Friends,
Does language affect body language? Sure, different cultures
have different ways of expressing themselves (Italians move their hands a lot
more than Brits), but, does the same person change their body language when
they change the language in which they’re thinking? Perhaps. This weekend, I
noticed something peculiar. When I saw someone that looked like they came from
the U.S. (a vast majority of people in Cancún), I would greet them with a
measured head nod, lowering my head as they passed by (keeping a straight
face). When I saw someone whom I imagined spoke Spanish, my sub-conscious
greeting was a brief and brisk chin rise (all while flashing a smile and
raising my eyebrows). The language I was thinking in at the time directly
impacted my body language. Perhaps there is such a thing as body Spanish! Then
again, it may be the difference between a “howdy m’am” and a “:what’s up?” Kind
of tempts me to alternate the TV sound by quarters between SAP and the English
narration during ‘Murica Bowl this Sunday. Will watching the team of the
national bird playing against the team of national fervor, competing to win the
”world” championship (in which only US teams compete) in Spanish somehow make
it feel more cosmopolitan? Perhaps. Then again, as usual, perhaps I’ve taken
this fleeting notion too far. That said, I think that regardless of the
language you’re using when you bite into a donut, the warm feeling that comes
with it should be universal.
Happy Friday!
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