UNIT 21

Body LanguagePeriod II

pat the stomach

hungry

shake hands

bow

put the palms

together

hug

eye contact

showing love

thumbs up

praising

Aims: 1. To understand what Body Language

is.2. To know how it differs from culture to

culture.

Body Talk

Skimming1.What’s the function of body language?

It can help us express our thoughts and opinions and communicate with others.

It can help us get through difficult situations and find friends in a world of strangers.

2.How can a smile help us?

Think about the main idea of each para.Pick out the topic sentence if any.

Para 1. (the first sentence)

(the first sentence)

One meaning can be expressed by different gestures.

(the first sentence)

(the first sentence)

Para 2.

Para 3.

Para 4 .

Para 5.

Scanning

How many parts can we have?

Part 1 (para. 1)

Part 2 (para.2-3)

Function of body language

Body language in different parts

(2) Different meanings of the same gesture

(3) Different gestures to express the same idea

Part 3 (para.4-5) Some universal gestures (smile)

body lg. varies greatly

eye contact gesture “OK”

thumbs up circling before the ear

show interest

be rude money(J) zero(F)

good job (US)

No. 1(G/J)

crazy(US) your phone call(B)

rude(G/B)

rude(N)

(Para. 2)

the same meaning, different gestures

No Yes

Greeting gestures

shaking heads

nodding (B/I/G)

nodding

kiss hug bow/nod

shaking heads

(B/I/G)

handshake

(Para. 3)

universal body language

I’m tired. I am full.

I am hungry. smile

press palms/ rest your head on it/ ey

es closed

move hand in circles

pat stomach 1. get through…2. find friends

(Para. 4-5)

Fill in the blanks.

When we communicate with others, we use both words and body language to _______ our thoughts and opinions. Words are important, but ________ also tell us what they are saying.

As we know, body language ______ ______culture __ culture. Take the gesture OK for _________. In Japan, it means _______. In France, it means ____. In Brazil and Germany, __________, the gesture is rude.

express

gestures

varies

example moneyzero

however

from to

Though body language has different explanations, some gestures are ________in all places. The best example is the ______. It can help us ___________ difficult __________and find friends in a world of __________ because there is nothing better than to see the _______ face of a good friend.

universalsmile

situationsstrangers

smiling

get through

Fill in the blanks. Even the gestures we use for “yes” and “no” are _________ around the world. In many countries, _______ one’s head means “no”, and ________ means “yes”. But in some places, the gestures have the ________ meaning.

differentnodding

oppositeshaking

Varies; Eye contact: interest, rude “OK” : money, Zero, rude Thumbs up: great, rude, No.1 Circling before the ear: crazy ; phone Shaking one’s head / nodding; opposite meaning(B/G/I)Greeting gestures: kiss, hug, handshake, bow or nod

Universal: “tired” “full” “hungry” Smile…important…because …

Compare the meanings of the gestures in the US and China and then fill in the blanks of the table.

Discussion

Meaning Gesture in the US Gesture in China

No,don’t do that

Moving the index finger from side to side

I don’t know

Shrugging the shoulders

Well done! Thumbs up

Incredible! Rolling the eyes

Money Rubbing the thumb and forefinger together

That’s crazy!

Moving the index finger in a circle in front of the ear

Waving one’s hands

(the same)

(the same)

Opening the eyes and mouth widely

(the same)

(No such gesture)

Meaning Gesture in the US Gesture in China

Good luck! Cross the fingers on both hands

Come here.

Moving the index finger forwards and backwards

(No such gesture)

Moving the hand up and down with the palm facing down

Homework1. Write a passage about body

language. 2. Discuss in groups to fill in the

table on Page 60.

Body language varies from country to country. For example, eye contact means showing interest in some countries, but means being rude in other ones. Gestures “OK” means money in Japan, Zero in France, but rudeness in Germany and Brazil. So does thumbs up gesture. It has the meaning of being great in the US, No.1 in Germany and Japan , but rudeness in Nigeria. In the US, circling before the ear with your forefinger shows being crazy, but means your phone in Brazil.

Generally shaking one’s head means No and nodding means Yes. But they have the opposite meaning in Bulgaria and Iran. Greeting gesture contains kiss, handshake, embrace and bow, which are used in different countries.

Some gestures are universal, such as the way of showing “tired” “full” “hungry”. A smile will help you a lot in any country. Please keep smiling wherever you go.