Gestures in Great Britain

Всероссийский конкурс исследовательских работ учащихся

«ЮНОСТЬ, НАУКА, КУЛЬТУРА»

Направление: лингвистика

Тема: «Gestures in Great Britain»

Щербинина Виктория, Лизунова Вера

Усадовская СОШ, Ступинского района

10 класс

Научный руководитель: Бережная О.А.

                                                                      учитель английского языка  

п. Усады, 2014/2015 учебный год

CONTENTS

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………3

Part 1.Gestures in the United Kingdom ………………………….........................4

1. The Fingers Cross……………………………………………………...……..4
2.  The Ring……………………………………………………………………...5
3. The Horn-sign…………………………………………………………………6
4. The Fig………………………………………………………………….……..6
5. The Chin Flick……………………………………………………………...…7
6. The Teeth Flick ……………………………………...……………….…...…..7

Part 2 .Our Questionnaire …………………………...……..…………..……….…9
Conclusion ……….………………………………..……………………….…….11

Resources ……………………………………………………………………..….12

Introduction

        The reason we have chosen to investigate the topic “Gestures in Great Britain” is that many people travel abroad and learn English but they do not pay attention to non-verbal communication. However, knowing gestures is as important as knowing words. 
        Each of us uses hundreds of expressive movements every day as we pass through social events that engulf us from waking to sleeping. Each of these actions has a particular history - sometimes personal, sometimes cultural, and sometimes more deeply biological. By tracing the geographical range and the antiquity of these actions we can begin to see them more clearly as an understandable pattern of human behavior. To do this systematically is to open up a whole new area of comprehension, which is as exciting as any other area of science.
        It is interesting to research the usage of gestures in different countries. In our project, we investigate origins and distribution of gestures in the United Kingdom and compare them with that of gestures in Russia. 
        During our project we have made a school survey. We asked students and teachers the questions about gestures. We were surprised by the result. 
        Problem of our research: to define, justify and understand which gestures should be used in communication in England.

        Aim: to compare Russian and English gestures of teenagers, to define the difference in meanings of the latter.

Objectives:

1. Gestures in GB (history of each gesture investigated)

2. Detect the functions of gestures and their meaning in communication

3. Study literature on this topic

Methods:

1. Studying special literature

2. Generalization and systematization of material on this topic

3. Making a school survey.

Part I. Gestures in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

1.1 The Fingers Cross

        The middle finger is twisted over and around the forefinger, while the other fingers are bent back fully and held under the thumb. A common variant occurs with the hand held behind the back or in some other hidden position.

        Origins - as the sign of the Cross. The most popular explanation of the dominant use of this gesture is that it is a religious sign that has broken loose from its devout origins become a «common superstition». Instead of crossing himself openly in the usual way, a Christian could protect himself from the powers of evil by making a «cross» with his fingers, an action small enough to be easily concealed from unwelcome eyes.

        Origins- as the sign of a Couple. There is a second major meaning for this gesture that bears no relationship to the protective meaning, and here the symbolism employed is quite distinct. Because two fingers are tightly applied to one another, they can readily be seen as representing two people with some kind of close connection between them. The connection can show simple friendship and sexual contact.

        The use of the gesture to signal simple friendship or copulation is so rare and so widely scattered that little can be said about these two distributions at present.

        If we examine the specific protective messages given to us it is clear that they fall into three categories:  good luck, defence against bad luck, and cancelling a lie.

        The good-luck messages included: for luck, good fortune, hope for the best, hopeful, hoping for good, hoping for luck, optimism.

        The defence-agaist-bad-luck messages included: against bad luck, against the evil eye, child’s pax, defence against evil omen, protection against evil, protection  when passing a cemetery, self- protection, superstitious protection.

         The lie-cancelling messages included: annul a bet, cancel a lie, cancel ill-effects  of having alone something wrong, cancel praise, cancel while lie, lying cross, to nullify something, witch’s cross, word-of-honour cancelled.

1.2 The Ring

         The hand is held up with the palm facing away from the gesturer, and with the thumb and forefinger touching to form a circle. The other three fingers are extended and slightly spread.  Usually, as the hand is brought up into position, it makes a short forward jerk and then freezes for a jerk moments before being lowered.

        As an O.K. Sign

        The dominant meaning for the ring gesture is `O.K.` In fact, this slang expression has become so closely associated with it , that the action has often been called simply ‘The O.K. Gesture’. This is because the verbal term and the physical action embrace the same range of closely related messages. They extend from precision and approval to agreement and praise. When the expression is spoken, or the gesture is made, it can signify that something is correct or exactly right; or that it is highly appropriate or acceptable or that it is very good or perfect. These are all related terms and yet it is difficult to group them together under one heading, with a single title, without resorting to the use of the colloquial phrase ‘O.K.’

