Bangla is not that big on gestures, but they point a lot when speaking to someone. There are different emotions for the pointing as well, but the most popular is angry or accusatory pointing in which a person will wag their finger at the person they are talking to as an emphasis. When speaking to someone, it is better to avoid eye contact because it is too direct, especially when the two people communicating are of opposite genders. Touching is also to be avoided because it's considered to be indicative of closeness and can become awkward if the two people don't have a close relationship and while having a conversation one touches them. It doesn't really break the ice because it creates discomfort- this is a cultural aspect. Hindi Bengalis will fold their hands in order to say "namoshkar", however Muslim Bengalis will not. Doing this to a Muslim will typically offend them because of religious differences. Muslim Bengali men will usually greet each other with clasped hands and hug each other while giving their salam (asalamu-alai-kum to the initiator of the greeting and walaykum-asalam) one another, especially in religious settings such as the mosque. Women can do the same.
This idea of time is prevalent in the language because there are certain phrases that Bengalis will use to talk about their schedule. For example, if they are just leaving the house and someone is inquiring about where they are (for a social event) they will say "I'm almost there" (eyje eshe gisi) or "I'm there" (aysi). This type of language would be confusing to westerners, but for Bengalis such responses are expected and while most don't mind (as long as the person isn't TOO late) others will be irritated by such timing. This is because as times become more modern, Bengalis' schedules are more busy and they have other activities or work to attend to. The socio-economic status of a Bengali is the main indicator of how lax they are with their time. The middle class tends to be the most time conscious while the lower classes tend to be the least.
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