Dictionary of Gestures: Expressive Comportments and Movements in Use around the World

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François Caradec Philippe Cousin

Dictionary of Gestures

Expressive Comportments and Movements in Use around the World

François Caradec, Philippe Cousin, Chris Clarke

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English

MIT Press
20 February 2024

Lexicography

An illustrated guide to more than 850 gestures and their meanings around the world, from a nod of the head to a click of the heels.

An illustrated guide to more than 850 gestures and their meanings around the world, from a nod of the head to a click of the heels.

Gestures convey meaning with a flourish. A vigorous nod of the head, a bold jut of the chin, an enthusiastic thumbs-up- all speak louder than words. Yet the same gesture may have different meanings in different parts of the world. What Americans understand as the ""A-OK gesture,"" for example, is an obscene insult in the Arab world. This volume is the reference book we didn't know we needed-an illustrated dictionary of 850 gestures and their meanings around the world. It catalogs voluntary gestures made to communicate openly-as distinct from sign language, dance moves, involuntary ""tells,"" or secret handshakes-and explains what the gesture conveys in a variety of locations. It is organized by body part, from top to bottom, from head (nodding, shaking, turning) to foot (scraping, kicking, playing footsie). We learn that ""to oscillate the head while gently throwing it back"" communicates approval in some countries even though it resembles the headshake of disapproval used in other countries; that ""to tap a slightly inflated cheek"" constitutes an erotic invitation when accompanied by a wink; that the middle finger pointed in the air signifies approval in South America. We may already know that it is a grave insult in the Middle East and Asia to display the sole of one's shoe, but perhaps not that motorcyclists sometimes greet each other by raising a foot. Illustrated with clever line drawings and documented with quotations from literature (the author, Fran ois Caradec, was a distinguished and prolific historian of literature, culture, and humorous oddities, as well as a novelist and poet), this dictionary offers readers unique lessons in polylingual meaning.

By: François Caradec
Illustrated by: Philippe Cousin
Translated by: Chris Clarke
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 391g
ISBN: 9780262547994
ISBN 10: 0262547996
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 20 February 2024
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Fran ois Caradec (1924-2008) was a French writer and a member of both the College de 'Pataphysique and the Oulipo. His voluminous oeuvre includes biographies of Raymond Roussel and Alfred Jarry, as well as an encyclopedia of practical jokes and a dictionary of French slang. Caradec was a devoted specialist in Alphonse Allais, compiling and editing his collected works, and was one of the first historians of the bande dessinee in France.

Reviews for Dictionary of Gestures: Expressive Comportments and Movements in Use around the World

This work deserves a thumbs up for its appeal to a broad audience.--Booklist-- If Fran�ois Caradec's delightfully idiosyncratic Dictionary of Gestures is to be believed, almost all of them amount to some species of mortal insult or erotic invitation somewhere in the world. --Daily Telegraph-- [a] huge contemporary relevance, helping to avoid misunderstandings in an increasingly multicultural society. This book could even save lives. --The Spectator-- A strangely eclectic reference manual....an eyeopener. --National Post--