If you close your eyes during a meeting, what message are you sending your colleagues? Is that message universal?
Body Language
While there are several facial expressions universal to the world, the interpretation of body language varies from culture to culture. Misinterpreted body language opens the door to miscommunication. For the fiction writer, this means the opportunity to advance the conflict between your protagonist and antagonist.
Do you consider yourself adept at deciphering body language? Test your skill with this quiz. (I scored an 85/100.)
To dive deeper into the cultural differences in body language, here are several resources:
- https://www.liveseysolar.com/cultural-differences-in-body-language-and-universal-facial-expressions/
- https://www.verywellmind.com/understand-body-language-and-facial-expressions-4147228
- https://www.mosalingua.com/en/body-language-world/
- https://www.businessinsider.com/body-language-around-the-world-2015-3
Slang
Slang suffers the same difficulties. In fact, let’s make it challenging. Slang in the US differs from region to region. Here’s a fun article.
I’ve lived in eight different states and overseas. Not only that, my time in the military contributed a lot of military jargon to my vocabulary. I use a wide variety of words to describe the same thing. What do you call a carbonated beverage? I tend to use soda pop, which according to the above article, isn’t in popular use anywhere in the US.
Slang also changes with the times. In my younger days, the word “pimp” meant a prostitute’s boss. It is still used that way today, but it has also taken on the meaning of taking something that’s plain and making it stylish and customized, as in “Pimp My Ride.” When my kids use slang, I often ask for clarification.
So why are body language and slang important?
Communication is sending messages, and there is more to the message than just words. If we misinterpret body language or slang, we misunderstand the message.
Add spice to your story and new avenues of conflict by including characters from other cultures. But be sure to give your dialog and characters authenticity by knowing cultural or regional communication differences.
Step outside your culture and have some fun.
Space Invasion
An aspect of culture that most people recognize is personal space.
In America, our space bubble is big in comparison to cultures like India where there are so many people. To give you a visual, according to The World Bank, the population density in 2018 of the US is 36 people per square kilometer (0.6 of a mile). In India, it is 455 people per square kilometer. For West Bank and Gaza it is 759!
How might this population density affect one’s personal space bubble?
In doing research for my current fiction WIP, I learned that bears even have a space bubble. I imagine that extends to a lot of animals. That space where the animal either feels threatened or not, whether by a predator or another of its kind.
Speaking of animals, we have to rely on body language when they approach us. How do feel when a dog invades your personal space even if it isn’t growling, barking, or wagging its tail? Your reaction will probably depend on previous experience and your interpretation of the dog’s body language.
Depending on the situation, a person who invades our space can make us feel uncomfortable in the least and terrified at worst. Even if there is no cultural difference between your protagonist and antagonist, you can use the concept of personal space to your advantage.
For a fun, 1:39 minute video that illustrates personal space, visit here. Be sure to watch all the way to the end to see how one man resolved having his personal space invaded. It may give you the idea for which you’ve been looking for that scene that’s giving you fits.
For more info on the personal space culture variations, check out this article from the Washington Post.
Personal space invasion. Use it to your advantage.
Related articles:
Creating Unforgettable Characters, Part 1
Creating Unforgettable Characters, Part 2
Creating Unforgettable Characters, Part 3
Debra L. Butterfield © 2019
Great article Debra. My score was 87/100. Some of those were hard to tell for sure. 😉
Yes, there were several that could have been interpreted in different ways. Makes you realize how easily you can misunderstand what someone is saying if you misread the emotion on their face/body stance.