#fw4

To start things off, I decided to take note of customers’ hand gestures while I was at work. I felt that it would be a little awkward to record or take pictures, so I will do my best to describe their actions with words or pictures/gifs I can find on the internet. For background info, I work at a supermarket in a neighborhood that has an even mix between African Americans and Caucasians.

One of the most commonly used gestures I noticed was the classic “thumbs up” gesture. This gesture was used either when someone wanted to show approval of something that was said or when they were actually waiting to be told if something or someone was ok. For example, one man came in with his girlfriend and they were discussing what they should get for dinner. Eventually, the boyfriend suggested Chipotle and asked his girlfriend if she was in the mood for it. She gave a thumbs up and just said ok.

Another common gesture I noticed was a sharp pointing motion with peoples’ hands. This was usually done when someone was talking and they were trying to convince their friends or family of something and to add emphasis to what they were saying.

One gesture I found particularly interesting was from an asian woman who came in with her husband. They always come in and buy a bouquet of flowers along with other items and although we were all familiar with each other, I could tell that the woman was always more “reserved” than her husband. I say this because the husband’s gestures are always wider and more apparent than her’s.  For example, the husband will nod to me and raise a hand in the air to say thank you and goodbye, while his wife will actually keep her hands closer to her lower body and give a little bow to me before leaving. I know that in the past, women in Asian cultures were expected to not draw attention to themselves and be submissive in their relationships, so I feel as though this woman’s gestures reflected that idea to a T.

Another gesture I thought was interesting was actually from this cute little kid named Maria. Maria came in with her mother and after talking to her mom for a little bit, I said hello to Maria to be polite. Instead of saying hi or waving to me, she covered her eyes with her hands and started laughing. I instantly knew that by her doing this, she was showing that she was shy. Luckily though, her mother and I got her to see that I was a nice guy and Maria actually ended up telling me that we were friends before she left (lol)!

Language is the method of human communication, either written or spoken. Gestures are apart of language, directly related to body language. Gestures can vary from a simple hand signal, to the shrugging of the shoulders, to even a hug. Gestures are even used physically, such as the shaking of hands or a fist bump to greet someone. Over the week I studied some of the gestures my friends used when talking, many would shrug their shoulders, hold their hands together, or face their palms to the ceiling all to add emphasis to the conversation at that time. Someone may extend their hand with the palm open as if waiting to accept something. A gesture I noticed my teachers using were pointing a finger either at a student or something on the board. This is to draw attention to a specific thing. Another thing I realized my teachers doing was using the fingers to portray numbers. This is just in case you may not here what they say, you can see the numbers and instantly know. All in all, gestures are a form of body language that is used to communicate and better relay information and/or feelings.