Description
The Language of Asian Gestures explores Asian gestures as a non-verbal language within the context of films and dramas.
This book provides a cross-cultural Asian perspective on a range of important common gestures and their meanings, covering a range of Asian regions including Korea, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Pakistan. While most studies focus on text-based communication, gestures find themselves overshadowed by text and speech. Asian gestures, too, often reside in the shadow of Eurocentric viewpoints. This book will shift this dynamic and amplify the voices that have typically been marginalised within 20th-century Eurocentric discussions.
The book will be informative for students and researchers interested in Asian languages, cultures, film studies, and pragmatics. It bridges the gap between words and gestures, unveiling a world of concealed meanings and enriching our understanding of diverse forms of expression.
Table of Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Preface
Part I. Gestures – Moving Words or Words in Action?
Gestures – A Bird's Eye View
Prosody as Gesture
Understanding Facial Expressions
Cultural Gestures
Diversity in Asian Language and Culture
Asian Gestures
Multimodal Modulation Hypothesis (MMH)
Hierarchy Through Gesture
Diversity in Asian Gestures
Bowing
Gesturing Properly
Verbal – Gestural Languages: Division of Labour
Border-Crossing Gestures
Part II. Gesture in Asia – Mapped Though Film
Head
Smile
Kiss
Open Mouth, Sticking Out Tongue, and Lip Pointing
Nodding
Head to Hand
Scratching the Head
Ear Pulling and Ear Holding
Rolling Both Hands Behind Ears
Eye Gaze
Lowering the Head
Closing Eyes and Blinking
Winking
Raised Eyebrows
Voice
Whistling
Slurping
Laughter
Hissing
Silence
Soft Speaking
Upper body
Shoulders
Arms
Crossed Arms
Bowing
Handshake
Hand Over Mouth
Beckoning
Fist
Waving
Pointing
Touching the Heart
Hands Held Together in Lap
Wrist Twisting
Cutting Through
Pouring for Someone
One or Two Hands
Drinking Gestures
Food Gestures
Giving and Receiving Items and Gifts
Left or Right Hand
Touch
No Touching of the Head
Patting and Hitting
Chin Grabbing/Shaking
Brushing and Washing
Lower body
Crossing Legs and Kneeling
Covering Bare Legs When Sitting
Feet
Exposing the Feet
Touching Someone Else's Feet
Touching Things or Gesturing Using Feet
Part III. Future Gestures in an Asian Context
The Evolution of Gestures
Smartphone Gestures
Gestures in a Digital Age
Emoji and Acronym Ambiguity: Interpreting Generational Disparities in Digital Communication
Decoding Gestures: The Complexities in an Increasingly Mobile World
‘Translingual, Transcultural, and Transmedial’: Individual Differences
Transnational Gestures
Fandom Gestures: Transcending Borders and Cultures
Sharing Memes and Emojis: An Act of Solidarity
Gesture Diversity
Gesture Conflicts
Future Gestures: Less Hierarchical?
Online Gestures Matter
AI Gestures in Films
Future of Human Language
Filmography
Interviewees
Bibliography
Index
