Cross-cultural gestures
Farewells
The American good-bye:
hand up, palm out, wrist stiff, and a back-and-forth
motion with the whole forearm and hand
The European good-bye:
arm up and extended out, with the palm down and
just the hand bobbing up and down at the wrist
The Italian & Greek good-bye:
arm extended, palm up, curling all the fingers back
and forth toward themselves
Beckoning
The American way:
A. raise a hand (with the index finger raised) about
head high, or a little higher
--in Japan: rude
--in Germany: “two”
B. raise a hand and with the full, open palm wave the
hand back and forth to attract attention
--in Europe: “no”
C. curl the index finger in and out to signal “come here”
--in the former Yugoslavia and Malaysia: used for
calling animals
--in Indonesia & Australia: used for “ladies of the night”
Beckoning—cont’d
The European & Latin American way:
extend the arm, hand out, palm down, and then make a
scratching motion with the fingers
--in Italy & Greek: may be confused with “good-bye”
The French way:
catch someone’s eye and then nod the head backward
slightly
The Colombian way:
clap the hands lightly
The Mexican way:
a. issue a noise with the lips, something like “hssssst” or
“psssst”
b. purse the lips and make a kissing noise (certain parts of
the country)
Insulting Gestures
The middle finger
--the “single-digit salute”< “digitus impudicus” in Latin
--the “expressway digit” in California
Variations of “The Finger”:
--the Arabs: extending the hand, palm down, fingers
splayed outward, with the middle digit directed
straight down
--the Russians: bending back the middle finger of one
hand with the forefinger of the other hand (“looking
under the cat’s tail”)
Insulting Gestures—cont’d
The forearm jerk
--made with both arms:
The right arm is bent at the elbow and the left hand
then comes chopping down into the crook of the elbow
while the fist of the right hand is jerked upward.
--used mainly by men
--the message is strong, sexual, and insulting
Insulting Gestures—cont’d
“Animal Insults” (used frequently by young children)
A. Ear Waggle
the hands placed at either side of the head, thumbs
pointing inward at the temples or ears, and the other
fingers spread, then the hands flapping back and
forth
symbolizing a donkey, being stupid and lazy
B. Thumbing the nose
placing the thumb of one hand on the tip of the nose
with the other fingers splayed outward and then
making a wiggling motion
depicting a hostile, erect comb of a fighting cock
Insulting Gestures—country-specific ones
France:
playing an imaginary flute
“You are talking so long, I’m getting bored.”
Syria:
picking the nose
“Go to hell!”
The U.S.:
imitating the action of shoveling
“This person (who is speaking) is creating a lot of manure.”
The Jews:
pointing to one’s palm
“Grass will grow on my palm before what I’m hearing
comes true.”
The fist
The knuckles facing outward
a combative, threatening, and aggressive gesture
The gathered fingers displayed outward
a gesture of pride, power, or victory
The upraised fist, with the fingers outward
a gesture synonymous with the Black Power movement
--U.S. sprinter Tommie Smith at the 1968 Olympics in
Mexico
--Martin Luther King during his many protest marches
--Nelson Mandela of South Africa on his triumphant 1990
tour of the U. S. and Europe
The touchy business of touching
Touch
Don’t Touch
Middle Ground
Middle East counties
Japan
France
Latin American countries United States
China
Italy
Canada
Ireland
Greece
England
India
Spain & Portugal
Scandinavia
Some Asian countries
Other northern
Russia
European countries
Australia
Estonia