        Because of this very close relationship between the phrase and the gesture, it has been suggested that perhaps. O formed by the circle of the thumb and forefinger actually stands for the O of the ‘O.K.’: in other words, that the ring gesture has developed upon it for its existence.

 It is certainly true that, where the ring sign in used by now English speaking people, it is often referred to as the American O.K., even when speaking in their native Tongues. If this is the origin of the gesture, then the first task is to establish the derivation of the O.K. Expression itself, but this is by no means easy to do.

         The ring is example of a multi- message gesture, with several distinct, major meanings, as you travel from place to place. It carries an O.K. message everywhere except Tunisia, a zero message in Belgium, France and Tunisia, a threat message in Tunisia.

1.3 The Horn-sign        

        The hand is pointed forward, with the forefinger and the little finger extended horizontally. The other two fingers are held down in a bend position by the thumb, giving the hand the crude shape of an animal's horned head, lowered as if to charge.  Also, if the gesturer wants to hide his action from the person at which it is aimed, he may keep his hand down by side, or even in his pocket, when the fingers tend to point more downward than forward.

        This gesture originated long ago, in pre-Roman times, and is more than a half thousand years old. In its earliest role, the gesture was essentially a device for self-protection. By making the sign of the horns the gesturer was supposed to be able to defend himself against evil spirits, the evil eye, or any other form of misfortune that might seem to be threatening him. In this capacity, the horns were being used in their primary symbolic role as representing the defensive power of a great horned animal, almost certainly the bull.

        From the early bull divinity, there developed a horned god which, with the rise of Christianity, eventually became converted into the horned devil-figure. Today, people often refer to the horn gesture as 'making the sign of the Devil's horns' and when they use it protectively they are, in effect, reinstating the Devil in his earlier, beneficial role as a defending deity.

        Its second meaning, however, is quite specific: it is the sign for a cuckold. Its message is: your wife has been unfaithful to you and has given you the horns of a cuckold. More cautious gesturers usually make the sign secretly behind the victim’s back, when the message becomes not you are a cuckold, but’ he is a cuckold’.

        A rare variant of the protective usage is its employment as a curse. Instead of protecting the gesturer, it does direct harm (supposedly) to the victim at which it is aimed. The message then becomes ‘I am putting the evil eye on you’ or ‘I am wishing you bad luck’.

        The gesture also becomes a simple act of mockery in certain regions, with no relation, apparently, to any concept of protection or cuckoldry. In such instances it is used in the same way as the more familiar thumbing-a-nose-gesture.

1.4 The Fig

        The hand is closed so that the tip of the thumb protrudes from between the fist and second fingers.

        The fig-sign is an ancient gesture with a long and confusing history. It occurs in the form of carved amulets dating back to antiquity and still in use today. It has two contrasting major roles - as an insult and as a protective device - which rob it of any simple, unified interpretation.

        The most common usage for the fig-sign today in Europe is as a crude sexual comment. It can be used either as a bawdy sexual invitation by a man to a woman, or as a comment by one man to another about a woman’s sexual qualities. The gesture was almost as frequent in its role as a sexual insult. It was the equivalent of a forearm jerk, carrying messages such as ‘get lost’, ‘take this’, ‘up yours’, ‘get stuffed’.

        In its protective role, the fig carries such message: ‘protection against witches’, ‘against spells’, ‘to remedy misfortune’, ‘to bring good luck’, ‘to ward off the evil eye’, and so on.

The steal-your-nose joke was almost as popular as the ancient protective interpretation. ‘Look, I have stolen your nose’, directed towards a young child. The adult playfully grabs the small child’s nose and pretends to pull it off the face, then shows it to the child in the form of the thumb-tip sticking out through the closed fist. This little game is common right across Europe.

The ‘I’ll give you nothing’ interpretation was confined almost entirely to Russia, where it was known by everyone. The message was nearly always the same: ‘I’ll give you nothing’, ‘This is all I’ll give you’, ‘I’ll give you not a fig’, ‘You’ll get nothing’

1.5 The Chin Flick.

        The back of the finger of one hand are flicked forwards in an arc, brushing against the underside of the chin. This is either a single action or is repeated several times in quick succession. The head is usually titled back as this is done, and the eyes are often directed at the companion.

        There appear to be two separate derivations for this gesture, resulting in a double meaning. The major use of the chin flick is as a disinterest signal. It is a symbolic bread-flick, the gesturer flipping his real or imaginary beard upwards and forwards at his companion. As a simple insult, this means ‘I point my masculinity at you’, and is associated with verbal messages such as: buzz off, shut up, get lost, do not bother me, or I have had enough of you. It is also used as a special kind of insult implying boredom: you bore me, you make me tired. In this context it may be taking its origins from the suggestion that you are so boring that my beard has grown long listening to you.

