Question

learning a foreign body language
when we think about learning a foreign language, we often focus on how the words from one language translate to another. but have you ever considered how body language translates? many gestures mean different things in different countries. and many countries have their own gestures that are not used anywhere else. this chart shows some common gestures used in italy. do you recognize any of them?
common italian gestures
what this gesture means: tricky
why people use it: to inform a cheater that he or she has been discovered.
in the united states, the expression ive got my eye on you has a similar meaning.
what this gesture means: call me
why people use it: to request a phone call when the person is free.
both europeans and americans claim this as a nearly universal gesture.
what this gesture means: its good
why people use it: to let someone know that their food was delicious.
in other countries, a loud belch at the table after a meal is a sign of respect to the chef.
strategy practice
work with a partner. take turns talking about friendly gestures you would use if you saw a friend across the room. visualize the gestures and discuss their meanings.
skill practice
read the item. write your response.

1. do you think these gestures are common in countries other than italy?
2. if an italian girl pulls down on her eye, what is she saying to another person?
3. why are there arrows included with the gestures?

Explanation:

1. For the first question, we refer to the text. It mentions that "the expression 'I've got my eye on you' has a similar meaning" (for the first gesture) in the US. Also, for the second gesture, "Both Europeans and Americans claim this as a nearly universal gesture". And for the third, it says "in other countries, a loud belch..." (showing some similarity in meaning - positive feedback on food). So we can infer based on these text clues.
2. For the second question, we directly look at the description of the first gesture in the "Common Italian Gestures" chart.
3. For the third question, we think about the purpose of arrows in visual - gesture representation. Arrows are often used to show movement which is key in demonstrating gestures.

Answer:

1. Some of these gestures may be common in other countries. For example, the gesture meaning “tricky” has a similar expression in the US (“I’ve got my eye on you”). The “call me” gesture is claimed as nearly universal by Europeans and Americans. The “it’s good” gesture (though the specific gesture action - like the Italian one - may not be the same) has a similar meaning (positive feedback on food) in other countries (like a loud belch as a sign of respect to the chef).
2. She is telling the other person that she has noticed them (like they are “tricky” or she is keeping an eye on them).
3. The arrows are included to show the movement of the gesture. Since gestures are physical movements, arrows help to visually represent how the body part (like the hand, eye - area for the first gesture) moves to perform the gesture.