pointing, not with finger

[Danielle E. Cyr]

In line with what David says here below, it is common among French Canadians to
point with their chin - not with their lips though. The context, at least it
seems to me, is when there is a need of avoiding pointing with the finger. For
instance when one wants the observee to remain unaware of your commenting on
him/her. At times the chin movement accompanies a derogative comments. However,
at other times, it can be used to drag positive attention to a child, or a pet,
or anyone displaying an interesting or endearing behaviour.

It should be interesting to check with European French and other Western
peoples.

I'm forwarding this conversation to European colleagues. Let's see what they
have to say.

Best,

Danielle

Quoting David Lessard <david.lessard2 at MAIL.MCGILL.CA>:

> Another question is whether raising a finger does not mean something else.
> Pointing with the lips definitely meant something else a few years ago.
>
> As a French Canadian, I was always told that it is a lack of education to
> point someone with a finger, but not to a thing or to an animal. However, it
> is not so much of a taboo and you see people pointing at each other in
> Montreal everyday. However, when not using the hand to point, people will
> seldom use their chin. They will use their chin or more commonly their feet
> if they got their hands full, and their eyes and manners of speech (the guy
> on the right, the lady sitting with the glasses...) to refer to someone they
> don't want to be seen pointing to. This is all I can say from my unformal
> observations.
>
> Envoyé à partir de mon Windows Phone
> ________________________________
> De : Jennifer Brown
> Envoyé : 2013-03-06 12:23
> À : ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
> Objet : Re: pointing, not with finger
>
> Google Crazy Horse monument; Wikipedia has some discussion of that sculpture
> being designed with Crazy Horse pointing. When I first saw that design I
> thought this might surely be an issue, and it is in some quarters.
>
> I think, from what I’ve read and heard, that Cree and Ojibwe people have seen
> the gesture as invasive and possibly as connoting a play for power.
> But I also recall, as a child of parents of British/ Canadian background,
> being told that it was rude to point at people.
>
> Jennifer Brown
>
> From: ALGONQUIANA [mailto:ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG] On Behalf Of
> David Lessard
> Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2013 8:44 AM
> To: ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
> Subject: Re: pointing, not with finger
>
> I have seen this among the James Bay Cree. I asked why and they told me it
> was more efficient when they had their hands full. I did not investigate
> further though.
>
> I have been told that it is an habit in Ecuador too.
>
> David
>
> Envoyé à partir de mon Windows Phone
> ________________________________
> De : Conor Quinn
> Envoyé : 2013-03-06 10:29
> À :
>
ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG<mailto:ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
> Objet : Re: pointing, not with finger
> Dia dhaoibh, a chairde!
>
> Definitely had this pointed out to me by Penobscots; not sure how it may be
> among the Passamaquoddies, but it rings a bell there, too.  No clue as to
> why, though pointing with the lips (= the acceptable and common strategy) is
> also common in Australia, I'm told.  I might imagine that, other
> society/culture/belief-system factors aside, being well trained not to point
> with your hands helps in hunting, since the game-spooking motion is far less
> salient.  But that's just pure speculation on my part.
>
> Till later, keep safe and sane.
>
> Slán,
> bhur gcara
> On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 8:54 AM, Amy Dahlstrom
> <a-dahlstrom at uchicago.edu<mailto:a-dahlstrom at uchicago.edu>> 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!
> :-)
>
>
>
>


Professor Danielle E. Cyr, Ph.D.
Senior Scholar
York University
Toronto, ON