Gestures and body language in American culture

American people do not like too little space between themselves and their speaking partners and they
do not like to touch or being touched while having conversation. Even if they are on public programmes, at
sporting events or in the theatre, cinema, they usually slide into a crowded aisle while facing the people.
They use the frequent gesture of shaking hands when at greeting. They learn this gesture at a very
young age and very often use it.
While greeting or talking they look into their partners eyes directly. They learn that the opposite
means weakness or shyness and they do not want to show themselves like this.
They often raise their arm and waggle it back and forth. It is sign of saying hello or goodbye or
if they want to get someones attention. They do the same by raising their index finger with a curling motion
and it tells the other to come closer.
V shape with their index and middle fingers: show victory or peace. When making the V sign with
the index and middle finger be careful how the hand is positioned. If the palm is turned inward, the gesture
won't be appreciated in Britain. It might be because during the battle of Agincourt on October 25, 1415,
British archers who were captured by their French enemies had those fingers injured, so they could not
utilize their bows and arrows. The men who survived the battle with no injuries showed these fingers to the
French as a way of cursing them in a non-verbal manner )
During the Second World War Winston Churchill popularised its use as a "Victory" sign (for V as in victory)
initially with palm inwards and later in the war palm outwards. In the United States of America, with the
palm outwards and inward as well is also used to mean "Peace. This meaning became popular during the
peace movement of the 1960s. (hippies used it).
If we see Americans who form a circle with their thumb and index finger, they refer to something
good, this signal means OK, yes or fine. It has several meanings in many countries. In Japan, after
purchasing something you would be telling the sales clerk that you would like your change in coins. In
France, the meaning is negative but not insulting; it simply means "zero" or "worthless."
There is another sign with the same meaning, and for that, people have to close their fist and rise up
their thumb. The origin of this gesture goes back to the Roman age when gladiator duals were so popular.
The fighting men were adjudged by this signal: if the imperator showed thumb up, it meant that the gladiator
might survive. In the opposite case, if he showed his thumb down, the fighter had to die, he did not get the
act of grace. In 1997, Professor Anthony Philip Corbeill from Kansas concluded that the thumbs up actually
meant, "kill him," basing his assertion on a study of hundreds of ancient artworks. The crowds would point
their thumbs "up", the thumb pointing to the throat which held a similar meaning to moving ones thumb
across their throat. Thus, the "thumbs up" was an approval of the gladiator's request to kill his beaten
oppose.
Another generally used gesture is whistling, which is quite often used at sport events, performances
or watching a pretty woman in the street.
Making a circular motion near the temple or ear is the next gesture, and it is used it to express that
somebody is crazy.
Comparison (English and Hungarian)
- shaking hand is also accepted and used in Europe. European people use the direct eye contact, too.
- Waving has a different meaning in Europe. It means no in most of the cases because for waving there is
another signal, bobbing the hand up and down at the wrist. Beckoning is also different in Europe:
European people raise their arm and make a scratching motion with their fingers.
- English people do not use V for victory signal because showing your palm toward somebodys face is a
very rude gesture.
- The OK gesture means the same in England and Hungary, too, and they use the next one for the same
meaning: the thumbs up.
- whistling is a rather negative gesture in Europe. It is often used as a signal of disapproval mainly at public
events.
There are universal hand gestures, which are used by American people, too. These are the following
ones: when people press their palms together, rest their head on the back of their hand, and close their eyes,
it symbolises tiredness.
The last one in this category is rubbing the hands together which means that the person is cold or
impatient anticipation.
Head-gestures in America.
- Scratching the head means three different things: thinking, being confused or sceptical.
- Winking can be flirtatious or can mean sharing a secret.
- eyebrow flashing can also be a flirtatious gesture by men. If somebody rolls his eyes, probably he is
incredulous or amazed by something.
- If somebody disgusts or can smell something stinky, he wrinkles his nose or holds it with his thumb and
index finger.
- By voice giving, they can express two things: the first one, whistling has already been mentioned earlier, it
can mean approval, and on the other hand, hissing and booing means disapproval. The next one, yawning
means tiredness or boredom.
- Sticking out the tongue is a quiet and impolite gesture, and means derision. Stroking the chin or tapping the
head with the index finger is the signal of thinking and contemplation.
- Legs and feet make another category of gestures. The first one is crossing the legs when a person is sitting.
If the person is a male, he crosses his legs at the ankles or rarely at the knees. Females cross their legs at
their knees and curl the upper foot around the calf of the lower leg.
- While standing, people can have an aggressive, masculine stance if their legs are in wide distance, or a
feminine stance standing with feet apart in a narrow distance. There is another type of standing which is
quite rare, with military exhibiting respect with heels together.
American gestures made with arms, hands, and fingers.
They can express a goal, victory or surrender with upraised arms and disagree with folded arms.
If they are angry or impatient, they stand with hand of the hips bowed outward but they applaud if
they appreciate something or praise.
Another gesture for showing anger of opposition is shaking the fist.
High five means congratulations.
There are too aggressive hand gestures. The hand to the throat, which means choking. The other one
is the hand cutting across the throat, which expresses suicide.
If they point at something or somebody, they extend their hand with their index finger.
They use their index finger for negation, too. They do it by waggling the index finger back and forth.
They cross their fingers to wish good luck and snap their fingers if they want to get someones
attention or if they listen to music.
 3.3 Gestures and body language in English culture

Thereinafter, I am going to write about English gestures.

