[Abstract] Intercultural communication can be classified into two types: verbal and nonverbal.   Both of them play an important role in intercultural communication. We often use verbal language in our daily life, thus nonverbal communication is neglected. In fact, nonverbal communication is a useful tool for communication. It happens everywhere, it calls our attention urgently. In nonverbal communication, body language is the most common way to transfer more information. However, different countries have different cultures which form different understanding of body language. Different nonverbal behaviors may have the same meaning in different countries. Or they may have different meanings for different people. And the reason lies in that people live in different areas are influenced by their convention, customs, and values, even modes of thinking. Sometimes, it will cause conflict between people especially in intercultural communication. It is urgent to learn more about others’ culture backgrounds so as to find out the root of different meanings on behavior. Nonverbal communication is indispensable not only in intercultural communication, but also in foreign language teaching. One of the aims of foreign language teaching is to teach students about the culture of foreign language, what students learn is different from pervious time; they should learn every aspects of the target language. This paper will give a brief introduction on nonverbal communication and its function and important role in communication. In addition, we will discuss its significance in foreign language teaching. We will analyze the significance of improving students’ nonverbal communicative ability in foreign language teaching. In this way, students will raise the awareness of nonverbal communication in different cultures.

[Key Words] nonverbal behavior; body language; cultural conflict; cultural difference; foreign language teaching

1. Introduction

Communication plays an important role in our daily life. It becomes more and more important especially when we communicate with foreigners all over the world. Communication, by which transfers people’s feeling and unites them around the world. Generally speaking, there are two types of communication. Many scholars have studied more about verbal communication, which is frequently noticed by people. While nonverbal communication is always ignored, which plays an indispensable role in communication. Nonverbal communication is influenced by culture, so different countries have different understanding of their behaviors. Even some people have the same body language; there are various understanding according to different cultures. It is unavoidable that cultural differences lead to culture conflicts. It is urgent to call students’ attention to nonverbal communication in foreign language teaching.

1.1 The definition of nonverbal communication

“ There are various definitions of nonverbal communication. Malandro etal stated: nonverbal communication is a way of communication without words.” [1]

“ Burgoon and Saine stated: nonverbal communication is the qualities or behaviors known to all in a community without the use of words, and that such qualities or behaviors are intentionally or thought to be intentionally given by the speakers and consciously received and responded to by the listeners.” [2]

Some people regard that nonverbal communication as “silent language” or simply “body language”. However, those are just the icebergs of nonverbal communication.

1.2 The elements of nonverbal communication

    Nonverbal communication covers every aspect of communication. As the definition of nonverbal communication, the elements of it are various. “The earlier kind is from Ruesch and Keeps; they classified it into three types: (a) sign language, including all the hand signs; (b) action language, including all objects; (c) object language, such as art, dress and so on. M.Knapp proposed another kind of classification. They are body motion and kinesics behavior, physical characteristics, touching behavior, paralanguage, proxemics, artifacts and environmental languages.” [3] According to intercultural communication, we divide it into the following kinds: (a) visual languages, including body language, environmental language; (b) auditable languages, including paralanguage, and so on.

1.2.1 Body language

Body language is the most noticed one in nonverbal communication. It includes the facial expression, eye contact, hand sign, action language, touching, dress and so on. We can discuss them in two groups. One is expression (eye and facial contact), the other is action (hand action and touching).

1.2.2 Eye contact

Eye contact transfers one’s emotion; people usually make eye contact to gain information. In intercultural communication, different eye contacts transfer different meanings. In China, we seldom look at one’s eyes directly when we talk with her or him. That is because Confucianism, which emphasizes Ren