Symbolic Meaning of Gestures

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Symbolic Meaning of Gestures

• The Latvian Team, 2013

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Why important?

• Hand gestures in different cultures may imply
  different meanings.
• Many times we tend to use our hands to explain
  our needs and thoughts. The same hand gesture may
  mean something quite nasty and offensive to a
  person from a different cultural background.

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Thumbs Up Hand Sign

• Most American and European cultures
• OK, good, according to plan
• Islamic and Asian countries
• rude and offensive

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Thumbs Down Hand Sign

• Means the opposite of a thumbs up sign.
• It is an indication of something that is bad.
• It also indicates that something or someone has
  failed.
• This is a rude hand gesture and an arrogant way
  to indicate failure.

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OK Hand Sign

• Widely used in USA (but not in Britain, where the
  previous Thumbs Up Hand Sign is used) to mean
  OK.
• Also, this sign is usually used by divers to
  indicate all is well or OK as the thumbs up sign
  means ascending.
• However, in Latin America and France it is
  considered as an insulting and has negative
  connotations attached to it.
• In Australia, it means zero, and in
• Germany it may mean a job well done or an
  offensive insult depending on the region you
  visit.
• In New Zealand, this sign is not used much and
  considered a cheap way of saying OK.
• In Turkey, the OK sign means one is a homosexual.

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The Dog Call Hand Gesture

• This movement is mostly seen carried out by a
  tempting woman to her man.
• However, do not use this seductive hand gesture
  in Philippines. This is because this is one of
  the worst forms of hand gesture that is to be
  used only for dogs. This hand gesture could get
  you arrested in Philippines or maybe even
  punishable by breaking your finger.
• In Asian countries like Japan, the dog call is
  considered a rude gesture.
• In Singapore, it is indication of death.

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Finger Snap Hand Gesture

• Snapping fingers over and over may mean one is
  trying to remember something someone has
  forgotten.
• In Latin America asking one to hurry up.
• In Great Britain and America one remembers
  something or gets an idea.
• However, in many cultures, snapping fingers close
  to someone's face an offensive gesture.

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Pointing Fingers Hand Gesture

• In America and European cultures rude.
• This hand gesture is an indication of a dominant
  - to - subordinate behavior in the professional
  world.
• It is considered a gesture to single out an
  individual from a crowd. This aggressive signal
  is not liked by many, as no one likes to be
  singled out.

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The Corona Hand Gesture

• This hand gesture the symbol of the devil in
  many cultures. The two pointing fingers indicate
  the horns of the Devil. This symbol is used the
  University of Texas to symbolize 'the Longhorn',
  their university mascot.
• The corona is also widely used by rock stars in
  as a positive hand gesture.
• This is also one of the good hand gestures in
  different cultures like Buddhism and Hinduism.
• In the Mediterranean, it is an old symbol that
  means 'cuckold', that is, your wife is cheating
  on you.

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The Fig Hand Gesture

• This gesture is known as mano fico or fig hand in
  Roman.
• This is one of the good hand gestures, as it
  indicates good luck and fertility and a way to
  ward off the evil eye.
• However, this is a very offensive gesture to the
  Italians and Turks.
• If this gesture is carried out by a person of
  Asian origin, it roughly translates as 'screw
  you'.

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Clenched Fist Hand Sign

• This means one is trying to pick up a fight or
  trying to warn the opposite person to back off.
• In Asian countries, a clenched fist will surely
  land you into a fist fight.

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The V Hand Sign

• The meaning of the V sign is partially dependent
  on the manner in which the hand is positioned
• If the palm of the hand faces the signer
  (i.e., the back of the hand faces the observer),
  the sign is an insult. This usage is restricted
  largely to Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South
  Africa, and United Kingdom.
• With the back of the hand facing the signer
  (palm of the hand facing the observer), it can
  mean
• Two (the number)
• Victory in a setting of wartime or
  competition
• V (the letter) used when spelling in
  American Sign Language.

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Popular Gestures in Latvia (1)

• This gesture is used in Latvia to show that a
  person wishes for something good to happen.

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Popular Gestures in Latvia (2)

• When some people expect some kind of results or
  something good to happen, they tend to hold the
  thumb actually.

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Popular Gestures in Latvia (3)
This sign is used in Latvia to reprimand. Often
the finger is moving.
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Popular Gestures in Latvia (4)

• This sign is used in Latvia instead of the Finger
  Snap Sign when a person remembers of something
  or asks the other person to wait.

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Popular Gestures in Latvia (5)

• This sign is used to greet a person (when passing
  by in cars, as well as on all other occasions
  when passing a person within a distance).

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Popular Gestures in Latvia (6)

• The gesture of slightly waving a hand vertically
  means I dont care much, and is used mostly
  by females.

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Popular Gestures in Latvia (7)

• This gesture means I dont know, I have no
  idea, I dont know what to do.
• The gesture is also understood by most of the
  speakers of the English language and many other
  cultures.

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Popular Gestures in Latvia (8)

• Just like in several other parts of the world,
  this means that everything is great, well or OK.

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Gestures in Latvia

• In general, the gestures and hand signs used in
  Latvia and their interpretations are quite
  similar to those which are typically used in
  Europe. The difference is only that Latvians do
  not use hand signs so often, and they are not an
  integral part of communication in any situation.
  On the whole, men avoid using gestures in Latvia.
• Except for those few signs that are of Latvian
  origin, others have been introduced from most of
  the English-speaking countries, mainly USA.

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Sources

• Tomalin, B., Stempleski, S. (1993) Cultural
  Awareness. Resourse Books for Teachers. Oxford
  University press. 150 pp
• American Hand Gestures in Different
  Cultureshttp//visual.ly/american-hand-gestures-d
  ifferent-cultures,January 29, 2013
• Hand Gestures in Different Cultureshttp//www.buz
  zle.com/articles/hand-gestures-in-different-cultur
  es.html, December 28, 2012

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Thank you!