Title
Dictionary of gestures : expressive comportments and movements in use around the world / Franðcois Caradec ; illustrated by Philippe Cousin ; translated by Chris Clarke.
Uniform Title
Dictionnaire des gestes. English
ISBN
9780262038492 (hardcover)
0262038498 (hardcover)
Published
Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, [2018]
Language
English
Description
324 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Call Number
P117 .C2713 2018
Dewey Decimal Classification
302.2/22
Summary
"This is an illustrated dictionary of over 850 gestures from around the world. Gestures often convey meanings that transcend borders, but sometimes they bear vastly different meanings from one continent to another. A dictionary, then, of bodily signs made voluntarily in order to communicate in a open manner: not sign language, no involuntary psychoanalytic "tells," no dance moves, and no secret means of exchange (for example, the recent appropriation of the same "a-ok" gesture mentioned above by white supremecists) or professional codes (military, for example). Which is not to make this book sound limited, but rather to explain that the overall guiding principle is the way we go about joining words to gestures throughout the world in our everyday lives (gestures don't constitute a language in and of themselves), with a side interest in the fact that there are no universals in the realm of the gesture. All entries are illustrated in a how-to manner via drawings (utilizing men, women, and children from all cultures, reflecting the book's global coverage), while illustrations from other sources showing gestures being performed in various cultural contexts throughout history are also scattered throughout the book and the introduction. Entries are organized by body parts and body regions, from head to foot (with everything in between: chin, nose, thumb, buttocks, and 33 other body parts), with an index for intention and interpretation of the different gestures (i.e., Complicity, Despair, Homosexuality, Indifference, Satisfaction, and so on) that makes for a different means of taxonomy"-- Provided by publisher.
Note
Translation of: Dictionnaire des gestes : attitudes et mouvements expressifs en usage dans le monde entier.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
On the beauty of gestures
The Head
The Temples
The Ear
The Forehead
The Eyebrows and Eyelashes
The Eye
The Nose
The Mouth
The Lips
The Tongue
The Teeth
The Cheeks
The Chin
The Neck
The Shoulders
The Armpits
The Arms
The Forearm
The Elbow
The Wrist
The Fingernails
The Hand
The Fist
Both Hands
Hand to Hand
The Thumb
The Index Finger
The Middle Finger
The Ring Finger
The Little Finger (The Pinky)
The Torso
The Chest
The Hips
The Waist and the Stomach
The Buttocks
The Groin, the Genitals, the Thighs
The Knees, the Legs
The Foot.
