Gestures:

what are gestures? ways to use the hands or body to say something…

why do we use gestures? to use sign language, when sound can’t be heard (sign language),, to emphasize our point,

what gestures are there?

---pointing,

--- A-ok or Okay, made by connecting the thumb and forefinger in to a circle and holding the other fingers straight, may signal the word okay. The same gesture is offensive in parts of southern Europe and South America. It is also used as a signal whilst scuba diving to ask if, and respond that, everything is "Okay".

----Beckoning sign. In North America or Northern Europe a beckoning sign is made with the index finger sticking out of the clenched fist, palm facing the gesturer. The finger moves repeatedly towards the gesturer (in a hook) as to draw something nearer. It has the general meaning of "come here."[4] In Northern Africa (Maghreb), calling someone is done using the full hand.[5] In several Asian and European countries, a beckoning sign is made with a scratching motion with all four fingers and with the palm down.[6] In Japan the palm faces the recipient with the hand at head's height.[7],

---blah, blah gesture (hand talking)

----- Check, please. This gesture, used to mean that a dinner patron wishes to pay the bill and depart, is executed by touching the index finger and thumb together and "writing" a checkmark, circle, or wavy line (as if signing one's name) in the air.[9]

---- Chinese number gestures are a method of using one hand to signify the natural numbers one through ten.

---- Clenched fist is used as a gesture of defiance or solidarity.

----- Clinton thumb. The gesture dubbed the "Clinton thumb" after one of its most famous users, Bill Clinton, is used by politicians to provide emphasis in speeches. T

----- Crossed fingers are used to superstitiously wish for good luck or to nullify a promise.

---- Dap greeting is a form of handshake recently popularized in western cultures, related to the fist bump.

---- The finger is an obscene hand gesture used in much of Western culture.

----- Fig sign is a gesture made with the hand and fingers curled and the thumb thrust between the middle and index fingers, or, rarely, the middle and ring fingers, forming the fist so that the thumb partly pokes out. In some areas of the world, the gesture is considered a good luck charm, in others it is considered an obscene gesture. The precise origin of the gesture is unknown, but many historians speculate that it refers to female genitalia.[9] In ancient Greece, this gesture was a fertility and good luck charm designed to ward off evil. This usage has survived in Portugal and Brazil, where carved images of hands in this gesture are used in good luck talismans.[9]

---- Fist bump is similar a handshake or high five which may be used as a symbol of respect.

----handshake

---highfive

----- Fist pump is a celebratory gesture in which a closed fist is raised before the torso and subsequently drawn down in a vigorous, swift motion.

----hitchhiking

----- Hitler salute was used in Germany during World War II to indicate loyalty to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

--- Knocking on wood

---- Loser,

----- Money sign.

---- Moutza is a traditional insult gesture in Greece made by extending all five fingers toward the person being insulted.

-----salute

----- Sign of the horns (devil sign) is a hand gesture with a vulgar meaning in some Mediterranean countries, made by extending the index and pinky finger straight upward.

--- Talk to the hand is an English language slang expression of contempt popular during the 1990s. The associated hand gesture consists of extending a palm toward the person insulted.

--- Shaka sign consists of extending the thumb and pinky finger upward. It is used as a gesture of friendship in Hawaii.

--- Telephone.

-----thumbs up, thumbs down

----- V sign is made by raising the index and middle fingers and separating them to form a V. With the back of the hand facing outwards this is an offensive gesture in the United Kingdom. With the palm facing outwards this sign began to be used during World War II to indicate "V for Victory". In the United States it is used to mean "peace".[citation needed]

--- Vulcan salute

--- Wanker

--- Wave

---air quotes

---applause

--- Batsu. In Japanese culture, the batsu (literally: ×-mark) is a gesture made by crossing one's arms in the shape of an "X" in front of them in order to indicate that something is "wrong" or "no good".[15]

--- Bras d'honneur is an obscene gesture made by flexing one elbow while gripping the inside of the bent arm with the opposite hand.

--- Time-out

--- Hand-rubbing,

--- Victory clasp

---- Whatever - made with the thumb and forefinger of both hands, to form the letter “W”. Used to signal that something is not worth the time and energy. Popularized by the movie Clueless (film).[16]

--- Air kiss

---- Biting one's thumb was an old rude British gesture. It is comparable to "the finger" in modern terms. In William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, Capulet's servant Sampson precipitates a brawl by biting his thumb at the Montague's servant Abraham (Act 1, Scene 1).[17] In the scene it appears that biting one's thumb in Verona is a non-verbal equivalent of fighting words. Sampson explains the meaning of the gesture to his companion Gregory, suggesting that the gesture could have been unfamiliar even to the original audience of the play. The play does not describe the gesture in detail, but in performances of the play it is often enacted by placing the thumb upright (as in a "thumbs up" sign) just behind the upper incisors, then flicking the thumb outward in the direction of person the gesture is meant to insult. The gesture implies cowardice, someone who would "take the fig". The gesture is also a traditional Sicilian insult meaning 'to hell with you'.[18]

---Nazi salute right hand to head with palm outwards

----fist bump two people bumping their fists together…maybe started from Michael Jordan when he could not shake hands with the talcum powder in them…

--- Bowing,

--- Cheek kissing,

--- Curtsey is a gesture of greeting typically made by women. It is performed by bending the knees while bowing the head.

--- Eskimo kissing..two people touching noses

--- Eye-rolling

---- Flipping the fingers out from under the chin is a traditional Sicilian gesture analogous in meaning to the raised middle finger. This gesture became the center of a controversy in March 2006, when Supreme CourtAssociate JusticeAntonin Scalia was photographed allegedly making the gesture to illustrate his response to his critics. Scalia later claimed that he used a different gesture, waving his fingers beneath his chin, a gesture translating to "I couldn't care less."[20]

--- Genuflection is a show of respect by bending at least one knee to the ground.

--- Hand over heart

-- Kowtow shows respect by bowing deeply and touching ones head to the ground.

--- Mooning

--- Nod, tilting the head up and down, may indicate assent in Western Europe, North America, and the Indian subcontinent, among other places. It also means the opposite in other places, such as Bulgaria.

--- Puppy face

--- shrug

--- Shush gesture

--- Sign of the Cross,

--- Thumbing the nose is a sign of derision in Britain made by putting your thumb on your nose and wiggling your fingers.[4] This gesture is also known as Anne's Fan or Queen Anne's Fan,[22] and is sometimes referred to as cocking a snook.[23]

--- Thai greeting, or wai, shows respect or reverence by pressing the palms together.

--- Throat slash

---- Twisting the cheek. Thumb and forefinger are placed against the cheek, and a screwing motion, as if making a dimple, is made by twisting the wrist. In Italian culture this can mean "I see a pretty girl" or that something is delicious. In Germany the gesture can be used to suggest that someone is crazy.[4]

--- Dap greeting..by repeatedly hitting hands/fists together (popular Western gesture)

  • What are some gestures you know?
  • What are some good gestures in your country?
  • What are some insulting gestures in your country?
  • Can you think of some gestures that have different meanings in different countries?
  • Has your teacher ever used a hand and/or facial gesture that was o.k. in the teacher's country but an insult in your country? If so, did you tell the teacher so it would not happen again?
  • What are some bad gestures that you have seen in Western films but you don't know the meaning of?
  • What are some gestures that you used when you were a child that you don't use anymore?
  • What are some gestures that you didn't learn until you were a teenager or a young adult?
  • What are some gestures you know that relate to the sporting world?