Basic information about Body language

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• ·         Body language is probably one of the most important areas of communicating, especially for anthropologists.
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• ·         A smile can be interpreted as submissive or aggressive depending on the culture.
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• ·         Gestures are often misinterpreted due to cultural differences.
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• ·         Eye contact in general Canadian society is usually accepted and encouraged; avoiding eye contact is generally seen as a sign of deception or evasion.
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• ·         Distance between speakers varies enormously by culture as well. In North America, it generally follows these guidelines:
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• 1.       Public (audience and speaker): 3.7-7.6m
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• 2.       Social (in business and between strangers in public): 1.2-3.0m
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• 3.       Personal (between friends and family members, customers waiting in line): 0.6-1.2m
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• 4.       Intimate: less than 0.3m; romantic or best friends: whispering and touching involved.

How does Language relate to me?

We all know how languages are important to us, we use them to communicate with others. There are 5651 kinds of languages in this world; I think it’s amazing how creative human is. In the country I live in, China, has over 61 kinds of languages, the Chinese government promulgate a law that unite our language, students should learn Mandarin in their school. In my family, my dad could speak 4 kinds of dialects and my mum can speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese; In China, I usually speak Mandarin with my family and friends. I learnt English since I was in kindergarten, so totally over 10 years, but my Mandarin is still much more better than my English; I think it’s very important for a language learner to live in a suitable environment; My English became much better since I came to Canada. From this unit, I felt interested in Euphemism, it’s another way to express the same meaning, we won’t learn these phrases in the textbooks.

After 1 year spent in Trafalgar, I found the people that speak the same language make friends more and talk more, like me; I always have fun with my Chinese friends but seldom with others, language plays a vital role in making friends and communicating; I will try my best to improve my English and make more Canadian friends.
Here is a Chinese dialects map:

 

Basic information about Language.

• ·         Teaching your language to another person makes you more conscious of how words are used and sentences are structured.
• ·         Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: Language not only labels reality but also shapes our cultural reality.
• The way the language is structured can influence their thoughts.
• ·         Perception: the process of how an individual takes in information visually and with the other senses.
• ·         Euphemism: A word or set of words used to indirectly describe an uncomfortable or inappropriate concept or idea in a socially acceptable way.
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Euphemism	Meaning
Passed away	died
Let go	fired
Friendly fire	Gunfire shot accidentally by one’s own troops or allies in war.
Collateral damage	Death or injury to civilians or noncombatants during wartime.
The final solution	The phrase used by the Nazis for the planned genocide of Jewish people in World War 2
Preowned	Used or second-hand.
Powder your nose	Visit the bathroom.

How did Gender relate to me?

Before I took this course, I didn’t have lots of thought about “gender”, The first time I observe Gender was during primary school in China, I found that girls’ grades are always better than boys, more interesting, most of the boys are good at mathematics and science department, and girls did great job in literature, poetry. As a member of the female gender, I did a survey on it; the result was the same as I said. After reading through this chapter, I found some surveys in this book were very familiar with my research in primary school.

In Canada, people see genders as equal to each other; In Chinese culture, many people see it in different ways, male’s value is over females; Fortunately, my family is very wise about this, they see male and female as equal; I think people shouldn’t judge someone through their gender, the inequality will cause many social problems. There is no exactly definition of the male and female distinction. In 20^th century, most of the female were housewives and take care of the children, there were even some expectations about how a woman should look, act and behave and what she should want; with the change of decades, women became much more independent and more importantly, we have a voice. I wanted to be an independent woman in the future; I can decide for myself.

Another interesting that happens to me is that I have more male friends than female friends; I think males give people a feeling of safety and responsibility.

Overall, as a female, I am very proud and I am very interested in finding the differences of the genders.