Intercultural aspects of nonverbal communication in English language teaching

Abstract

This article examines the intercultural aspects of nonverbal communication in English language teaching. Its purpose is to identify the intercultural aspects of nonverbal means of communication and to find ways of incorporating them into the process of teaching English. The scientific novelty of the work lies in a comprehensive understanding of nonverbal communication as a component of intercultural communicative competence and in substantiating the feasibility of its purposeful formation in the process of teaching English. The objectives were achieved using a combination of methods, such as synthesis, abstraction, induction, and deduction.  The results of the study showed that during oral communication, emotions are conveyed through intentional and unintentional stimuli between interlocutors: facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, and body position, which can often say much more than was intended, or even reveal deception and insincerity. The main components of NC are universal, but when it comes to international communication, it is important to remember that they are not always interpreted unambiguously, as they are highly dependent on cultural specifics. That is why so-called nonverbal differences cause typical communication difficulties, which can only be avoided through learning.

In a globalized world where digital technologies are blurring the boundaries between countries and forming a multicultural space, it is extremely important to rethink traditional approaches to teaching English, considering the intercultural component of nonverbal communication during its study. After all, in the process of teaching foreign languages (in our case, English), nonverbal communication still receives little research attention.

We have identified which means of communication are nonverbal and determined their role in successful intercultural interaction. The cultural specificity of nonverbal communication means in an English-speaking environment has been determined, and intercultural differences in nonverbal communication in English have been outlined. The role of nonverbal communication in the formation of intercultural communicative competence has been presented and its place in it has been substantiated. The conclusions show that the formation of NC contributes to increasing the level of intercultural sensitivity, the development of empathy, and readiness for effective interaction with representatives of other cultures. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using its results to develop teaching materials, exercises, and methodological recommendations aimed at integrating the nonverbal component into the process of teaching English. The author's contribution lies in proposing methodological approaches to the formation of intercultural nonverbal communication skills in students