pointing, not with finger

[Bernie Francis]

Kwe' everyone, Yes, it's common among the Micmac People to slightly raise the chin with a little lip protrusion as a way of pointing. Finger pointing toward people is not acceptable. Here is an interesting addition however among my people which seems to have begun when we started to have a little money to travel, say to Florida: Question to (usually) a man: "Goin' anywhere this winter?" The answer from the responder who will use the following phrase as a bragging tool would be: "E'e. Ula (while raising the chin slightly with a lip protrusion) Florida eliey." (Yes, I'm just going over here to Florida.)  It was truly used to brag, as if to minimize the not only the distance from the Maritime Provinces to Florida but the cost involved to get there. It was also implied that this is what the responder did on the regular basis because (implied again) he's got bucks unlike the rest of us. Today it is still used but with a roar of laughter immediately behind it, with the speakers remembering the pomp that used to go with being able to go to Florida. That is, it's become a joke now because many of my folks have enough money to vacation in Florida for a week. Hope this adds a little, new dimension to this pointing gesture. bern francis
 > Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2013 09:49:13 -0600
> From: malindsay at SHAW.CA
> Subject: Re: pointing, not with finger
> To: ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
> 
> 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
 		 	   		  

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