Discourse Analysis of Mr.

Bean: Non-Verbal Communication Features in Comedy

Comedy TV shows use several resources such as jokes, ambiguity or physical movements; but
making people laugh requires certain pragmatic abilities and knowledge. There are non-verbal
elements present in most TV shows, but Mr. Bean has been an icon in this type of comedy,
making his character known internationally. Understanding non-verbal communication features is
usually something that happens only when a group of people share pragmatic knowledge.
However, Mr. Beans non-verbal features are universally recognized thus making it one of the
most successful comedies in television. Two main features in Mr. Beans comedy are: Kinesic
and proxemic. Each of these will be explained and exemplified with scenes from the TV show.

Kinesics

Consciously or unconsciously we use non verbal communication when we are involved in a
conversation, we change our facial expression, we make or avoid eye contact, we move our
bodies conveying extra information that reinforces or supports (sometimes it contradicts what we
are saying). This form of non verbal communication is what we call kinesics. The term Kinesics
was first used (in 1952) by the American anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell in his book Kinesics
and Context.

As it was said before kinesics are used in a regular basis in almost every conversation when you
move your body in different ways showing that you are paying attention, approval, disapproval,
sadness, desperation and happiness (internal states). These feelings can also be shown in the face,
as for example when you look at someone who is frowning you will almost immediately realize
that most probably that person is angry about something (facial displays). Another way to convey
a meaning is through eye contact and it might have opposite meanings, for example: when a
loving couple starts looking at each other and smile it is a favorable sign, while if someone has
their foot stepped on in a crowd and holds eye contact with the offender, it is a hostile sign.

Kinesics might change and be interpreted between cultures, for instance in Japan to say good bye
people bow to each other, while in western countries like England people exchange some
departing words and turn their backs. In Japan, maids do not walk slowly, they run in small steps,
this shows their enthusiasm and shows respect, but if someone of the staff in a western restaurant
or hotel started running, it would be taken as a discourtesy or even absence of elegance.

In each one of the different parts of each chapter of the series we are aware of the feelings and
different thoughts going on inside Mr. Beans mind, this is possible due to the accurate and clear
representation of his internal states shown with the so called Body language, this depictions are
extremely important in the case of non verbal comedy. An example of such can be seen in the
episode of Back to school Mr. Bean, when he shakes his hands with excitement when he is about
to grab a muffin and then there is a change in his attitude when he sees his car destroyed by the
tank, he drops the muffin that seconds before was eating with joy showing his shock for the
unexpected situation. There is also something particular in the way he walks back to the side of
the car shuffling and moving his body from one side to the other, showing his sadness and
desperation for the recent events. Plenty of these affect displays (representations of internal
states) are shown in Mr. Beans videos and they help the audience to decode the messages that
the character is trying to convey.

There is another important display of kinesics in action and it is the facial gestures; the
appropriate usage of them can improve the understanding of the intended message, while the
inappropriate use might interfere with the otherwise successful communication. In a chapter
where MR. Bean is packing for holidays, you can see the frustration in his face when he is not
able to pack all of the things he wants in his luggage and then his proud satisfaction when he is
able to figure out another way to save space you can also see the concentration he has when he is
performing what we would consider as destruction of his personal belongings just in order to
make them fit in a small case. The opposite can be seen in a chapter where he rides a rollercoaster
and tries to focus his attention not to lose a single moment of the ride; there is a huge contrast
between his focused and plain looking face, and the faces of the other passengers behind him,
some screaming with excitement, and some others screaming with the panic caused by the speed
and the sudden falls. This kind of expressions are socially recognized as a form of universal
language so most of the times they share the same meaning no matter the cultural diversity.

So even though there is not a certainty yet about how the humans internalize the conventional
understandings of their social group, we know that there are several factors of kinesics that are
shared by most human societies and precisely these non verbal ways to communicate that most of
us have in common are the ones that Rowan Atkinson uses in his show.
Proxemics

