Unit 4 The Language of Gestures Extension Activities Alice Chiu

Main Menu Activity OneActivity One: Gestures Around the World Reference: Activity TwoActivity Two: Nonverbal Language

Gestures Around the World

Warm-up Discussions Do you often use gestures to show what you want to say or how you feel? Can you give some examples. Which gestures do you use most often? Which is more useful, gestures or words spoken? Why?

What Are Gestures? We communicate with others by doing a lot of talking and also do much of our talking without words. We often use a kind of “body language” to show what we think or how we feel. This body language is a language of gestures. We make hundreds of these gestures in a day.

Why Are Gestures Important? People all over the world use gestures. This does not mean that everyone in the world uses exactly the same body language. Different countries have different customs and different gestures. Examples

Example 1-3 Come Here or Goodbye? For Saudi Arabians and some other speakers of Arabic, this gesture means “Come here.” For most Europeans, this gesture means “Goodbye.” Holding up a hand, palm away from the face and moving the fingers up and down

Example 2-3 A Respect or an Insult? For the Maoris of New Zealand, it is a sign of respect. When American schoolchildren make this gesture, it means just the opposite. Sticking out their tongue at someone Who can demonstrate?

Example 3-3 My daughter/cow is this high. For speakers of English, it means the height of a person. For Latin Americans, the gesture is talking about an animal. Holding a hand out, palm down

Therefore, people in a foreign culture must use gestures with caution, or there might be some misunderstandings. Now, let’s check some of the gestures around the world.

Gestures Around the World 1.A circle formed with thumb and forefingerA circle formed with thumb and forefinger 2.Crossing the first two fingersCrossing the first two fingers 3.A finger circulating next to the earA finger circulating next to the ear 4.Little finger up and others held down by the thumbLittle finger up and others held down by the thumb 5.The V-sign of the index and middle fingerThe V-sign of the index and middle finger 6.Rubbing your thumb against your forefingerRubbing your thumb against your forefinger 7.The thumbs-up signThe thumbs-up sign 8.The finger beckoningThe finger beckoning Back to the main menu

1. a circle formed with index finger and thumb

in the U.S. and Europe This is a gestures for “O.K.!”

in Mexico This gesture means “Good!”

in Argentina Sometimes, it means “Good!” Sometimes, it means “zero” or nothing.

in France It is rude to show this sign because it is insulting.

in Tunisia It means a threat of murder.

in China This sign can mean “zero” or the number 3.

in Japan and Korea It shows the shape of a coin and mean “money.” Back to Gestures

2. crossing the first two fingers

in the United States 1.If you wish good luck, you hold up crossed fingers. 2.But if you put crossed fingers behind your back, it means that you are not going to keep the promise you are making.

in Mexico You do this when you are making a wish.

in Argentina and Spain You make this sign to keep away bad luck.

in China It means the number 10.

in Japan This sign means that a promise or pledge has been made.

in Russia This is a way of rudely rejecting or denying something. Back to Gestures

Who can demonstrate? 3. a finger circulating next to the ear Back to Gestures In the U.S., this sign means “That’s crazy!” In Argentina, it is a sign for telephone. In Saudi Arabia, it means, “Be good or I’ll punish you.”

4. little finger up and others held down by the thumb Back to Gestures In Bali, an island in Indonesia, this sign means “Bad.” In parts of Europe and South America, it means “Thin.” In Japan, it means a female companion.

5. the V-sign with the index and middle finger Back to Gestures In the U.S., it stands for victory or peace In England, the “V” is a rude sign. When do we use the V sign in Taiwan?

6. rubbing your thumb against your forefinger Back to Gestures This gesture is almost universally understood: it suggests money.

7. the thumbs-up sign Back to Gestures In the U.S., it means “Good” or “Good going.” In the eastern countries like Bangladesh and other Islamic countries, it is a rude sign.

8. the finger beckoning In the oriental countries such as Japan and Malaysia, it is a rude gesture. In Singapore, curling the index finger means death. In the U.S., it okay to signal a waiter with the beckoning index finger. Back to Gestures

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Nonverbal Language

Actions Speak Louder Than Words? Nonverbal Language is another way of communication. Some people believe nonverbal language is powerful than spoken words. Do you agree? Why?

Types of Nonverbal Language Body Posture Body Gestures Hand Gestures Appearance Eye Contact Facial Expression Tone Distance

Body Posture Guess what they mean… Standing straight shows Slouching shows Crossing your arms over your chest shows Arms at your side shows confidence disrespect openness you have a closed mind

Body Gestures Guess what they mean… Shrugging your shoulders… Tapping a foot… Nodding your head… impatience You don’t know or you don’t care. agreement

Hand Gestures Guess what they mean… A handshake A raised fist Thumbs-up A bargain is done./ Greeting. Well done./I’m ready. anger

Appearance Guess what they mean… If you wear dirty, slopping clothes to a party… If you wear certain kinds clothes or jewelry… You don’t care. You identify with a certain group of people, How you look tells other things about yourself.

Eye Contact Guess what they mean… Looking people in the eye means… When you don’t look at people when you talk, you trust them and they can trust you. they think you don’t care.

Facial Expression Like the tone, your face shows your mood. Express your feeling on your face  Happy  Bored  Sad  Angry  Surprised  Impatient

Tone Tone of voice shows attitude. Use your tone to show  You are bored.  You are excited.  You are angry.  You are disappointed.

Distance Look at people carefully when they are talking to each other, then you can know their relationship from the distance they keep.

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