gestures2 跨文化交际中的手势和身体语言分析

Good luck in America
crossing middle finger over index finger prevailed among Japanese children about 25 years ago to show humorously that he was shielded from a kind of pollution with shouting "Engacho kitta!" This was used by the children when they saw a friend accidentally stepped on dog-dung. I am not sure that how many children today understand the sign, though. Japanese culture
In Poland instead of crossing our fingers for good luck, we 'hold our thumbs', which is making fists holding your thumbs inside. The 'fingers crossed' gesture gets increasingly popular here though, at least most of young people know what it means.
To us Vietnamese, index-finger-waving is considered as rude and disrespectful, especially when you do that to adults.
Hello! I'm from Brazil, and actually the pattern for "OK" used to be kind of offensive around here, but I guess that due to
globalization, everyone can understand it from another perspective now.
I'm an Aussie and as far as I know, thumbs up is all good for us.I have heard it is rude in muslim countries such as Iran. Well, in Bangladesh, one thumb up is interpreted as ..you know...the finger.
What is mention below is not a gesture. I find
it interesting. Among some of the Chinese, when one in a casual conversation gives unlucky comments involving death or misfortune or something people dislike, the other participants will make spitting sound to get away from the bad luck. Not actually spitting, just make sounds like 'Pay' repeatedly. Not sure whether you get that. Casual, informal, close friend. That means foreigners are not likely to encounter the scene.
What about 'touching wood' (knocking on wood)?
Here we 'knock on unpainted' or 'on unpainted wood'.
I've read the superstition came from the pre-Christian Europe. Our ancestors while speaking of their little triumphs knocked on the pad's walls - wooden and unpainted - in order to deafen talks as the envious gods couldn't
thwart the human's plans hearing such boasts. Other explanation is that people used to touch the tree bark to ask living in trees good spirits for help or to thank them for fulfilling their pleas. Some claim it derives from the respect to the cross Jesus Christ died on. Eventually it may be ascribed to the medieval privilege of a villain who touched the church's door. If they managed to do so, then the chase was over.
In Spain we also think that 'touching wood' brings good luck.
In Italy we touch the wood when we see a grave,or an ambulance..so strange..
Knocking the wood is also populer in Turkey.
I did know that it was about Samanizm,a religion that Turks used to believe before Islam came,but now i started to doubt.Maybe it has become traditional and a global item. In America, we knock on wood when we don't want something bad to happen. I guess that would be good luck.。