Proxemics is a subcategory in the study of non-verbal communication. Eduard Hall describes
proxemics as the interrelated observations and theories of mans use of space as a specialized
elaboration of culture (1966). Even though we can affirm that spoken language shapes our
world, it is also a fact that the way we handle the space in relation with others also speaks about
who we are and where we come from.
The use of space is learned by watching others and people are not usually aware of it, unless it is
observed from an outside perspective. Most people are unable to verbalize the proxemic behavior
which they follow, but they feel when a situation turns out to be extremely uncomfortable. Not
everybody handles space the same way, each culture has its own rules or parameters to follow in
this matter.
In accordance with a study made by Hall, people from Latin America, France, Italy, Arabia and
Turkey tend to have more physical contact with people, meaning they touch more and they get
closer to the people they are talking to. On the other hand, people from Germany, England,
Norway, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan, and the United States were more reluctant to
touch people, to hold eye contact and to get closer than necessary.
Hall also makes a distinction of four distances among people. Intimate Distance (0 to 18 inches),
Personal Distance (18 inches to 4 feet), Social Distance (4 to 10 feet) and Public Distance (10 feet
or more). Intimate distance is restricted only for relations such as lovers or close friends, at this
range any vocalization is a whisper. Personal distance is meant for most encounters with others, it
is considered to be the normal distance in which people engage in a conversation. Social distance
is meant to be impersonal and no close at all, people can only hear and speak but they can
disengage of the conversation easily. Finally, in public distance people only engage in small
eye contact and utterances can barely be heard.
According to the theory presented we can make a description of the use of proxemics in
comedy, specifically in the TV show Mr. Bean.
In one episode Mr. Bean goes to church and sits next to a man, about 5 inches apart making
in it an intimate distance but reasonable according to the place and situation. As the sermon
goes through, Mr. Bean begins to fall asleep and because of this the space between him and
the man reduces to almost 0 inches. The man, uncomfortable with the situation, because his
personal space is being violated, tries to move apart from Mr. Bean without saying anything
to him.
Even though proxemics is a cultural created set of rules, the example above shows that in a
case where the intimate space is being violated in such a way that the other person gets to
touch you, you react feeling uncomfortable. The situation is funny to most people despite
their country because they can relate to it.
Touching other people is something that depends solely in how much trust you have with the
other person. If you touch someone you do not know, you try to be as less invasive with their
space as you can. In the case of touching there is a scene where inappropriate touching takes
place. Mr. Bean is lining up behind two men when with the purpose of advancing in the line
he pinches the butt of the man who is standing in front of the man next to him. The man turns
around and picks up a fight with the other man thinking it was him the one who pinched his
butt. This is a clear case of intimate space invasion.
It is common in the show that Mr. Bean breaks rules of what can be considered normal
behavior in society. He usually gets too close to people, exaggerating actions that would not
be considerate appropriate. He does not do it intentionally, but his unusual behavior results in
him violating other peoples personal space thus making it funny to the spectators.
In another scene, Mr. Bean puts his hand in another mans back pocket to find his own credit
card which the man took by mistake. Mr. Bean ends up following the man to the bathroom
with his hand still in the mans pocket. The awkwardness of the situation reaches its peak
when Mr. Bean gets locked with the man in the toilet. This whole situation is an exaggeration
meant to be funny because a person who follow social rules of behavior would never get so
close to a stranger in a situation like that.
According to Hall, it is not common for people from England to get so close or engage into
touching so easily or without a reason. This is one of the most important features in Mr.
Beans comedy because he acts in an opposite way to what not only English people might
consider inappropriate but other cultures too.

CONCLUSION

Humor is not the same in every country. Each culture has its own methods to produce
laughter; many of these methods rely on spoken language strategies such as sarcasm and
insults, and in the case of British humor, it tends to be more deeply ingrained in language,
culture and society and is highly ironic and satirical in nature (Reimann, 2010). But Mr. Bean
is a TV show with international success due to its characteristic comical situations. According
to Rowan Atkinson, the actor who plays Mr. Bean, a person can become funny in three
different ways: by behaving in an unusual way, by being in an unusual place or by being the
wrong size. In the case of non-verbal features, they become a language that most cultures can
understand. Disgust, sadness or happiness require features that are familiar across cultures.
People from around the world understand the unusual behavior in which Mr. Bean engages in
every episode and that is the reason why this program captivates the audiences around the
globe with so many different cultures and different ages.
REFERENCES

Birdwhistell, R. L. (1970). Kinesics and Context: Essays on Body Motion Communication.
University of Pennsylvania Press.

Hall, E. T. (1966). The Hidden Dimension. Garden City: Doubleday.

Reimann, A. (2010). Intercultural Communication and the Essence of Humour. Journal of the
Faculty of International Studies , 23-34.

Saunders, R. (2010, September 14). Mr Beans Best Birthday Bits 20 Greatest Scenes.

Tan, J. (2010, September 26). The Art of Non-Verbal Communication- All Hail Mr. Bean!

Kawamoto F. (NY) Kinesic Channel of Nonverbal Communication: Barriers for the English-
Learning Japanese. Pages 165-173. NE