Body language in Turkish culture
Nonverbal language is very important in every culture. Interestingly, sometimes the same body language gestures can have different meanings in different cultures and sometimes what we find strange and unacceptable, other cultures find common and acceptable. What I found interesting is that in Turkish culture, people like to stare at one another more than people from other countries are used to do that. When such behavior occurs, people visiting Turkey should not be afraid and think it is rude because this is just one of common body language gestures in Turkey.
Another body language very common in Turkey as well as in my home country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is when you hold your palm up and bring fingers towards the thumb. This means that you are telling someone that something is good. For example this is common for food, when Turks like a meal they are eating they make this gesture, non verbally saying that they like the food. This is also used for clothes and it commonly used to say that a person is attractive.
Another interesting body language that Turkish people use but people from other countries usually perceive as strange is kissing and touching with close friends. It is very common to see two men, or two women walking with their arms around each other, and sometimes they even hold their hands. Even though Westerners would think that such gesture implies sexuality, this gesture in Turkey does not tell anything about people’s sexuality but it just means that they are close friends. When people introduce themselves to one another then a handshake between those two people is usually enough and most common in such situations. It is also common to kiss each other on each cheek when meeting. This can happen between two men, two women or a man and a woman. For example, in my culture it is common for girls and women to kiss each other when meeting but it is unacceptable for men to kiss each other. This would immediately imply their sexuality. That is why I found this Turkish gesture very different.
Another gesture that is also common in some other cultures in kissing somebody’s hand. Younger people usually kiss older people’s hand as a way to show respect. The more traditional the family is, the more important and common this gesture is. Children and young adults usually kiss their grandparents’ hands.
One of the most common gestures in Turkey is clicking your tongue and raising your eyebrows. This gesture means a “no”. Turkish people use it daily. When I was in Turkey, whenever Turkish people wanted to say no, they would use this gesture. What I found interesting is that my Turkish friends who I speak English with, they use this gesture even when speaking in English. They say no but click their tongue and raise their eyebrows. For example when somebody asks them if they want a cup of coffee, instead of saying just no, they would use this gesture. Also, when they shake their head, it means that they are confused. On Turkish streets it is common to hear sellers telling buyers “Gel, gel” which means come, come! This is usually accompanied by waving hand downwards. I heard this daily when I was in Turkey walking down the street; all the sellers in shops were saying “Gel, gel” and were waving. My friend explained it to me that that is how they try to attract their customers.
There are also several gestures that should be avoided when in Turkey. For example, the OK hand gesture is usually a bad and offensive gesture in Turkey. When you show this sign to someone in Turkey, it means that you are accusing that person of being a homosexual. Even though this sign is usually a positive sign in other countries, in Turkey however it has a bad connotation and thus it should be avoided. Another gesture that should be avoided is pointing your finger at someone. This is rude in almost every culture as people feel uncomfortable being pointed at, so it was not very shocking for me when I found out that this gesture should be avoided in Turkey as well.
In my culture, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, just like in Turkey it is very rude to blow your nose loudly in public. However, when I came to the United States I was really surprised and shocked when I realized that blowing your nose loudly is not considered bad manners and that everyone does it. It was hard for me to get used to that because we back home never do that in public.
I also found it interesting that placing your thumb between your index finger and middle finger and showing it to someone in Turkey is considered offensive. This has a bad meaning and should be avoided. In Turkey it has the same meaning as showing the middle finger to someone.
Among all those gestures, I also found out that it is also very rude and disrespectful to put one leg over the other when sitting with family. This is disrespectful because the sole of the foot is considered unclean and should not be pointed towards people especially the family.
I believe that before visiting a country, it is necessary to get familiar with its culture. We may put ourselves in an uncomfortable situation if we are not familiar with body language gestures. Some gestures that have positive meaning in our culture may have a negative meaning in other cultures. I would always say that the OK sign means something positive, however, in Turkey it has a bad meaning. In this post I have mentioned several gestures that are most common in Turkish culture and those that should be avoided. Next time I go to Turkey, I will definitely be careful about my non-verbal expressions.
Comments
Usually body language gestures are not followed by verbal expressions in Turkey. For example, when Turkish people click their tongue and raise eyebrows, it is immediately interpreted as a "no" or "hayir" in Turkish, however many times, Turks will say "hayir" while doing this gesture or say it after they complete it. When it comes to the gesture of bringing your fingers towards the thumb to express how you like something, Turks usually say "Cok iyi" which means "so good". Usually, when you are surprised with what you see/hear, you would say "inanmiyorum" which means "i dont believe it", it is very common to use it and I learned it in class with Miss Hanife. Furthermore, It is common to say "canim" to close friends which means dear. In daily conversations, Turkish people always call their friends "canim" to show their love and respect for them. However, even though OK thumb sign has a negative connotation in Turkey, thumb up is usually used for hitchhiking, so in that sense it does not mean anything bad.
Here are some of the sources that I used for this culture post:
Turkish Textbook me and Miss Hanife used this semester- Turkce Ders Kitabi http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/details/CultureCustoms.html
http://forum.kusadasi.biz/threads/turkish-gestures.18091/
http://www.bigloveturkey.com/pages/14-learning-turkish-etiquette.asp
This is a very nice enumeration of the use of body language. Can you add some expressions that go with the gestures--other than 'gel'--and cite your sources?