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Body  Language  

Meaning  and  communica5on  

•  When  we  communicate  with  other  people  it  is  not  only  our  words  that  contain  the  meaning.    

•  Most  of  what  we  communicate  comes  'non-­‐verbal  language’:    – Intona5on;  tone  of  voice  – facial  expressions;  hand  gestures;  body  posi5ons  

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Body  Language    

Adapted  from:  hJp://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-­‐bin/lessons/index.pl?noframes;read=917  

The power in your hands….

•  The hands have been the most important tools in human evolution

•  There are more connections between the brain and the hands than between any other body part

•  Hands are one of the most important means by which we communicate non-verbally

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Some  examples  

Open palms = non threat •  Humans  generally  use  their  palms  to  show  submission  or  surrender,  they  are  unarmed  and  therefore  are  coming  in  peace.  

•  If  a  person  is  being  open  they'll  expose  their  palms  

 

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Palm-down = authority Palms  turned  downwards  project  immediate  authority.  

Palm-Closed-Finger-Pointed = 'Do it or else!'

•   the  pointed  finger  is  used  like  a  symbolic      club  with  which  the  speaker  figura5vely      beats  his  listeners  into  submission  

it  is  one  of  the  most  annoying  gestures  anyone  can  use  while  speaking    

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Crossed arms = closure for defence

•   By  folding  arms  across  the  chest,  a  barrier  is          formed  that  is  an  unconscious  aJempt  to        block  out  what  we  perceive  threat  or        undesirable  circumstances.  

When  you  fold  your  arms  your    credibility  drama5cally  reduces  

About  gestures  

•  Some  gestures  are  shared  by  human  beings:  – Ex.:    Smiling  as  a  sign  of  happiness  or  pleasure.    

•  Some  gestures  are  widely  used,  but  may  not  mean  the  same  in  every  culture  – Ex.:  poin5ng,  waving,  shaking  or  nodding  the  head  

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Culture  specific  gestures  

Many  non-­‐verbal  gestures  are  'culture  specific’  

       

can  cause  misunderstandings  between  people  from  different  backgrounds  

   

An  example:  Nodding  head  in  India  

•  In  most  cultures,  nodding  head  is  used  to  mean  ‘no’  

•  In  India,  people  nod  their  heads  to  show  agreement  à  may  give  rise  to  misunderstanding  in  intercultural  communica5on  

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An  example:  Nodding  head  in  India  

The  meaning  of  Italian  Gestures  

Genre(s) on the Move Naples, 9-11 December 2009

Italians  are  well  known  interna5onally  for  using  their  hands  a  lot  when  they  speak    Italians  assume  that  the  meaning  of  their  gestures  is  also  understood  by  other  language  speakers.    However,  most  Italian  gestures  are  meaningless  to  a  non-­‐Italian,  or  carry  a  completely  different  meaning  in  another  language.  

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Some  examples:  some  gestures  that  can  get  Italians  

in  trouble…  

The  V  sign  

•  In  Italian  can  be  used  to  mean    2…  •  In  Bri5sh  English,  with  the  palm  turned  outward,  it  is  a  sign  for  victory  and  success,  or  for  peace  

•  With  the  palm  turned  inward,  it  is  a  very  offensive  sign,  very  similar  to  flipping  the  finger.  

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The  A-­‐Ok  sign  

•  It  is  used  in  American  and  the  UK  to  mean  ‘great’,  absolutely  fine  

•  In  Italian  it  can  be  used  to  mean  ‘zero’    

Careful how you count in English!!

Genre(s) on the Move Naples, 9-11 December 2009

She’s saying ‘two’ but….

Is she aware of the meaning her gesture can have?

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The  ‘Corna’  

•  Americans  use  it  to  mean  “rock  on”,  or  in  support  of  the  University  of  Texas  in  Aus5n  (known  as  the  “Hook   ‘em   Horns”)   or   of   the   Texas   Longhorn  football  team.    

•  In   Italian   it  means  “cuckold”   (or   rather,  “your  wife  is  chea7ng  on  you”)    

Is  Berlusconi  also  a  Longhorns  fan?  

The  following  video  is  made  to  teach  English  speakers  what  Italian  

gestures  mean….  

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It  is  useful  to  us  to  understand  that  all  these  gestures    

DO  NOT  MEAN  ANYTHING  IN  ENGLISH!!  

So,  don’t  expect  people  to  understand  them  when  you’re  

speaking  English…  

hJp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVCuyrPk7P4