We are all individuals who, on the one hand, wish to maintain our private space around ourselves. On
the other hand, we are members of a society who need to interact with the world around us and therefore let
others invade our space. The size of this personal area seems to vary from culture to culture, from individual
to individual. Overall, English people tend to prefer having a longer distance between themselves and others,
both physically and mentally. They do not often come close, touch or hug. If they kiss, they do it on one
cheek only. Because of this need for bigger personal space, politeness in English culture plays a very
important role and is well established in the language both body and verbal (this is why you can hear
English people say sorry and thank you so often). The use of present and past in requests, for instance,
refers to social distance rather than distance in time (the bigger the distance between you and the other
person, the more likely it is that in speech the past tense is used to indicate that growing space).
Gestures are the part of body language, which is more subdued in England you should try to avoid
pointing and gesticulating. People restrain from frantic gestures, especially in formal situations. They,
however, tend to smile a lot which is considered polite and friendly behaviour.
The following is a description of the most common gestures in England. It is worth keeping it in
mind, however, that using gestures appropriately is as difficult as using slang. Foreigners are therefore better
off if they understand gestures but avoid using them.
Many English people use their fingers differently when they count. They usually start with their little
finger and work towards the thumb. Some people may go from their index finger to the little finger and then
the thumb.

They do not only count in a different way than other nations, but show numbers differently, too. For
example, when you mean that you have one thing e.g. a pint of beer in a pub, you indicate it by the
forefinger. If you want to show two, you do it by the forefinger and middle finger held up.

The next signal has already been mentioned among American gestures and it is the signal of OK.
When you want to indicate that something is very good, OK, you move your arm forward with your thumb
up and the rest of the hand clenched. If you want to express something much better, they have a signal for
excellence, too. The index finger and the thumb forming a circle and the palm facing outwards and making a
slight motion outwards with your hand can show it.
 If you are pleased because you have done something, e.g. scored in a game, got a good mark at
school etc. then you say Gimme five! and you reach upwards and away from you and slap hands with your
buddy. (Though, it comes from America.)

You can also show the opposite of this, so if you mean that something is not good, not OK, you turn
your thumb down.

If you want to show that something is awful or disgusting, you make a motion, which looks as if you
were going to make yourself vomit: you move your index and middle finger held together towards your
open mouth meaning, It's so horrible that it makes me want to puke.
The next sign exists in America, too, and it is the victory sign. The index finger gives it, the middle
finger held apart with the palm facing outwards, and the rest of the hand is clenched.

They also use the reverse of the victory sign with the palm facing inwards; however, it is an obscene
gesture, which means, go away, get lost, or bugger off.
 Another offensive gesture often used by drivers and musicians is when you raise your middle
finger with the palm facing inwards and the rest of the hand clenched.

If you want to hitchhike, you stretch your arm out to the side with your thumb raised and the rest of
the hand clenched. Hitchhikers also often have a sign saying what their destination is.

If you wish good luck, you say I'll keep my fingers crossed (for you), Keep your fingers crossed
or simply Fingers crossed and you cross your middle finger over your forefinger. Some people do not
cross fingers on both hands because it is considered unlucky.
 If you want to show in an argument or discussion that you have scored a point over your opponent,
then you lick your finger and make a downward stroke in the air in front of your face.

If you mean that somebody talks a lot and is a chatterbox, you make a quacking motion with your
hand: you hold your fingers straight and together with the middle fingers tapping your thumb.

If you put your hands by your head and hold up your index and middle fingers and bend them twice,
as if you were drawing a pair of inverted commas in the air, it means being sarcastic. For example, when you
say Oh, you're so good and do this signal when you utter the word good, the gesture changes good to
its opposite. It is a widely spread gesture, Hungarian people also use it.
When you want to say that someone is nosy, that is too curious for his or her own good; you touch
the tip of your nose with your forefingers.
In the case if you have a secret, which you do not want to tell or mean, It's none of your business,
and then you tap the side of your nose with your forefinger.

The next gesture is also quite widespread. When you wave goodbye, you shake your hand from side
to side.

The signal for money is rather common, too. If you talk about money and would like to show it, you
sweep your thumb across the other four fingers, usually starting from the little finger.

If you want to indicate that somebody is thin, you bring the palms of your hands facing each other
closer and closer and move them down vertically to the waistline.