A vietnamese english cross cultural study on gestures for greeting

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION THESIS B.A DEGREE IN ENGLISH STUDY A VIETNAMESE-ENGLISH CROSS CULTURAL STUDY ON GESTURES FOR GREETING Supervisor : Assoc.Prof.Dr.P

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH

GRADUATION THESIS

B.A DEGREE IN ENGLISH STUDY

A VIETNAMESE-ENGLISH CROSS CULTURAL STUDY ON GESTURES FOR GREETING

Supervisor : Assoc.Prof.Dr.Phan Van Que Student : Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan Date of birth : 19/03/1993

Course : K18A4 (2011-2015)

HANOI-2015

CODE: 10

Graduation paper

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015)

DECLARATION

Title: A Vietnamese-English cross cultural study on gestures for greeting

I certify that no part of the above report has been copied or reproduced by me from any other’s work without acknowledgement and that the report is originally written by me under strict guidance of my supervisor

Special thanks are given to the management board of English Department who created good environment for students to study during four years at Hanoi Open University

During the period of these months,many friends are helpful to color my life.I have to acknowledge all my classmates in class K18SP and friends in faculty of English for their assistances in many aspects that I cannot list them all because of limited space.We often discuss how to improve the qualities of

my papers on the internet at night.However,the effect is not significant

Last but not the least important,I owe more than thanks to my family members which includes my parents and my elder brother,my younger sister,my sister-in-law and my niece,for their financial support and encouragement throughout my life.Without their support,it is impossible to finish my college and graduate seamlessly

Hanoi,May 2015

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan

Graduation paper

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1.Rationale of the study 1

2 Aims of the study 2

2.Research questions 2

4 Scope of the study 2

6 Design of the study: 4

PART B:DEVELOPMENT 6

Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

1.1 Communication and cross-cultural communication 6

1.1.1 Communication and nonverbal communication 6

1.1.2 Nonverbal communicative competence 7

1.1.3 Cross-cultural communication 7

1.2 Gestures 9

1.2.1 Gestures defined 9

1.2.2 Gestures classified 9

1.2.3 Gestures across cultures 11

Chapter 2: GREETING GESTURES 14

2.1 Greeting 14

2.2 Greeting gestures across cultures 14

2.2.1 Dead gestures 14

2.2.2 Contemporary greeting gestures 16

Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 26

3.1 Greeting gestures as perceived by the Vietnamese informants 26

3.1.1 Data analysis of greeting gestures 26

3.1.2 Considerations of factors affecting greeting gestures (table 5) 30

3.1.3 Data analysis of handshaking gesture 31

Graduation paper

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015)

3.2.1 Data analysis of greeting gestures (see table 6) 34

3.2.2.Considerations of factors affecting greeting gestures (table 8) 39

3.2.3.Data analysis of handshaking gesture 39

3.3.Major cross-cultural similarities and differences 40

PART C CONCLUSION 42

REFERENCES 43

Graduation paper

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015)

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Informants’ background

Table 2: The use of greeting gestures

Table 3:The most greeting gestures used by the Vietnamese

Table 3: Frequencyof greeting gestures in use (Vietnamese subjects)

Table 4: The most greeting gestures used by English native speakers

Table 5: Factors affecting gestures of greeting (Vietnamese subjects)

Table 6: The most greeting gestures used by the Vietnamese and English native speakers

Table 7: Greeting gestures in term of frequency (English native subjects)

Table 8: Factors affecting greeting gestures (Vietnamese and Anglicist subjects)

Table 9: The most greeting gestures used by the Vietnamese and English native speakers

Table 10: Factors affecting greeting gestures (Vietnamese and Anglicist subjects)

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015) 1

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

Nowadays, English is becoming more and more popular in the world People use English as a means to connect between this country among others not only in communication but also in bussiness, policy and social activities Because of that, Vietnam is one of the countries which is influenced strongly by English as well In Vietnam, English plays an important role in all fields, one of them is education People at different ages learn English with the aim to communicate with everyone in the world especially have a good job What is mentioning is that almost English learners focus on learning grammar, lexicology, sentence structures, word buiding and the ways to use words Athough the factors are really important, most of English learners and people who use English are disregarded They are cultural aspects of language in communication

