How
can you tell an American from a Frenchman? |
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The French and their body language: some examples |
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Make him count 1,2,3,4,... : the American will start
with the little finger and end with the thumb, the Frenchman
just the opposite.
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Make him walk
: the American will move
his arms and take a lot of space, the Frenchman will be much
stiffer
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Make him hug : the
American will look as if he was afraid of bad breath, stay as
far as possible and give big hits on the back of the other person
; the Frenchman , like the Spanish with his abrazo, will
actually TOUCH the body of the other person, the lips will touch the cheek and he/she will act as if he/she
was enjoying it
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Put him in an elevator
: the American will talk (the French will try to avoid any eye
contact)
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Make him (and particularly,
make her) laugh and hear and see the difference in the
level of noise and in muscular activity...
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Make him say "everything is OK"
: he will form a circle joining thumb and index (in French, this
gesture means : "zero")
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Enjoy a meal with him : he will put his bread on
his plate (the French put it on the table) and his hands on his
thighs (the French put them on the table)
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For more about body language,
visit a comprehensive
website. and an intercultural
website
- More to come
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Why do the French seem rude even when they're not
? Far be it from me to
defend the French who seem to be quite good both at ticking off
the Entire World and at defending themselves. I do however submit
two possible reasons the French appear rude even when they are
not : body language and intonation. French body language is very
expressive. There's some physical gesture for almost any emotion
and when the emotion is exasperation or anger, it shows even
when there are no words. French intonation, to a non-French speaking
person, makes the French sound angry even when two Frenchmen
are only discussing the World Cup or the latest Social Security
reform or the taste of Paris tap water. This simple fact explains
most American anecdotes about the French being rude with them.
Solution : 1. Learn French Body Language 2. Learn French !
- More to come...
DID YOU KNOW
THAT ....? The French touch each other a lot ! According
to a study quoted by Le Figaro Madame (May 3, 2003) a study on
heterosexual couples seated at a terrace established the number
of contacts at 110 per half-hour as compared to 2 for Americans
! Look how former President Sarkozy behaved, always touching the shoulder,
the neck, the arm of the people he was talking to... His successor, Emmanuel Macron does it less but still much more than his international counterparts..
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Are
you crazy ? credits |
Laurence Wylie was professor of French Civilization
at Harvard and the author of the classical "Village
in the Vaucluse". He studied French body language and
this is an example of it. Here are a few quotes from an interview
he gave to a magazine (L'Express 1/8/1977) : |
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- The French are more controlled (than Americans) : their chest remains straight, their pelvis
horizontal, their shoulders do not move and their arms are close
to their body ... there is something stiff and tense in the French
way of moving (read an
explanation about it by a French psychoanalyst) ; This is why French clothes
are too narrow, too tight for Americans
- being very controlled with
their bodies, the French need verbal expression as an outlet
(maybe this is why they are often considered rude)
- Americans need more space
to move
- Your obsession with rationality
leads you to give a major importance to your head : the most
characteristic French gestures are associated with the head :
mouth, eyes, nose, etc... (for instance, the French say "My
eye" and point their finger to their eye, when Americans
say "My foot")
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To related pages : intercultural differences, French attitudes, etc... |
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Harriet Welty
Rochefort writes articles and books about France and the French.
Order her books :
- "Joie de Vivre", Secrets of Wining, Dining and Romancing like the French, St.Martin's Press, New York, 2012
- "French Toast, An American in Paris
Celebrates The Maddening Mysteries of the French", St.Martin's Press,
New York, 1999
- "French Fried, The Culinary Capers
of An American in Paris", St.Martin's Press, New York, 2001
More on Harriet's books (excerpts, upcoming
events, testimonials, etc..)
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