Language is a key element of culture and a characteristic of
what makes us Homo sapiens
human. We are the only species on Earth
who communicate through language, but we actually have several different ways
of utilizing our language to communicate meaning and messages (be it
intentionally or unintentionally). Today’s
blog post is going to discuss one means of communication: kinesics, or nonverbal communication, such as body
language, gestures, stances, expressions.
This is an important area of anthropological study because while what we say
is very revealing how we say it, through vocal tone and body language, can provide a lot more meaning to the message(s) we are
portraying.
There are a variety of
different elements of language that fall within the category of kinesics. The first area that will be covered is vocal
tone. How something is said can
demonstrate a different meaning than what is said. For example, the phrase “I’m fine” is one
that is said quite often in American English.
The words themselves mean someone is in a satisfactory mood or state of
mind, but how someone says those two
words, via one’s vocal tone, can provide insights into whether or not someone
is being truthful. To demonstrate this
point, ask someone you know (or if you do not feel comfortable asking someone do
it yourself) to say “I’m fine” in a sad, happy, and
angry way and pay attention to the vocal tone used each time. You should notice a definitive difference in
pitch. These differences in pitch inform
the listener about the meaning behind the words “I’m fine”-be it truthful
sentiment or not.
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| Figure 1: Thumbs Up Gesture (Google Image Search) |
Another popular area
of study within kinesics is the study of body language, or gestures, stances,
and expressions. While we may believe
that body language is a cultural universal, meaning that body gestures are the
same in every culture, that is actually not the case. For example, in the United States the thumbs
up sign (Figure 1) is an affirmation of approval, but it takes on a different meaning in
various cultures around the globe. In
Germany it means the number one, in Japan it refers to someone’s boss or spouse
(specifically husband), and in Greece & the Middle East it is actually an
obscene gesture. You can learn more
about cultural variations in body language via this video.
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| Figure 2: V Fingers (Google Image Search) |
Understanding the
meanings behind kinesics is vital to understanding culture. As noted in tonal differences in speaking one
can learn if a speaker is being truthful or not, which is helpful to cultural
anthropologists who want to learn about the culture they are studying. Body language differences also provide insights
into cultural values and history. For
example, in Britain a vulgar gesture is the raising of two fingers,
specifically the index and middle finger (Figure 2), which is similar to the V
for Victory sign in the United States of America but does not have the same meaning. This gesture has its origins in the period
when Britain was in consistent conflict with France. After the British archers bested a French contingent
in battle the British archers mocked the French by waiving their two archery
fingers-the index and middle fingers-at them as an insult. This symbol eventually gained popularity among
the rest of the British population as a vulgar and insulting gesture, and while
the history of this gesture is not widely known the gesture continues to exist. So the study of kinesics is not simply a
matter of learning to communicate with various different cultural groups but
also a means of better understanding cultures around the globe.
38 comments:
I have many more different tones of voice now that I have a young child. I become especially kinetic when he won't let me study!
To elaberote on communicating with different cultures, I have a good friend who works at disneyland. In his training process it was just as important that his trainer emphasized he knew how to do his job function but know how to communicate with the visitors from around the world. One key thing I was able to take away from this was that "hand gestures" where not allowed unless you knew that it would not offend that person from that culture and when communicating between someone if they where to, for example say something wrong or something backwards it was important that you responded with out correcting them an any type of way so you didn't have to worry about offending them.
Lately, I have been studying ASL- what I have noticed, also in the same sense as stated in your last paragraph, there are many meanings for communicating a word, meaning or gesture, and if done the wrong way, could produce a completely different word or meaning. So in turn, one has to be quite practiced in the forming the word before using it. :)
I can relate to this through different hand signals I used to do with my friends in middle and high school. Well this hand gesture was made by use bringing all of our fingers to a point as if you were holding something together in our hand. When someone looked it was like what are you looking at nothing so I made you look hahahaha. Well when I started in the work field I worked with kids still do as of right now. One of the ways I built rapport with the kids was by telling jokes helping them have fun while going through a difficult time. Well one day a staff member I was working with got offended by the hand gesture I was doing with the kids. Which the staff member was from Salvador. In Salvador the hand gesture meant something vulgar towards women referring to a women private parts. No wonder she had this eye of disgust every time I did it. To makes things better I apologized to the staff member and promised to never do it again which she forgave me. As I educate myself more on different races and cultures I realize there is a lot of things that mean one thing in an certain culture but can mean something vulgar in rude in another culture.
Anthony Burton
I find body language to be very interesting since there are times that reading a person's body language can give you insight on what kind of mood they are in. If they are constantly rubbing their face, walking in little circles, and looking up you might guess that they are stressed out. If they are fidgeting around a lot and playing with their hands then you might pick up on their nervous vibes. Then there are simple expressions such as a smile or a scowl that can immediately tell you what that person is feeling in that moment. It is definitely a characteristic that is best displayed by us humans.
