L'appel palm-vers-le-bas (European wave goodbye)
Palm down, fingers curved inward. European call or farewell. Minor confusion in North America with dismissal gesture.
Meaning
Target direction : Call or "goodbye". Palm down, finger movements towards you. Standard European/Canadian call.
Interpreted meaning : Sometimes interpreted as "go away" or "get out" in North America. Confusion between call and gestural dismissal.
Geography of misunderstanding
Neutral
- usa
- canada
- france
- germany
- uk
- australia
- western-europe
- latin-america
- east-asia
Not documented
- middle-east
- africa
- asie-du-sud
- asie-centrale-caucase
1. The gesture and its expected meaning
Open palm pointing downwards, fingers curved towards you, repetitive bending of the fingers: this is the "palm-down wave goodbye" in North American English, or simply the standard European call in French, German, British English. Meaning: "come here", "come closer", or "goodbye". It's a benevolent, geographically neutral and very stable call.
Special feature: in North America, this gesture can also mean "go away" or "get out", creating contextual ambiguity but not offensiveness.
2. Where things go wrong: the geography of misunderstanding
No major documented offensiveness. Safe, neutral gesture in virtually all contexts. The only ambiguity: minor confusion in North America between "come closer" and "go away", depending on non-verbal context (smile vs. seriousness).
3. Historical background
Etaneto-European gesture, probably prehistoric in essence. No specific documented antecedents. Remarkable stability: palm open downwards with curved fingers is almost universally recognized in the West as a call.
4. famous documented incidents
No major incidents documented. Gesture too neutral and not very offensive.
5. Practical recommendations
- Do: universally safe use throughout the Western world.
- Never do: no real restrictions.
- Alternatives: fingers curled palm-up (another variation), verbal appeal.
Practical recommendations
To do
- Usage universellement sûr et recommandé.
Avoid
- Aucune restriction particulière.
Neutral alternatives
- Fingers curved palm up.
- Verbal call.
- Wide open hand gesture.
Sources
- Morris, D., Collett, P., Marsh, P., & O'Shaughnessy, M. (1979). Gestures: Their Origins and Distribution. Stein & Day.
- Kendon, A. (2004). Gesture: Visible Action as Utterance. Cambridge University Press.
- McNeill, D. (1992). Hand and Mind: What Gestures Reveal about Thought. University of Chicago Press.