[Kevin]

I would like to ask someone who is familiar with the French culture and language how the non-verbal communication is different from the non-verbal communication of the United States.

User Detail :  

Name : Kevin, Gender : M, City : San Luis Obispo, State : CA, Country : United States, 

[Mel W.]

French gestures are practically a whole other language in their own right. There are a few that are essentially the same, like shrugging for ‘I don’t know…’ However, the French gesture system applies pretty much throughout Europe, especially in parts of Italy. There’s a very good site with videos of popular French gestures: http://babel.uoregon.edu/romance/rl407/gesture/frgest.html One thing not to do: make the thumb and first finger symbol that Americans use for ‘okay’. That can be very offensive, meaning ‘zero’, or ‘big fat nothing’ to French people.

User Detail :  

Name : Mel W., Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : Gunnison, State : CO, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Matthew]

I am half-French and grew up in France. I spent a year in the United States when I was 18 and can’t say I noticed many differences in non-verbal communication beyond a few obvious gestures – then again I was a dumb teenager, so maybe I didn’t notice anything…

Greetings gestures are different. For example, in France we very rarely hug (except within a couple, obviously), but we kiss each other on the cheeks as a greeting in many situations. (Some people air-kiss near your cheeks, others think this is as annoying as a very limp handshake). This is not really non-verbal communication, though, is it? Also, the ‘air quotation marks’ are not done in France (or anywhere in Europe, as far as I know). Finally, there is in France an alternative to the universal middle-finger-up, which I’m not sure you have in the United States. It consists of slapping your upper arm with the opposite hand and raising a clenched fist. Do you do that? It’s known as a ‘bras d’honneur,’ and I do not know its origin. It’s actually a bit more specific than the middle finger, and more or less means ‘I don’t care so (insert favorite profanity here).’ It’s a favorite with bad drivers. of which there are a lot.

User Detail :  

Name : Matthew, Gender : M, Race : English/French, Religion : Atheist, Age : 29, City : London, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

[Author]

Posts