-Mark Scheuermann
Not just humans but all primates have specific types of body language that give off some very specific meanings. The same can go for mammals in general. :)
I love that we subconsciously tell a story without words. I can tell if my husband is listening to my rant or can tell when my kids aren't verbally saying they aren't feeling well. Sometimes we speak out more with our bodies then using a single word. The idiom that comes to mind, "Actions speak louder than words." Now how you interpret a person’s gestures is in the eye of the beholder.
I agree that hand signals mean a lot of different things. Even in scuba diving if you use the thumbs up it means you want to surface not the ok symbol of your first finger and thumb making the letter "O" and other 3 fingers standing straight up. So yes different hand gestures mean different things in different instances.
Plus I am sure every man has heard their woman say that they were fine and knew it was 100% no true. So I can relate to that statement as well.
I think the V symbol origins for the British is awesome! Especially now with people constantly giving the "peace sign" in pictures and whatnot.
I think this is why emoji's are so popular through texting and emails. The tone can get very garbled or misunderstood by just relying on reading texts. In previous years the art of conveying emotion through literature was studied, now we send 15-200 letter responses to convey complex thoughts/emotions/ of beliefs, thank goodness for the emoji's. Imagine the declaration of Independance written as a twitter feed or text.
I have a huge problem with facial expression, which I need to work very hard on before becoming a therapist. A lot of my clients think it's hilarious, but it has gotten me in quite a bit of trouble throughout of my life, as well as eye rolling. I've learned to pick up on body language. in my experience that has helped me learn how to talk to people or know if they're comfortable of not.
I hate it when people ask me if I am ok because I am usually not ok when they ask but I will respond with "I'm fine" and they know that I am lying through my teeth. Also facial expressions are a huge thing because I have my emotions written all over my face and people know if I am lying about how I really feel. That goes for a lot of people in society, for instance if somebody doesn't like me I can tell, even if they are being nice to me.
I greatly understand this because I do notice a lot when people around me have different tones of voice and could sometimes tell whether or not they are in a good mood or bad etc. The fact that the so called peace sign here in america is so greatly frowned upon in Britain is a surprise because I would have never thought that something so simple could mean something so much worse somewhere else.
-Erick Anguiano
Cool read, body language, tones, facial expression, etc. are all so interesting me. I believe in many cases that actions speak louder than words. Not mentioned here, but our non verbal expressions (tone and what not) are heavily influenced by those around us, also cool!
I completely agree that tone will change things drastically. Often i will experience a moment at work with a customer and say something that if repeated would not seem that bad, but based off my body language and tone, the said person can tell I'm aggravated.
Jordan R
I find the communication through gestures and tone of voice really fascinating. It is one of the most interesting things in my opinion on how different people act and how they try to hide it. It is crazy how people try to hide it and to someone they do not know they can, but when you know somebody for a while certain things raise flags on how they act and the things they say or do. I experience this knowing something is wrong with somebody and they are surprised it is so amazing how much you can tell about a person simply by the way they talk and the things they do.
My father when he was being evaluated for a medical procedure would copy the psychiatrists movements and after a while my dad would make slight movements and the psychiatrist would unknowingly mimic my dads movements. Body language can also determine if someone approaches you or if you get a job. your posture can show if you are confident or self conscious. it is amazing how humans interpret body language.
This post lends itself seamlessly to the topic of cultural appreciation vs. cultural appropriation. As mentioned, the typical "v" sign made with the middle and index fingers can stand for victory, and peace in this country. Whereas, in other parts of the world that is considered an extremely vulgar gesture, and not socially acceptable. It goes back to the necessity for educating ourselves. It seems were quick to offend, even when we're not aware we're doing it, and being appreciative of other cultures can help to avoid these hurtful confusions.
-Matt Santos
I was told that in the middle east, the peace sign is an offensive gesture. Also when I was in high school, I was taught where the middle finger came from. It all boils down to an individual country because every gesture is different.
I really love the different gestures that can be insulting in one culture but have an entirely different meaning in another.
body language is of particular interest to me as I have studied non-human animals my entire life and I am always amazed at what my fellow humans don't know when it comes to body language when all the other critters seem perfectly capable of signaling their intent when necessary to others of a different species but we often seem unable to truly understand our own!
It is a good reminder to keep our gestures minimal when in a different country and to study up before we travel!
After reading this blog I will be sure to do a little research on body language before traveling to a foreign country. I agree that the meaning of something can have many variations based on the way it is said. I also heard somewhere that raising your pinky finger in a different country is equivalent to flipping someone off. On another note, it is hard to understand someone when their body language is differing from what they are actually feeling. For example, a girl can have her arms crossed on her chest because she's just cold but if someone may think that she's actually upset about something.
