摘要：To communicate, people exchange information through three primary channels: words, gestures, and intonation. Surprisingly, psychological studies have shown that the social meaning of a conversation is carried far more by gestures and intonation than it is by the words (Birdwhestell, 1970; Mehrabian & Ferris, 1967; Mehrbian & Wiener, 1967). Despite evidence of the prevalence of nonverbal communication channels, sparse attention has been given to their role in foreign language education (Soudek & Soudek, 1985). While discussion concerning the different meanings of non-verbal signals across cultures abound in textbooks on intercultural understanding (for example, see Hinds & Iwasaki, 1995; Levine & Adelman, 1982), little has been offered to inform foreign language teaching methodology of the role that non-verbal communication plays in delivering effective instruction. This paper aims to link commonsense understanding of non-verbal communication to foreign language teaching
