A repertoire of Yoruba hand and face gestures

Abstract

Gesture is part of the linguistic capital of every culture. Members learn from birth those gestures operative in their culture and community. Once learned, the use of gestures becomes so routinized that it appears as the natural and logical way to meaningfully communicate. This paper documents, illustrates, and describes some of the hand and facial gestures in use among Yoruba people of Nigeria. Accompanying the descriptions are the interpretations of the identified quotable gestures within the socio-cultural context of their usage. Further, the paper highlights the ‘face of earnest’ because of the cross-cultural miscommunication that it generates.