The Reflection Of Culture: The Power Of Body Culture

The famous civil rights activist, Cesar Chavez, once said, “Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers.” At its core, language is the system of words or signs that people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other. Most people will view language as the way that we talk to others, either by the spoken or written word. Language, however, extends beyond just what is written and spoken. It is the interaction between the two that leads us to a better understanding of our culture and when you include nonverbal communication, you can begin to see how languages truly do reflect the society around them. For as long as modern languages have been around, they’ve mostly been views as fairly static. This simply means that when you would read or hear a word or phrase, you just comprehend it and move on. It wasn’t until the last few decades that researches had looked beyond that “amodal” approach and began to view linguistic comprehension and perception differently.

However, she notes that many don’t use the skill effectively.

“We all have the capability to read and exhibit the right body language, doing so reliably and consistently is a skill. Just like some of us can barely make toast and others have perfected crème brûlée, there is a vast continuum of knowledge and mastery over body language” (Reiman 20).

She provides the reader with short quizzes to see how effective they actually are when it comes to determining the appropriate body language to use in particular settings. Later in her book, Reiman links body language back up with sound and the spoken language. She notes that our vocalizations can be even more revealing when paired with the appropriate body language. That pairing can help us detect deception or empower us to command a