KEBABBLE 'The bird',
Turkish style By Fazile Zahir
FETHIYE, Turkey - This country is not
exactly a Sex Pistols/Oasis Gallagher brothers
type of society, and obscene gestures in public by
prominent figures or celebrities are rare. Hande
Yener, pop princess and possibly Turkey's 2008
Eurovision entrant, crashed through these taboos
while on vacation in Cesme this week.
Having given what she felt were enough
poses for the paparazzi,
she
finally tired of their attention and, with her
back to them, flipped them the "bird" over her
shoulder. While, it's a common occurrence in the
United States or Britain, her raised middle digit
caused genuine shock here, not least because it
was thrown by a woman.
The "bird" migrated
to Turkey when US troops were stationed here at
the start of the Cold War and has been propagated
by US films on television. The Turks also have
plenty of gestures and body language of their own
- some are offensive, some functional and
friendly, some are warding-off movements, and
others are highly respectful.
Functional and friendly gestures
Raising your chin slightly while moving your
eyebrows up and simultaneously "tutting" with the
tongue means "no".
Shaking your head sideways means, "I don't
understand."
A sharp downward nod combined with a
longer-than-average blink means "yes".
If you see someone holding his or her hand
with a palm up and fingers folded toward the
thumb, this is a compliment and generally means
something is good. It can be done to compliment
food, clothing or a new car. It can also mean that
a woman or man is attractive.
It is very common in Turkey to see two men or
women publicly holding hands or walking arm in
arm. This doesn't indicate homosexuality, they are
just good friends.
As in North America, a "thumbs up" gesture is
commonly used for hitchhiking.
If someone holds his or her arm out with a
palm facing the floor and makes a clawing movement
with the fingers, the person is trying to indicate
that you should come over.
Warding-off gestures
To ward off the evil eye, say "tututututu"
(like a series of small spitting sounds) and then
pull your earlobe while simultaneously making a
noise like you are trying to suck in spaghetti.
Respect gestures
Kissing the back of an elder's hands and
raising it to your forehead for a brief touch
shows respect, and can also be done to a mother or
father.
Placing your right hand over your heart when
making a statement or accepting thanks is a sign
of respect and can mean that you believe what is
being said to you or that you are sincere in what
you have said.
Handshakes by men with women tend to be soft
and some can be positively limp.
Offensive or obscene
gestures
Placing the left hand flat on the inside of
the right arm just above the elbow, clenching the
right fist and raise the right arm means "up
yours".
Stroking the chin with the fingers while
staring at a woman signals lecherous sexual
intent.
Clenching the right fist and then slapping it
with the palm of the open left hand means "I
showed you!" in a very deprecatory manner.
It is rude to sit with the sole of your shoe
raised and pointing at someone, because the sole
of the foot is the lowest part of the body and is
considered unclean.
It is rude to point at something with your
foot except animals.
Clenching the fist and then pulling that arm
backward and forward a few times with the elbow
kept close to the body and at waist level while
referring to or indicating a particular woman
means you had sex with her.
Blowing your nose loudly in public is the
height of bad manners.
The "schlap" is hard to describe. The right
fist is clenched and bent in toward the wrist and
inner arm as far as it will go; the left hand is
then placed over the knuckles of the right hand
and the right hand is then forced sharply upward,
resulting in the left hand hitting the inside of
the right wrist with a slapping noise. This means
"I gave you one" (sexually.
Think carefully before playing "got your nose"
with little children. If you make a fist and put
your thumb between your index finger and middle
finger, you're in essence saying "f*** you". This
gesture is known as the fig.
The gesture created when a circle is formed by
touching the forefinger to the thumb does not mean
"okay" or "great"; instead, it is directed at
someone you want to accuse of homosexuality. The
ring represents the anus.
Of course, some
gestures have changed over time. The "thumbs up"
used to be considered rude and was only used among
men, but with the steady increase in European
tourism, this gesture has gradually received
acceptance with the more Western meaning
indicating something good.
In some
circumstances, correctly understanding a foreign
gesture can be a matter of life and death, and the
US Army introduced a training program last year in
Iraq to help soldiers learn and give appropriate
gestures. The soldiers are taught that typically
reserved Western body language could be
interpreted by Iraqis as having something to hide
and thus potentially escalate a tense situation.
They also learn that people in the Middle East
often approach each other and stand more closely
than one normally might in the West and that they
should not automatically interpret close proximity
as a threat.
Turkey instituted its own
body-language training program this May, but it
was not for troops, it was for tax officials. They
were given a course in customer service that gave
tips on how to spot tax fraud. A handbook they
received explained how liars tend to shift their
eyes and not look directly at the person to whom
they are talking. Additionally, most men will
apparently play with their collars or loosen their
shirts while lying.
One can only assume
that they didn't need any instructions in how to
recognize the "bird".
Fazile
Zahir is of Turkish descent, born and brought
up in London. She moved to Turkey in 2005 and has
been writing full-time since then.
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