pointing, not with finger

[Anne Lindsay]

Definitely in Northern Manitoba along the Nelson River pointing with a 
finger is avoided, using a combination of lips and chin to indicate 
something is/was taught from an early age.

Have heard a few different explanations, mostly got the sense that 
pointing with a finger was maybe a bit aggressive?


On 06/03/2013 7:54 AM, Amy Dahlstrom wrote:
> Hello Algonquianists,
>
> I'm a discussant at an upcoming conference on gesture, and one thing I 
> thought I would mention to the (extremely diverse) audience is the 
> practice among at least some of the Algonquian peoples of pointing 
> with the lips or with the chin, rather than pointing with the finger.
>
> I would like to ask you all how widespread this practice is.  And for 
> native speakers (native pointers? :-) ), do you have any intuitions 
> about why pointing with the finger is avoided?  Would it seem rude to 
> point with the finger?  Or inappropriate in some other way?
>
> thanks in advance for any thoughts you can share!
>
> Amy
>
> P.S.  if you hit "reply" remember that you are replying to the whole 
> list! :-)
>


-- 
If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience. George Bernard Shaw