Body Language
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Besides Turks generate strange sounds as “hııı” or “hı hı” for yes. They even make fun of with the “çık” sound they use for “No”. If you unite all your fingers and swing your hand up and down everybody will understand that you loved the meal. Above all if you close your eyes and make “mmmmm” sound they will even think you are a Turk.
There are some hand signs considered impolite by Turks. The first one is to put your thumb between your index and middle finger while your hand is in a fist position. The other is the middle finger standing upright again when your hand is in a fist. They both symbolize the male sex organ and mean, “f..k you!”. Another sign is the meeting of your thumb and index finger forming a circle. While in most countries this means “Okay”, in Turkey it means homosexual and is considered a big insult, and has been the cause of more than one murder (!!!) among especially despot Turkish men. If you point to your head with your index finger it means “Are you an idiot?”, again if you put your index finger to your temple and move it like screwing it means “Are you crazy?”. While you are driving if you raise your hand and wave it about, it will indicate the car following yours, “What's the matter?” and it is sure to anger most drivers.
A note of caution: Foreigners would be well advised to avoid using any offensive hand signals or any motions that could possibly be construed as being rude, insulting or aggressive. Such acts could lead to serious consequences and even personal injury as wounded egos fueled by excessive testosterone will often seek what they perceive to be justice. Avoid meaningless confrontations - better to just walk away from trouble.
Latest comments about this article
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