English, baby!

Gestures

Date: Apr 27 2007

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

loser

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Learning a language is only half of learning to communicate with people from other countries. Gestures, or nonverbal communication, are also very important and, if misused, can cause a lot of misunderstandings between cultures.

Listen to John and me discuss the meanings of different gestures.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

John

Dave

John: You ever worry that you’re offending somebody when you give some gesture like the “A-OK” gesture when you’re overseas? I’m always kind of confused. I’m like, “Is this something that people can relate to?”

Dave: Well, I think it’s something to be aware of. I had a friend who I taught with when I was in Japan, and he had spent two years teaching in Saudi Arabia, I believe. And he would always give his students the thumbs-up gesture when they did something good. And they’d always get really angry with him. He found out later that thumbs-up has a bad meaning in Middle Eastern cultures.

John: Yeah, I’ve heard that, too. And what about the okay sign that we always give. Doesn’t it have other meanings in other countries?

Dave: Yes. So, yeah, in the U.S. it’s “okay!” but in Japan it’s “money,” right?

John: Yeah.

Dave: And then, in France it means, like, “you’re a loser” or “you’re a zero.”

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Discussion

Winona Ryder and George W. Bush like to give the “Longhorn” gesture, a symbol for the Longhorns, the University of Texas sports team. However, in Italy the “Longhorn” gesture is very rude. When you use it, you are saying that someone’s wife has been sleeping around. In Sweden, the “Longhorn” gesture is a symbol of satanic worship.

Here is a great site with a list of common gestures and what they mean in different countries:

Gestures

Comments

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vivi bulat

Romania

You are a zero means you are not important…you are nothing…insignificance

MANARI

Saudi Arabia

Good lesson I enjoyed it.

Josh K

Guatemala

A lesson interesing

jefevalim

Brazil

In Brazil this gesture means some like “f* you”

getchar

Algeria

when someone needs to offend someone else it’s better to use a gesture than telling bad words…!!

Satomi

Japan

it was funny!

snello

Saudi Arabia

wrong wrong worn,, thumps up doesn;t have a bad meaning in Saudi Arabia,, we use it all the time,, we take it as a (good for you )sign =.=

valleylad77

United Kingdom

looking for that special person.

somaliland

Somalia

Gestures, or nonverbal communication,are very important and, if misused,you might cause a lot of misunderstandings between cultures.in my country “OK” Sign means insult,and inicates intense angry.