Hand gestures – the silent majority of the Italian language!

As if you didn’t already know it, Italians say as much with their hands as they do with their mouths, and any time spent learning Italian would be incomplete if some time wasn’t also dedicated to learn the secret code of Italian hand gestures.

I’ve gathered up a few videos from YouTube to help cover the basics of the gestures commonly used by Italians, so you’ll know what to do (or not to do) when you’re ready to start talking with your hands.

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  • jismyname

    That last video brings up the topic of swear words and whether or not beginners should be learning them. I'm of the opinion that I am better off not knowing how to cuss for three reasons: 1) It's impolite and leaves a bad impression. 2) I'll probably do it wrong and look/sound stupid. 3) I'd rather not know what someone just called me so it won't bother me.

  • http://www.fluenteveryyear.com/ Randy

    There are those who want to know all the swear words first when they learn a language — in fact, for many that's all they ever learn of a language — and I'm going to dismiss them all at once as simply childish.

    However, my own opinion is different from yours, in that I don't actively avoid swearing. To me, words are words, and they only hold the power that you personally give them. There are some nuances to using swear words that bear meanings which are otherwise quite difficult to quantify or express without swearing. And whether or not I choose to use them (my tendency is to *not* use such words), I still want to understand them when others use them.

    But then there are some interesting exceptions… cases where swearing in a language takes on a life of its own. For instance, some language which would be quite objectionable by American standards is actually quite common in everyday speech among Mexicans.

    And then there's Russian мат, which gives you five (forbidden) word roots from which an entire lexicon of meanings can be derived. Whole sentences or even stories can be spoken, in full meaning, using only swear words!

  • jismyname

    That's true, you're right. There are times when swear words are worth learning. Like in Québec where the swear words are mostly appropriated from Catholicism (e.g., chalice, tabernacle, host, and sacrament), so there is a lot of cultural history imbued in those words and they're not just scatalogical.

    In reality swear words are unavoidable and you'll probably learn them as you go along anyway. As polite as I am, my kids are going to pick up bad language whether I like it or not!

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