Gestures

Body language and gestures are interesting subjects. I personally have encountered incidences where people have misunderstood my gestures, and where I have misinterpreted theirs.

A gesture can be as powerful as the spoken word. Often an innocent one can be taken as an insult, which can result in very unpleasant situations.

A thumbs-up gesture in Australia may get you a blackened eye.

Hitch hiking in some parts of the world, with your thumb up, may get you run over.

My first encounter with different gestures was in Italy back in the late 50s.

I was attempting to buy a pair of shoes in Napoli. This was not easy to start with, since my feet were big by southern Italian standards.

The clerk appeared to have no difficulty understanding my needs. She nodded si-si-si, took my arm and ushered me outside. She then gave me the hand gesture, which to me meant, 'wait here'. The arm was extended with the palm down. A slight wave of the hand and I stood still, just as I thought she wanted. She took my arm again and started to lead me and then gestured for me to 'stand still' again. When she realized that I was a total dunce she held my arm and led me to another shoe store. She was actually giving me the Italian equivalent of the 'follow me' signal.

One gesture that I learned quickly was the one that means 'that girl is sooooo attractive'. You take you right index finger and touch your cheek, and then twist the wrist back and forth. There were so many attractive signorinas in Napoli that I was lucky that I didn't get a callous on my cheek after I learned that one.

One gesture that I am particularly fond of is one I encountered in China and India. The 'namaste' is a gesture where the hands are placed in a praying position, about chest high. The only translations I could find for this is 'I pray to the god or goodness in you.'

I was visiting the Temple of the Jade Buddha in Shanghai when a young girl, of maybe 16 years, stepped in front of me on the path. I was forced to stop while she gave me a big polite smile and a namaste greeting. I was so pleased with the perceived significance of the gesticulation that it remains a fine memory of my visit. It was just as if she had said, 'Welcome to my country.'

I recall seeing the TV special on the cancellation of the Avro Arrow project. In one of the scenes, two RCAF personnel salute one another. Now I remember this gesture of respect from my service days. I was really annoyed that the salute was not one of the 50's. It was the American palm-down salute and totally out of character for Canadian servicemen.

In the movie Titanic there was another gesture that was wrong for the time period and for the nationality of the 'gestee'. The rude gesture where the middle finger is extended into the air was not a gesture that would be used by an English person (particularly a person of good breeding). The corresponding gesture for the English is with the index and middle fingers. A double whammy no doubt.

Interestingly the 'V' for Victory sign that was made so popular by Winston Churchill, is basically the same sign as that just mentioned -- however the palm must face away from the body. The difference may be subtle but very important, as one US president learned.

George Bush visited Australia in 1993. As he passed the greeting crowds, he gave the 'V' gesture. Unfortunately, being inexperienced, he did it backwards. The next day his picture was on the front page of the papers with the headline, "Bush insults Australians."

I was told that in Korea it is impolite to touch a woman's palm with the index finger. This is an open invitation for a tryst. The government had so many complaints from the female toll collectors that they made them wear gloves to discourage the male flirts.

Most gesticulations originate in obscure pasts. There is a gesture on one south sea island that had researchers puzzled. No other island used this particular sign. The right hand is closed, with the thumb and little finger extended. The hand is then brought near the face with the thumb near the mouth. It was the greeting used by the whole populace but no one knew its origin.

Investigations finally revealed that it came from the Spanish sailors in centuries past. This hand gesture was used to invite the people for a drink from the goat skin wine flasks.

The Cambridge library has a great book on the subject of gestures. It's called, simply enough, Gestures by Roger Axtell. Enjoy.

Think Proportional Representative government.