Kinesic behaviors are typically confined to certain regions. Someone entering a region foreign to them, may not be aware of the meanings behind certain gestures they see. Many times a person may even recognize a gesture and, mistakenly, immediately associate it with the gesture's meaning in their own region. Other times, foreigners may be shocked or confused at some of the facial expressions they observe. In some parts of the world, facial expressions are much more animated than others. Even though most kinesic behaviors differ by region, there are a few of them that are universally recognized. This paper will look into which kinesic behaviors are similar across cultures, and which ones are different using examples from the documentary, A World of Gestures.
The kinesic behaviors that are universally recognized are illustrator gestures. These are motions, typically hand movements, used to repeat or substitute for speech. An example of an illustrator gesture from the documentary, A World of Gestures, included giving directions. When a person, who does not verbally speak the same language as you, points their finger in a certain direction, it is clear that what you are looking for is in that direction. This is interpreted the same way all across the world. Another example of an illustrator gesture is waving your hand good bye. It is the sign that is learned earliest by children as they grow to develop their arsenal of nonverbal gestures. Another type of gesture, which may not be so familiar across different cultures, is the emblem gesture. Emblem gestures represent specific words or phrases. They are recognizable within a culture, but not so much to outsiders. The term used in lectures and the video to represent this is "in-group advantage"." People from outside the "group " looking to imitate a gesture will be spotted quickly as they are bound to carry a nonverbal accent. An example of an emblem gesture from the video, A World of Gestures, is the thumbs up.