In fact, speaking is not only way to interact with other people In communication, gesture, posture and eye contact also express what people want to say Athough we often use them, we still do not recognize its role during conversation Thank to them, the listener is easier to understand the speaker.Gestures used for greeting,in particular,play an important part in communication in that they help to establish and maintain relationship in an initial meeting

To learn any language, we have to research its culture, so the communication activities of each nation reflect surface of the nation That is barrier for learners to succeed in learing English Practically, be good at grammar, lexicology is not enough, we still misunderstand what the speaker want to express and sometimes lead to situations we can not solve

by myself To improve learners’ communicative competence, to help them communicate effectively in initial meetings and avoid culture shock in

cross- cultural communication “A Vietnamese-English Cross-Cultural

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015) 2

Study on Gestures for Greeting” is chosen as the topic for my study

2 Aims of the study

To help English learners improve their speaking skill as well as establish conversations in meeting.I did research and want to show them the important aspects in communication especially effects of gestures in meeting In addition,I will produce some illustrations which helps English learners react better in any situation With the aims to help learners be able

to establish conversations naturally and use it native styles.This may help people avoid the misunderstanding and culture shock in English and Vietnamese cross-cultural communication and then enhance the effectiveness in communicative activities.Thanks to that,many advantages could be brought into our social life

4 Scope of the study

Gesture is a large aspect of nonverbal communication According to its functions it is divided into such categories as Greeting/ Parting, Approval/ Disapproval, Offensive and Profane In this study, attention will be focused

on some gestures for greeting, which are commonly used in initial meetings They are handshaking, nodding, waving, hugging, high-5, patting on one's shoulder/ back, bowing,and raising eyebrows Of the eight gestures, priority

is given to handshaking as it is most frequently resorted to in all cases while

we carry out the survey and analyze the data Smile is also a very popular gesture of greeting, however, due to the limitation of a minor thesis, it is not

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015) 3

mentioned in the paper.Besides,major similarities and differences between the English and Vietnamese native speakers when performing gestures will also be highlighted and analyzed in great detail to avoid misinterpretations, misunderstandings and culture shock in Cross – Cultural Communication and help to perform an effective communication as well

5 Methods of the study

To achieve the aims as stated,a linguistic contrative analysis is carried out through the study Conclusions are based on the analysis of statistics and references

The major approaches are:

In addition, the informants were asked to tick the parameters chosen among age, gender, occupation, marital status, social status, length of time they have known each other, and environment, which they generally take into consideration when greeting someone and ranking them in a level scale of importance

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The informants were also required to show their own greeting gestures when meeting people of old age, same age and young age; same sex and different sex; higher, equal and lower status; in different contexts

Of 40 questionares delivered to the Vietnamese who live in the North of Vietnam,40 questionnaires to the English native speakers who are visitors,oversea students, teachers,… from England,Canada,America and Australia but they are now living,travelling and working in Hanoi,Viet nam.These people were randomly chosen when I guided them travelling or met them at HOU or at “foreign street” in the Old quarter of Hanoi

It is sure that the background of informants were asked for analysis of the data like:nationality,age,sex,occupation,marital tatus,personality,…

I have table 1:informants’ background

Informats’ paramaters Vietnamese

(N=40)

Anglicist (N=40) Male

(N=30)

Female (N=10)

Male (N=30)

Female (N=10)