        A second meaning for the chin flick is that of a simple negative. Here it is being used as an amplification of the head toss. One of the problem with the ordinary head toss is that it communicates poorly as long distances. A whole range of negative messages can be transmitted with this gesture. For example, on the far side of a busy street a man whistles to a friend in charge of a new-stand. The friend performs the chin flick and the man waves and walk on. The message here was ‘No, your magazine has not arrived yet.’

        Other negatives conveyed by the chin flick are: There is nothing doing; I have not seen him; I can’t help you; I do not want any; I do not know anything about it; or a simple no, or nothing.

1.6 The Teeth Flick        

        The thumb-nail is placed behind the lower-edge of the upper incisors and then forcibly jerked forwards, making a clicking sound. All low intensity the gesture may be made quickly, without actual contact being made between nail and tooth.

        In its earliest form it was apparently always a treat or a sign of anger, and in England was referred to as ‘biting the thumb’ at someone.

        It has been interpreted as a variant form of fig-sign with the thumb going to the mouth instead of between the fingers of the closed hand.

        Its most common meaning now had become one of negation.

        As a negative, the message of the teeth flick is essentially; ‘I have nothing’ or ‘I will give you nothing’. This appears to have grown out of the original threat and, in many places, to have supplanted it. The gesture can also be seen as the giving of something of no value.

        The changes that have occurred in the meaning of the gesture over the centuries reflect the fact that the gesturers have largely forgotten its true origins. When asked today to explain the action, the man who uses it as an ‘I will give you nothing’ signal, has to invent an answer. He is likely to say that it means ‘I will not even give you the dirt from under my finger-nail’, or ‘I don’t even have a tooth for you’. These have now become supportive explanations, helping to transmit the gesture from generation to generation in its modified role.

Part II Questionnaire

        This is the questionnaire we used to find out how our teenagers understand gestures.  Our respondents are 10 -16 years old.

We had only one question: ‘What does this gesture mean?’ We asked this question and showed different gestures.

The results of the question are represented in the charts:

The charts show us different interpretation of the same gestures in different countries.

        Our respondents think that the Finger Cross means lies, protection, peace, cross, fortune. But our investigation shows that in Great Britain it means cross, protection, couple.

        The Ring means OK in Russia as well as in Great Britain. We think it is because of its British origin.

        In Russia the Horn-sign means rock-and-roll, authoritative, victory, bull, goat, respect. In England it means defence, cuckold, mockery.

        The Fig means “I will give you nothing”, greed, ban in Russia. In United Kingdom it means crude comment, protection against witches,  the steal-your-nose-joke.

        Our respondents think that the Chin flick means beard, “You are fat”, stop drinking, I’m fed up. In England it means disinterest, negative.

        In Russia the Teeth flick – I tell you truth; I promise; I swear. In Great Britain – treat or anger, negation (I have nothing).

Conclusion

        Misinterpretation of gestures stems from several factors. Apart from the overlap phenomenon, where one gesture meaning invades the area of another and comes into conflict with it, there is also the obvious case of travelers moving into a zone where their own gesture repertoire is out of tune. International political and business meetings are also at risk, although the more cosmopolitan individuals involved will have become wary of misreading foreign gestures and will be alerted to the possible dangers of misconstructing the moods and intentions of their companions.

        One particular phenomenon we encountered repeatedly was that of gesture-blurring. If asked the meaning of a gesture which was unknown to him, an informant, wishing to be helpful, would often interpret it as the local gesture nearest to it in form. Although this blurring of gestural distinctions was occurring during an interview, rather than in a more natural social situation, there is reason to believe that, where visitors and travelers are concerned, similar errors must arise in the ordinary course of events. Knowledge of the gestures of other cultures would clearly alleviate this problem, and it is to be hopes that, in future, tourist guides will include a gestural glossary alongside the usual helpful phrases for use in foreign lands.

All things considered, we can say that it is very important to know as foreign language as foreign gestures.

 Further research in this area, will provide more information and allow even more to understand usage of foreign gestures.

Resources

1.Adams, F.A. Gesture and Pantomimic Action. Albany, New York, 1891.

2. Armstrong, Nancy; Wagner, Melissa. Field Guide to Gestures: How to Identify and Interpret Virtually Every Gesture known to Man. Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2003.

3. Desmond Morris with Peter Collett, Peter Marsh and Marie O’Shaughnessy. Gestures: Their Origins and Distribution. London: Jonathan Cape, 1979.

4.Goldin-Meadow, S. Hearing gesture: How our hands help us think. Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard University Press, 2003.

5. Kendon, A. Gesture: Visible Action as Utterance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

6. McNeill, D. Gesture and Thought. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.

7. Wildeblood, J,The Polite World. A guide to English manners and deportment, Devis- Poynter, London, 1973.

8. http://www.gesturestudies.com