Paralinguistic Features of Languages 2010

TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2010)
-GRADE EIGHT-
PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION
SECTION A MINI-LECTURE

【HINT】
culture-bound
The third is proximity, posture and echoing. Proximity refers to the physical distance between speakers. This can indicate a number of things and can also be used to consciously send messages about intent. Closeness, for example, indicates intimacy or threat to many speakers. But distance may show formality, or lack of interest. Once again, I'd like to say, proximity is also both a matter of personal style, and is often culture-bound. So, what may seem normal to a speaker from one culture may appear unnecessarily close or distant to a speaker from another. And standing close to someone may be quite appropriate in some situations such as an informal party, but completely out of place in other situations, such as a meeting with a superior.