Informants who live in the

country

Finally,The result of process is statistics listed on Appendices

6 Design of the study:

Our paper is devided into three parts Part A is Introduction which

provides an overview introduction about the rationable, aims, scope, methods

and design of the study The second one is part B, Development, which

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015) 5

consists of three chapters Chapter one is Literature review which mentions

to definition, types of gestures,communication and nonverbal communication In chapter II, we present “Greeting gestures” Section one is about greetings Section two mentions to greeting gestures across cultures Chapter III, This chapter is the main key of my paper and is devided into three sections.Section 1 is about “Greeting gestures as perceived by the vietnamese informants”.Section two presents “greeting gestures as perceived

by English informant”.Finally,section three mentions to “major cross-cultural

similarities and differences”.Together with part C, Conclusion-sumary of my paper, are references (including books and sources from Internet)

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015) 6

PART B:DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

As named,this chapter will review the theories of communication and nonverbal communication in some researchers’ points of view.Various definitions about gestures as well as categories are illustrately introduced in this chapter

1.1 Communication and cross-cultural communication

1.1.1 Communication and nonverbal communication

“we are great communication”

Liz & John Soars:1997 Everyday, in many ways, we communicate with other people Sometimes

it is verbally, othertimes it is through the written word and we even do it verbally through what we call body language For that matter, we can use images to communicate and even a scent can carry a message If we expect

non-to get our point, our message, our meaning across, it is important that we have good communication skill Chip Rose, attorney and mediator said that

“We all use language to communicate, to express ourselves, to get our ideas across, and to connect with the person to whom we are speaking When a relationship is working, the act of communicating seems to flow relatively effortlessly When a relationship is deteriorating, the act of communicating can be as frustrating as climbing a hill of sand."

Overall, The process of sending and receiving messages through verbal

or nonverbal means-speech (oral communication) , writing (written

process of creating and sharing meaning and is defined as the exchange of ideas ,information ,feeling, ect between two or more persons (Richards et al.1992:64) and "All communication involves faith," says literary theorist Terry Eagleton "Indeed, some linguisticians hold that the potential obstacles

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015) 7

to acts of verbal understanding are so many and diverse that it is a minor

miracle that they take place at all" (Reason, Faith, and Revolution, 2009)

Communication involves three components: verbal messages (the words

we choose), paraverbal messages (how we say the words) and non-verbal messages (our body language) However, as some recent research, Mehrabian and Wiener suggested that only 7% of message is sent through words, with remaining 93% sent nonverbal expressions (Mehrabian and Weiner,8) That is reason why the power of non-verbal communication can not be underestimated

1.1.2 Nonverbal communicative competence

Communicative competence is a term in linguistics which refers to a language user's grammatical knowledge of syntax, morphology, phonology and the like, as well as social knowledge about how and when to use utterances appropriately.In other words,communicative competence needs linguistic knowledge,interaction skills and cultural knowledge as well.It’s clear that when someone wishes to communicate with others,they must recognize the social settings,their relationship to the others and the types of language that can be used for a particular occasion

Nonverbal communicative competence is known as the ability to use nonverbal cues effectively.As mentioned above, only 7% of message is sent through words, with remaining 93% sent nonverbal expressions (Mehrabian and Weiner,8).,therefore,a good communicator is supposed to know what nonverbal cues are appropriate to use,in which content and how.Besides,she

or he must pay much attention to cultural and cross-cultural factors so that misinterpretations,misunderstanding and communication breakdown.That is reason why the power of non-verbal communicative competence can not be

underestimated

1.1.3 Cross-cultural communication

Cross-cultural communication is a field of study that contains two

definitions: “culture” and “cross-cultural communication”

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As Richards definited that culture is the charcteristics of a particular

group of people,defined by everything from language,religion,cuisine,social

community-specific.It has own sets of values that help distinguish one community from

another When people from different cultural backgrounds meet each other

and they need to exchange ideas,information ect.,between them ,which is

factors, such as the other culture's values, perceptions, manners, social structure, and decision-making practices, and an understanding of how members of the group communicate-verbally, non-verbally, in person, in writing, and in various business and social contexts, to name but a few.In fact,people can recognize how to communicate with other people from other culture,however,they still make mistakes in some situations.It is realized that there are often more problems in cross-cultural communication than in communication between people of the same cultural background Therefore,if the cultural conventions of the participants are widely different,misinterpretations and misunderstandings can easily arise,even resulting in a total breakdown of communication For example:

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If you are an English-speaking Caucasian and under the sea scuba diving around the world, it means ‘OK’, ‘good’, or ‘spot on’ In fact, it was believed that this ‘OK’ sign has been popularized by divers French understands it as

‘zero’ or ‘worthless’ Meanwhile, Japanese would read it as ‘money’

1.2 Gestures

Gestures have been studied throughout the centuries from different view points During the Roman Empire, Quintilian studied in his Institution Oratoria how gesture may be used in rhetorical discourse Another broad study of gesture was published by John Bulwer in 1644 Bulwer analyzed dozens of gestures and provided a guide on how to use gestures to increase eloquence and clarity for public speaking Andrea De Jorio published an

extensive account of gestural expression in 1832.S

1.2.1 Gestures defined

From past to now,there have been a number of definitions about gestures given by researchers and scholars

Ekman,.P (1982) states that gestures are motions of hands or body to

are the use of movements (especially of the hands)to communicate familiar or

claim that gestures are made up of hands and arm movements.However,some researchers argue that gestures are made up of not only hands,arms but also

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan_K18A4_(2011-2015) 10

we may slap our own forehead with the heel of the hand (Figure 1) when we forget something or remember something The performance of this gesture

may illustrate that we have said or done something silly and inappropriate

Another common instinctive gesture is when one crosses one's arm in front of the chest, which is a signal of defensiveness or, on the other hand, perhaps the person is merely chilly (see Figure 2)

Figure 1: A slap on head Figure 2: An arm crossing

Coded, or technical, gestures are created by pre-established agreement

The best-known coded language today is the Sign Language for the Mute (see Figure 3)

Deaf-Figure 3 American Sign Language

Acquired gestures, according to Axtell, are socially generated and many

of them have no known origins (e.g., the "O.K." sign) or no reason (e.g., the hand waving, as in hello and good bye)

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Figure 4: the O.K sign Figure 5: the Waving

Acquired gestures seem to be loosely and informally collected among seperate societies with no particular logic except that they are widely used and understood among a certain group of people (Axtell, 1998:5) Taking this sense into consideration, acquired gestures convey many meanings and differ across cultures, which are accepted in one society but considered very rude or even insulting in other The nature of these is the main subject of discussion

in the following section

1.2.3 Gestures across cultures

Gestures have been used to replace words in many countries, and they are often specific to a given culture Gesture may mean something complimentary in one culture, but is highly offensive in another Generally, there are no universal hand gestures However, with the influence of television and movies, some gestures have become more widely known and accepted in many countries In spite of that, if we want to succeed in international greetings and establishing relationships, we should be aware of these differences, understand, respect and accept them To many, these misunderstanding can still be a bigger deal than just momentarily annoyances.For instance, As usual, thumb-up has two meanings: positive meaning (means okay or welldone) and negative meaning In the Unites States the thumbs up is used as a sign for approval and success, whereas the thumbs down conveys the opposite In Europe the thumbs up is also a signal for "goodbye,” or a greeting in passing, especially among young people

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However, the thumbs up sign in Middle Eastern countries, Iran, Iraq and Thailand, is an extremely obscene gesture, equivalent to flipping the finger in Europe In India, the thumbs up, combined with a wagging of the fist means,

"I doubt that will work."

In addition, a thumbs up is an important sign in scuba diving, where it means, "stop the dive and ascend."

