important distinction in viewing non-verbal behavior as communication is that between the encoder and the decoder. The encoder is analogous to an actor or impression manager, producing and “sending” the behaviors to be interpreted. The decoder is analogous to an observer “receiving” the presented behaviors and interpreting them in some fashion. Within the context of the encoder-decoder distinction, a major concern is that of intention and whether intended and unintended messages obey the same rules and principles of communication.
Argyle has identified some primary functions of non-verbal behavior in human communication as: 1. Expressing emotion; 2. Conveying interpersonal attitudes (like/dislike, dominance/submission, etc.);3. Presenting one’s personality to others; 4.Accompanying speech for the purposes of managing turn taking, feed-back, attention, etc. Notice that none of these functions of non-verbal behavior operate alone. We convey our emotions with our face, body, and other nonverbal cues. We use eye contact to tell the conversational partner when it is time to switch speaking turns. We can still express emotions and attitudes, present ourselves in a particular light, and arrange the interaction by using verbal cues, too.
Verbal and non-verbal behaviors are obviously not separable in human communication process. As Kendon states, “It is a common observation that, when a person speaks, muscular systems besides those of the lips, tongue, and jaws often become active…gesticulation is organized as part of the same overall unit of action by which speech is also organized…gesture and speech are available as two separate modes of representation and are coordinated because both are being guided by the same overall aim. That aim is to produce a pattern or action that will accomplish the representation of a meaning.”[10]
Many theorists have examined some basic ways that verbal and nonverbal behaviors interact in communication process. Based on their studies, for simplicity, nonverbal behavior serves to repeat, complement, reinforce, replace, regulate or even contradict our verbal behavior.
2. 3. 1 Repetition
Non-verbal behavior can simply repeat what was said verbally. For instance, verbal statements of agreement or disagreement (“Right, right”; “No way”) are often accompanied by a nod or shake of the head to convey positive or negative feelings. When you tell a person the way to the railway station, you generally add a little information by pointing in the proper direction. These could be considered repetition because they indicate the same meaning as the verbal messages. Furthermore, it is a very basic art of verbal behavior, occurring naturally, unconsciously.
2. 3. 2 Complement
Nonverbal signals can modify or elaborate on verbal messages. If you’re telling a funny story, you may be smiling or laughing. When you tell someone that you are pleased with his or her lecture, you may pat the person on the shoulder at the same time to show your appreciation. If you tell your friend that you have no money to lend him, you may turn out your pockets to show your sincere regret. These important actions help us to complement, complete our verbal behavior. A student who reflects an attitude of embarrassment when talking to a professor about a poor performance in class assignments may generally exhibit nonverbal behavior to complement the verbal one.
2. 3. 3 Reinforcement
Nonverbal signals may be used to emphasize a portion of the verbal message. People frequently use movements of the head and hands such as nods, blinks, squints, and shrugs, to help accent or punctuate the verbal message. If you say “I love you” to someone you care about, a hug or kiss is usually followed. When a father scolds his son for staying out too late, he may accent a particular phrase with a firm grip on the son’s shoulder and an accompanying frown. Reinforcement can also be achieved by changing the pitch or stress on a word or group of word. Our entire meaning relies more heavily on words that are accented.
Such as a simple example as the sentence “I want to talk with her.” It may mean (1) emphasis on the person who wants to talk; (2) relying on the action that the person wants to perform; (3) stress on the conversational partner with whom the person wants to communicate.
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