Gestures I. The universal usage of gestures in

Gestures
    Good morning, everyone. Today we are mainly talking about gestures in communication especially in Arab countries. As we know, gestures are motions of the limbs or body made to express or help express thought or to emphasize speech. The use of gesture as language by some ethnic groups is more common than in others, and the amount of such gesturing that is considered culturally acceptable varies from one location to the next.
    It was, I believe, an Englishman who said that Arabs fight with their mouths but talk with their hands. Of course, Arabs also talk with their mouths. But they have developed such an eloquent system of gestures that words often seem unnecessary.
    At first it seemed that their gestures could not be classified. But later, certain patterns began to appear. Now I believe that I can make several broad statements.
    1. Gestures in the Arab world are done mostly with the hands. However, some people don’t know how to use all parts of the body to communicate.
    2. Women gesture far less than men.
    3. Arabs who have gone to school use gestures more than those who have not.
    4. Gestures appear to be used to show three kinds of feelings—friendly feelings, unfriendly feelings, or romantic feelings.
    In the Arab world, people like to express their feelings of friendship or hostility in a manner more dramatic than words allow. For example, if an Arab accepts you as a friend, he will place his two index fingers side by side.
    There is also a special way of shaking hands to show the degree of friendship. Between close friends, the hand is held up and out, as though prepared to make a fast gun-draw.
    When the same friends take leave of each other, each will place a hand over his heart. This indicates that each is really sad about the parting. The same gesture is used when one refuses the offer of food or drink. Again, it sends the message of sincere regret.
    If one can read signs of friendship clearly, the signs of hostility are also easy to see.
    Arabs value friendship over anything else. Perhaps that is why they must communicate hostility in a language understood everywhere in the Arab world.
    If an Arab feels neither friendly nor unfriendly, he makes another gesture. He places his thumb behind the lapels of his jacket and lifts the jacket gently backward and forward. This is a sign of lack of interest. It says, "It is no skin off my nose. " Or "This is none of my business. " The most common gesture in the Middle East is lifting the chin upwards to indicate no. It has been given several meanings by women. The toss of head usually means " Absolutely not!" A tilt of the eyebrows while opening the eyes wide, without any gesture of the head, can mean " I think it is not likely, but you may try to persuade me otherwise. " Men use the gestures too. But they cannot give it the range of meaning that women do.
    That is all for today’s lecture. Thanks for your attention.