2 Literature Review

2.1 Concept of Nonverbal Communication 

Tang Degen（2000） defined nonverbal communication as symbols of communication without speech. It is a kind of stimulation, which has potential values caused by human and environment except speech. 

Malandro and Barker (1989) says that nonverbal communication is communication with no words.

Knapp (1978) defined nonverbal communication as communication influenced by ways other than words .

Samovar and Porter (2004) propose “Nonverbal communication involved all those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the source and his or her use of the environment that have potential message value for the source of receive” .

2.2 Classification of Nonverbal Communication 

Knapp (1978) pided nonverbal communication into seven parts: body motion and kinesics behavior, physical characteristics, touching behavior, paralanguage, proxemics, artifacts and environmental factors.

2.3 The Previous Study on Nonverbal Communication & Culture

Communication is not only based on speech but also based on nonverbal elements (Xujing, 2007). According to research, only 7% of our message is delivered by speech, and 93% of the information is delivered through body language, the tone of our voice and so on (Kuang Xinhua, Zeng Jianping, 2004). 

In 1959, E.T. Hall pointed out the importance of nonverbal communication. He elaborated the invisible aspect of nonverbal communication through two concepts: silent language and hidden dimension. He thought that there were only a few people knowing the problems in international communication, and introducing nonverbal communication is as important as verbal aspect (1959:10). Larry A. Samovar (2004) and other experts pided nonverbal communication into four parts: body behavior, space and distance, time and silence. They used many examples to study the specific differences of culture in nonverbal communication (2004:152). Aristotle, a famous philosopher, is the first one who started to study human’s body behavior. And body language became main study after World War II. Moreover, the study on nonverbal communication initially came from the discussion and analysis of Darwin’s The Emotional Expression of Human and Animal. 来~自^吹冰论+文.网www.chuibin.com/

Study of nonverbal communication started from 1980s in China (Dingling, 2007). Since nonverbal communication became an independent subject, it brought more and more attention from communication field and English teaching. The study of China’s experts can be pided into two parts: different cultures in nonverbal communication and functional study of nonverbal aspect (Che Yingjun, 2009). The function of nonverbal communication includes four aspects: replacing information, emphasizing information, offering supplemental information and retracting information. (Xu Xiaoming, 2010). BiJiwan (1999) points out that nonverbal communication is more important than verbal communication. When verbal communication is not functional, nonverbal communication can take the place of it.

Although there are lots of studies on nonverbal communication, only a few people have analyzed it through cultural perspective.

2.4 Research Design and Methodology

This paper will analyze nonverbal communication between China and America based on examples from different situations in different cultures. It will deeply study the different performances of nonverbal communication through giving examples and comparative method.

3 Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Communication between China & America

3.1 Nonverbal Communication in Social Etiquette

On the aspect of social etiquette, there are many differences between China and America. And similarly, these differences are reflected by distance, physical contact, eye contact and so on.

3.1.1 Distance between people