Mannerisms in the ancient world

batgirl said:

This may just be me, but I think of nodding as a forward gesture anyways - think of someone falling asleep and their head falling forward - that's called 'nodding'.
What if you said 'nod' for forward motion / positive and 'jerk' (which to me is an upward motion - maybe not for everyone?) for negative?
-Barbara

Click to expand...

I think of "jerk" as being more sudden - reflexive as if in shock/revulsion.

I still don't see getting every gesture 100% accurate to the period as being relevant to the story whatsoever. Even if it is accurate, the forward nod = positive and backward nod = negative would be confusing and jarring to readers.

I know if I came across that in a book, I'd roll my eyes at the author trying to show off how much research they'd done.

obviously gestures are different in various time periods and regions, but facial expressions are somewhat universal. i read in a psych book that no matter where you go, and if you compare human expressions to those of apes/monkeys, we have the same expression for each emotion.

Hi - I just saw this, scrolling back through here.

UT? UT? You think I would contact a t-sipper?

SSSSSssssss.

wee,
Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '01 !!

No, just kidding. I'm not that patriotic. By the end of my tenure, I just wanted to get the heck out of Dodge, shake the dust off my feet at the city limit sign, etc. Now when I think of A&M it is with a shiver & a "thank goodness that is over with". It was a professor at West Texas A&M, though, just coincidentally, that I found because she had published a book on the subject I needed. I'll PM her name to you.

Doogs said:

Just curious, but which professor? I did my last two years at UT, and may well have taken one of their courses.

Click to expand...