Pierre Trudeau introduced Canadians to “the shrug.” It probably didn’t surprise the Quebecois who traditionally and very Gallicly have expressed themselves with a variety of body movements. I’m not sure the world we inhabit, which still reflects Anglo reserve, has developed anything more than the wink, the nod and the evil middle digit.
The Italians of course, have perhaps the most highly developed and potentially insulting system of hand signals. You have to be careful what you do with your hands or mouth when you are in Italy. They are quick to anger. The Polynesians have their body language like the Maori “hakka” which is supposed to strike terror into the hearts of their enemies. In Africa, they signal intent physically. Remember the incredible Zulu dance before the great battle against the British? It was a defining scene in the movie “Zulu.”
Enough of these pergrinations through old customs. I am no sociologist. I apologize for so much stage-setting but I wanted a fitting platform for my analysis of the famous French facial language. Trudeau did it, with his shrug, the slight narrowing of the eyes, and a dismissive puff of air from slightly pursed lips.
Shirley and I spend a lot of time watching the kinds of shows on French TV that we wouldn’t spend a second watching at home. It is part of our way to improve our fluency. (To date, I simply do not understand a word that comes pouring out at speed. Well – a few words.)
Last night on a game show there was a quite lovely female contestant with the biggest repertoire of French facial movement I have ever seen. To begin with, I have no idea what the program is supposed to be doing. I know it gives away a lot of cash and the contestant has to make guesses – none of which require a whit of intelligence that I can see. As she puzzled over her choice of which closed box held the best chance for a win, she gave us everything. The best, and I see it everywhere, is the pursing of the lips, followed immediately by a puffing of the cheeks, a little eye-rolling, and the slow expulsion of the air. (I am actually trying to get it down myself, staring at my image in the mirror while I try to look French.) She was so versatile. She also did the slight pop-pop-popping of the air she blew her cheeks up with.
My late dear friend Sandy was fluent in both the language and facial dramatics. She was best at describing her mother-in-law’s dismissal of everything that was not French. Sandy could do it all: the shrug, the puffing out, and the rolling of the eyes.
It is no wonder that the French have so dominated the arts. They go beyond yelling and gesturing. I am reminded of what is very American (and Canadian.) Ask a question and you get: “uuhm…aah…” to which my favourite Judge Judy always responds: “Um is not a word!”
Non verbal communication has always been something of an art. The French have it -hands doewn, or up, or turned out with the shrug, or whqatever. They are simply so skilled. I am in awe.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)