1. Gestures of India: A Study of Emblems among Punjabi Residents of Canada.
- Author
-
King, Christopher R.
- Abstract
Based on the theoretical concepts and research methodology of Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen, a study examined the emblems (gestures with exact verbal meanings) of Punjabi (India) immigrants in Canada. A limited repertoire of 63 emblems was elicited from nine Punjabi informants and then shown to nine Canadian citizens and one United States citizen, all of European descent. The results supported the general conclusion of Ekman and Friesen that pan-cultural emblems tend to refer to body functions and the simplest human activities, while culture-specific emblems tend to refer to more complex human activities. (A list of the 63 emblems is included, with descriptions of the emblems, their meanings, the domains in which they are used, comments from the Punjabi informants, and the degree to which the emblems were understood by the Canadian and United States Citizens.) (RL)
- Published
- 1981