-Sam Ruebush Anth 1o2
I am finishing up taking a communication class. In this class we learned about the kinesics, or nonverbal communication. Taking the communication class really helped me to understand how important nonverbal communication is. It is interesting how important little nonverbal communications such as a hand gesture or tone of voice can mean something much larger.
Leslie Milton
Anthropology 101
Course 3001
Inflection in voice is so nuanced in our society, and what I find really interesting is the intricate language we share with our partners. When we've been around someone for several years, our communication becomes a creature all it's own. Whether through body language or inside jokes or shortened phrases, it's always a language in itself. Language constantly morphs especially among the different groups we are around.
I have not heard non-verbal communication referred to as Kinesics before, but I liked reading this post as a part of my job is picking up on non-verbal cues that a person is giving, many times without even knowing that they are doing them. In my job paying attention to tone and body language or gestures/stance/expression is a huge part of getting the whole picture and understanding what is really going on. Also remembering that different societies have different meanings for certain gestures is extremely important in how I express myself when working with persons from a different culture. Sky
Here's a reference to popular culture that will perhaps vex many professionals in the field of applied psychology: Lie to Me was a show inspired by the work of Paul Ekman. I used to enjoy watching it (mostly to retain what certain non-verbal cues communicate).
It's said that looking to the left is an action made in recollection of events, while looking to the right is one made in fictionalizing them. I feel that, while having non-verbal cues in mind might be useful, they always have to be seen through a wider cultural scope. Eye-contact is seen as the norm in the U.S. (seen as a mark of honesty, integrity, and respect.), whilst direct and prolonged eye contact is not only disresprectful, but deemed confrontational in Mexican culture. Cultural awareness and understanding is essential for effective communication and peaceful coexistence.
I love how we communicate in several different ways than just by mouth, body language is interesting, something that I wish I could learn more about on how to read.
Aaliyah Caldwell
body Language is very broad. people use different hand signals for different meanings in all cultures. one being the different hand signals the fraternities and sororities. some are used for different rap labels and some just mean aloha or hello.
I find it really cool that different things can mean different things in other places. And it kind of forces you to research other places to make sure you don't mistakenly offend anyone if you plan to visit there.
Seeing as though my Major is Kinesiology, I can say I have a slight interest in the study of movements. Kinesics are a great way to communicate and also is a way to really tell how someone feels as opposed to what they say. Body movements and gestures tell it all.
I'm very glad that I have learned about this, because I want to travel and If I did the wrong hand gesture and offended someone, I would've felt like the bad person, and I would look very stupid.
I believe body language is a big part of our lives. I know that gestures are not the same for every culture and I find that very interesting, but also a little scary because I don't want someone from a different culture misinterpreting what I'm trying to say. Also, I believe body language can give you insight on how a person is feeling. I watched a YouTube video one time on how you can tell if someone is lying based on their body language. Very interesting.
Logan Taylor
I think that it is cool how things mean different all around the world. The thumbs up thing is something new I have learned reading this. One thing I would be worried about is if I traveled around the world how would I know gestures that would offend anyone.
Kenneth Granger
My friend from Japan explained to me how you keep your palm facing the ground when you call someone over. He said with the palm up it is disrespectful. Whereas in America it is seen as uncommon or weird to do so.
I remember watching a video online on how gestures are perceived in different places! I guess it is always a good idea to know what it means in the country before giving an high five or anything!
There are actually books you can purchase and read about this topic for every culture and country you travel to in order to avoid any sorts of issues. :)
Hi,
I can relate to how hand gestures are interpreted differently. I remember recently taking a photo and when my mother saw it, she became upset. My mother stated that the hand gesture I was using was a gang symbol. I had to educate her that in my generation it was a sign of brotherhood. I guess the thought that comes to mind regarding different cultures is that I would not use any hand gestures if I visited another culture. Case in point is how the thumbs up symbol has so many meanings. I would never want to disrespect a culture because of my ignorance.
Joell Davis
Body language is very important. Especially in today's society. You can’t see many people's lips when they are talking to you because of their masks. So it's very important that you pay attention to one body language. You can tell if one is not interested if they are not looking at you or rolling their eyes. Also someone can sit with their arms crossed like they are tired and don't wanna be there.
The post points out the significance of nonverbal cues in communication by highlighting how vocal tone and body language reflect sincerity and cultural values. This realization deepens our comprehension of how language is ingrained in cultural situations, which enhances the linguistic anthropology discourse. It goes on to show how different cultures understand gestures like the thumbs-up. A crucial component of both linguistic and cultural anthropology, intercultural communication requires cultural sensitivity and knowledge, which is shown by this acknowledgment of various cultural interpretations.
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