Gestures from combinations of fingers in different cultures have a very different semantic load. So, for example, the thumbs up symbol can mean both a decision to pardon the vanquished (a famous gesture at the time of the struggle of Roman gladiators), and a usual request to give a lift, take a fellow traveler (hitchhiking), if we are talking about the thumb raised up by the road somewhere in America. The index finger carries other information. Let's take a closer look.
What is this symbol - thumbs up?
It is clear that the meaning of the symbol depends precisely on which country and which finger is used. And there are a lot of options: from greeting and approval to indecent analogies.
- The index finger of the right hand, raised up, among Muslims is a symbol of the proclamation of monotheism, that is, in translation into Russian it means: "There is no God but Allah!"
- In Germany, this gesture says: "Everything is fine."
- In Slavic countries, the index finger raised up means a call for attention from others, and in American schools, students thus ask the teacher for permission to answer the question.
- If at the time of the conversation you raise your index finger up and shake it from side to side, then the interlocutor of almost any nationality will understand this as a rejection of the proposal or unwillingness to discuss the topic.
What are we talking about by raising our thumbs up?
The symbol - connected by the index finger and thumb with the rest raised up, means in America and most European countries: "Everything is fine!". But in Brazil and Turkey, such a gesture will be perceived as an insult.
A resident of Holland, inviting you to a friendly binge, will raise your little finger up, and your thumb will take it to the side. Here you will probably want to answer him with the gesture described above. Still: "Everything is excellent!" And the Frenchman can pick up the little finger in response, which will mean: "Leave me alone!"
If someone thumbs up - the symbol hardly needs special decoding - this is a sign of the wish of good luck, recognition that everything is going as it should, agreement with the proposed program of action, etc.
True, in Turkey and the Arab countries, such a gesture is a phallic symbol, and in Greece - a demand: "Shut up!"
Most common symbol
The finger rises up in other cases. True, not one, but two: we are talking about the well-known V-shaped sign in the European countries with the index and middle fingers.
It was introduced during the Second World War by Winston Churchill to indicate victory, and since then this gesture has become very popular. True, for the British, one nuance is important in it: which side is turned at that moment palm to the speaker. If the back, then this: "victory" ("victory"), but if the palm, then his interpretation becomes insulting.
Another gesture is no less popular: “goat”. We are talking about the index finger and little finger raised up. In the CIS, this is the infamous "rocker" symbol. A finger rises in a similar fashion as a sign of superiority over someone, a desire to humiliate him. Although in mystical rituals, this sign is a protection from dark forces.