The thumbs-up as a general meaning of “good” or “positive”

Another letter formed by fingers is the "V.” Legend has it that the V sign originates from the 100 Year War, when the French vowed to cut off English long bowmen's middle fingers, but as the English won the war, they raised their fingers in the V sign to show that the shooting fingers were still intact

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Making the V sign with the palm turned inward is, particularly in the UK,

an offensive sign, very similar to flipping the finger

It was Winston Churchill, after World War II, who first used the V sign for victory and success, but with the palm turned outward Since then it has been used in that context In the US, it is generally a sign of success, often made with both arms raised

Moreover, the V sign is also used to poke fun at someone, when secretly

made behind a person's head, making him or her look like a bunny

Similarly,the “Horns”,or “hook ‘em horns” gestures,has different meanings (both positive and negative) in different areas in the world.In America, this might represent bull horns Teenagers and surfers also use this gesture to say “cool, dude” A very different meaning arise, however, when using this gesture in Brazil, Columbia, Portugal or Spain where this exact same gesture means your wife had been unfaithful

Thus,R.L.Birdwhistell claims that “there are no universal gestures.As far

as we know,there is no single facial expressions,stance or body position which conveysbthe same meaning in all societies.” (cited from knapp&hall,1997:43)

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Chapter 2: GREETING GESTURES

2.1 Greeting

In fact, no one can give an accurate definition of greeting Here are some common definitions of greeting in terms of anthropology, sociology, linguistics, wikipedia and Vietnamese definition

According to a definition on Wikipedia, greeting is an act of communication in which human beings (as well as other members of the animal kingdom) intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship or social status between individuals or groups of people coming in contact with each other Greetings can be expressed both audibly and physically, and often involve a combination of the two The major function of greeting is communication

How about Vietnamese definitions “ Chào có nghĩa là nói ra hoặc ra

Professor Quang- 2002) and Vietnamese proverb “Lời chào cao hơn mâm cỗ”

2.2 Greeting gestures across cultures

2.2.1 Dead gestures

Dead gestures are gestures which have existed in ancient times and which are not used or understandable today Like verbal language, the gesture has birth and death.This is mainly because there have been changes in social and industrial development and partly due to the extinction of ethnic minorities and some tribes

For example, China is a country with many nationalities Among them, the 'Hanna' nationality, with over 90% population, is the biggest one In the past centuries, 'Hanna' was conquered by other nationalities In that peroid, the living custom of Chinese people was influenced by the ruling class For example, in Qing Danasty, Chinese people had special, in modern eyes, strange ways of expressing meaning which were influenced of the "Mang"

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nationality (the ruling class at that time) When men of similar social status sent greetings to each other, they used the following gesture,

but when noble women met or sent greetings to each other, they use gestures

like this one;

The following picture shows how to meet the emperor

This gesture, called 'koutou', is complicated and has strict regulations It consists of three steps:

i) right sleeve brushing the left arm from top to the fingers,

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ii) left sleeve brushing the right arm from top to the fingers,

iii) bend down, one knee on the floor, right hand on the back and left hand hitting the floor

The gestures mentioned above were very popular during the "Qing Dynasty" among the officials and nobles, but not very popular among the common people In present, all of them have died, because the kingdom was overthrowed and the ruling class was changed These gestures disappeared quickly We can only see them in movies, but the descendants of "Mang" in Beijing are proud and glad to talk about their great history

The Vietnamese greeting gestures “hand clasping” and “arm folding” with body bending commonly used by people of low class when meeting some richer and in a higher position are hardly found nowadays.Similarly,

“tip hat” with body bending and “hand kissing” are no longer popular in Western countries

2.2.2 Contemporary greeting gestures

Gesture helps to complement and reinforce meanings of verbal messages However, when communicating with people from cultures that are different from your own, it is important to understand possible contradictions in the meanings of gestures such as hand signals and head movements An understanding of how gestural meanings vary between different cultures enables smooth and pleasant communications, and helps to avoid embarrassment and misinterpretations.There are hundreds estimated contemporary gestures of greeting from East to West.However,here we consider the nine more familiar and common ones:

2.2.2.1 The bow

Bowing is about as ancient as human civilization, and in every different culture the movement is capable of great nuance in terms of angle and duration The bow as we know it today began as a show of servility by a slave to his master, kneeling with the neck exposed as if allowing decapitation at the master's will Religious ceremonies across the world also

