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【Abstract】Language is an important means of human communication； and silence can also convey a wealth of information.This paper will interpret the different definitions of silence phenomena between China and America and two different attitudes and representations of silence.It will help us to improve the effectiveness of communication.
【Key Words】Silence； Communication； culture
1.Cross culture communication and silence
Intercultural communication entails the investigation of those elements of culture that most influence interaction when members of two different cultures come together in an interpersonal setting.Intercultural communication occurs whenever a message is produced in one culture that must be processed in another culture.As we know，verbal communication is the key component of communication，whose process involves encoding the sender’s ideas into symbols，the presentation of words through a communication channel and acceptance of a receiver.Nevertheless，successful interaction in intercultural settings requires the understanding of not only verbal messages but also nonverbal messages.Most classifications divide nonverbal messages into two comprehensive categories： those that are primarily produced by the body（appearance，movement，facial expressions，eye contact，touch，smell，and paralanguage）；and those that the individual combines with the setting（space，time，and silence）.The use of silence varies from cultural to cultural.Silence cues affect interpersonal communication by providing an interval in an ongoing interaction during which the participants have time to think，check or suppress an emotion，encode a lengthy response，or inaugurate another line of thought.Generally，Eastern cultures value silence more than the use of words； however it is the opposite in Western cultures.Easterners do not feel uncomfortable with the absence of noise and are not compelled to fill every pause when they are around other people.
2.A case about silence in daily communication
It seems that Chinese has great liking for silence.There also is a proverb “silence is golden”.Silence has great connotation and social function.Silence to elders and leaders can represent respect and obedience.Silence to friends can keep face-saving.When facing strangers，the majority of us rarely try to say hello to them.Silence is a good way to keep distance and gain the sense of safety.When quarreling with parents，children prefer to keep silence rather than face it directly.In the opposite，in America，people like to express their opinions directly no matter the partner is elder，boss or friend.For most Americans，science and technology take on the qualities often associated with a god.They tend to prize objectively，empirical evidence，and the scientific method.When problems or divergence come，they tend to express their thoughts immediately.For them，Silence is a sort of embarrassing in the process of talking. 3.High context and low context
Hall categorizes cultures being either high or low context，depending on the degree to which meaning comes from the settings or from the words being exchanged.In high-context cultures（Chinese，Japanese，Latin Americans）people are very homogeneous with regard to experiences，information networks，and the like.Information is provided through gestures，the use of space，and even silence.Meaning is also conveyed “through status（age，sex，education，family background，title，and affiliations）and through an individual’s informal friends and associates.Silence is also speech in China.In low context cultures（German，Swiss，and American），the population is less homogeneous and therefore tends to compartmentalize interpersonal contacts.The verbal message contains most of the information and very little is embedded in the context or the participants.Western communication tends to be direct and explicit.Everything needs to be stated.Members of low-context cultures expect messages to be detailed，clear-cut，and definite.
4.Conclusion
We cannot lump together who is right or who is wrong，who is good or bad.Because each meaning，whether positive or negative，has its deep historical roots and cultural support.Understanding them is the key to understand different cultures.Different cultures give different meanings about silence.With the development of Intercultural communication between China and Western countries，there is an increasing number of Westerners starting to understand the meaning of silence endowed by Chinese.Meanwhile，we Chinese also begin to use more and more verbal languages to communicate with each other.Silence has different effects under distinct cultural background.
References：
[1]Samovar.L.A.Porter.R.E.
【Key Words】Silence； Communication； culture
1.Cross culture communication and silence
Intercultural communication entails the investigation of those elements of culture that most influence interaction when members of two different cultures come together in an interpersonal setting.Intercultural communication occurs whenever a message is produced in one culture that must be processed in another culture.As we know，verbal communication is the key component of communication，whose process involves encoding the sender’s ideas into symbols，the presentation of words through a communication channel and acceptance of a receiver.Nevertheless，successful interaction in intercultural settings requires the understanding of not only verbal messages but also nonverbal messages.Most classifications divide nonverbal messages into two comprehensive categories： those that are primarily produced by the body（appearance，movement，facial expressions，eye contact，touch，smell，and paralanguage）；and those that the individual combines with the setting（space，time，and silence）.The use of silence varies from cultural to cultural.Silence cues affect interpersonal communication by providing an interval in an ongoing interaction during which the participants have time to think，check or suppress an emotion，encode a lengthy response，or inaugurate another line of thought.Generally，Eastern cultures value silence more than the use of words； however it is the opposite in Western cultures.Easterners do not feel uncomfortable with the absence of noise and are not compelled to fill every pause when they are around other people.
2.A case about silence in daily communication
It seems that Chinese has great liking for silence.There also is a proverb “silence is golden”.Silence has great connotation and social function.Silence to elders and leaders can represent respect and obedience.Silence to friends can keep face-saving.When facing strangers，the majority of us rarely try to say hello to them.Silence is a good way to keep distance and gain the sense of safety.When quarreling with parents，children prefer to keep silence rather than face it directly.In the opposite，in America，people like to express their opinions directly no matter the partner is elder，boss or friend.For most Americans，science and technology take on the qualities often associated with a god.They tend to prize objectively，empirical evidence，and the scientific method.When problems or divergence come，they tend to express their thoughts immediately.For them，Silence is a sort of embarrassing in the process of talking. 3.High context and low context
Hall categorizes cultures being either high or low context，depending on the degree to which meaning comes from the settings or from the words being exchanged.In high-context cultures（Chinese，Japanese，Latin Americans）people are very homogeneous with regard to experiences，information networks，and the like.Information is provided through gestures，the use of space，and even silence.Meaning is also conveyed “through status（age，sex，education，family background，title，and affiliations）and through an individual’s informal friends and associates.Silence is also speech in China.In low context cultures（German，Swiss，and American），the population is less homogeneous and therefore tends to compartmentalize interpersonal contacts.The verbal message contains most of the information and very little is embedded in the context or the participants.Western communication tends to be direct and explicit.Everything needs to be stated.Members of low-context cultures expect messages to be detailed，clear-cut，and definite.
4.Conclusion
We cannot lump together who is right or who is wrong，who is good or bad.Because each meaning，whether positive or negative，has its deep historical roots and cultural support.Understanding them is the key to understand different cultures.Different cultures give different meanings about silence.With the development of Intercultural communication between China and Western countries，there is an increasing number of Westerners starting to understand the meaning of silence endowed by Chinese.Meanwhile，we Chinese also begin to use more and more verbal languages to communicate with each other.Silence has different effects under distinct cultural background.
References：
[1]Samovar.L.A.Porter.R.E.