Similarities and differences

with indonesian or among

three societies
• Body language is considered as one of the most fundamental
components of communication. Many factors including culture,
gender, age, and psyche can affect the use of body language among
different people.
• This case related to Persian and American, they all consider body
language as a kind of nonverbal communication, which includes how
people greet each other, how they sit or stand, what their facial
expressions, clothes, hair style, tone of voice, and eye movements are
like, how they listen, how close they stand to others while conversing,
and how they touch, tap and pat each other (Rugsaken 2006).
• Since the main concern of the present work is the differences and
similarities between Persian and American cultures, in the following,
we will present some of such congruence and variation between the
two cultures.
This is the similarities and dissimilarities between American and
Persian:
Table. 2.1. Similarities between Persian and American Body Language
Gesture Meaning

Shaking hands Greeting one another

Cupping the ear I can’t hear you

Wrinkling the nose Disgusting, smelling

Open hand, palm up Sincere, open

Chewing fingernails Nervousness. The person is not

feeling secure.
Table. 2.2. Dissimilarities between Persian and American Body Language
Gestures Persian culture American culture Meaning
Putting Palms on + - Respect
chest
Lifting the hand up, - + I love you
palm out, and
extending the
thumb, forefinger,
and little finger

Holding thumb and - + Relax or take it easy

little finger extended
and shaking
Crossing the fingers - + Good luck
Holding thumb down - + You are a loser
And here’s the other example of the differences about non-verbla language:
1) Offering or accepting a gift
-- In China, both hands are used to show respect.
-- In Britain or America, one hand is used, and can be either hand; unless
the gift is too large or heavy, then both hands are.
-- In Muslim countries, only use the right hand, or both hands, never the
left hand which is considered unclean.

2) Patting a child’s head, but not a teenager or adult’s head

-- In China, shows affection, otherwise might cause offense
-- In Britain or America, means giving comfort, consolation or
encouragement between close friends.
-- In India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, it would be shocking and offensive, as the
head is believed to be the seat of the soul.
3) The ring gesture. (The tip of the thumb and the tip of a finger
meeting to create a ring.)
-- In America - "OK"
-- In Japan -"money"
-- In France -"zero or worthless"
-- In Tunisia - " I’ll kill you! "

4) The single finger beckon

-- In Yugoslavia and Malaysia beckoning animals
-- In Indonesia and Australia for prostitutes
-- In South America -- an attractive woman
5) The eyelid-pull
-- In France and Greece -- “You can’t fool me!”
-- In Spain and Italy -- “You should be alert”
-- In South America -- an attractive woman

6) The thumbs-up sign

-- In Britain and America
-- "OK", and for hitch-hiking
-- In Greece -- an insult