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incorporate deep bowing as a show of deference, particularly to divine symbols and holy men On the street, the deference became common respect

as a greetings and shows of gratitude Today, the old show of suicidal submission has taken a less severe tone in the form of an everyday polite nod, but the many levels of action and meaning continue to this day

Bowing is the act of lowering the torso and head as a social gesture

in direction to another person or symbol It is most prominent in Asian cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many countries and distinctively

in Europe It is especially prominent in China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Vietnam where it may be executed standing or kneeling Some bows are performed equally by two or more people while others are unequal - the person bowed to either does not bow in return or performs a less low bow in response A nod of the head may be regarded as the minimal form of bow; forms of kneeling, genuflection, or prostration which involves the hands or whole body touching the ground, are the next levels of gesture

Around the world,especially in Western cultures,the bow gesture can be observed in the theatre,performed by both actor and actress,composer and musican at the beginning as a greeting and at the end of the show as a thanks

to an appreciative audience

Contrary to Western cultures,in Oriental cultures,especially in Japan,South Korea,Thailand,India,Laos,… bowing is considered the formally

standard and traditional greeting

Japanese bow is an example

Bowing in Japan is a way of saying

"hello" , "goodbye" , "thank you"

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and even "I'm sorry" The dept of the bow and duration of the head is kept lowered is depending on the age of the person ,status of the person involved

and relationship to on another

The people of Thailand also bow as a greeting

but with a slight difference They place their hands

together as if in prayer at the same time as they bow

The higher the hand position is on your body, the

more respect is offered to the other person

In Vietnam, bowing (vái chào) as a greeting gesture is found most often

in the country and among the old generation.However,it is also observed commonlyin the theatre and in the business to show one’s respect and humility to his/her encounter

2.2.2.2 The High-5

The high five's origin is an extraordinarily contentious issue, given its association with camaraderie and celebration The low five had long been used between black Americans and became popular during the Jazz Age as a response to "slap me some skin." However, the cultural phenomenon

known as the "high five" was not actually in print until 1980 The most

popular story of the high five's genesis is attributed to flash-in-the-pan rookie sensation Glenn Burke, who was photographed instigating the action to another player in 1977 Nevertheless, the 1978 Louisville Cardinalsbasketball team also claimed credit, saying that they were frequent low fivers but in a moment of spontaneous inspiration a trendsetting player held his hand up for

a high five instead By 1980, everybody from Magic Johnson to people who hadn't played sports since high school were claiming credit for the

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ubiquitous palm slap In reality, they're really just fighting for the title of

"high five," since the gesture is likely to have naturally evolved from the low fives of the Jazz Age.Nowadays,since this gesture is still used to celebrate a sporting victory,it is seen most often in stadiums,on baseketball courts,and on playing fields

In fact,as time passed,the high-five was considered as a gesture of greeting in the last decade of the twentieth century.the high-five gesture is generally in the US, and it is quickly welcomed in other countrues by the young.It’s easy to see high-five in streets,at schools,universities where friends meet one another

2.2.2.3.Hugging

Kathlann Keating (1994) claimed that “A hug is a near international form

of physical intimacy in which two people put their arms around the neck, back, or waist of one another and hold each other closely If more than two persons are involved, this is informally referred to as a group hug.”

“The hug gesture is a personal of greeting used when parting or reuniting

to show warmth and affection.The hug is described as the arms are wrapped around the torso of a companion,usually,the action is reciprocated.” (Amstrong,20003:16)

Depending on culture, context and relationship,a hug can indicate familiarity, love, affection, friendship, brotherhood or sympathy A hug can indicate support, comfort, and consolation, particularly where words are insufficient A hug usually demonstrates affection and emotional warmth, sometimes arising from joy or happiness when reunited with someone or seeing someone absent after long time.According to the functions,hugs can be categorized as followings:Love hugging,Friendship hugging,Politeness hugging,Greeting hugging and Farewell hugging

Hugging standards vary from culture to culture

2.2.2.4 Handshaking