Head bobble

From hfot2

I've concluded that it means Yes, No, Maybe, and All of the Above – at one and the same time!

How do Indians interpret this?

Does it vary from N to S?

Equally I find it SO confusing, my take is Indians like to please.

I remember once asking the distance to a temple.

Response 10 Furlongs...... I did once have a jotter with such information on the back cover,,,,,, sadly it was not what I kept in my brain.

Any INDIAN elucidation please

Do you know this thread?
head nod

PS: Communication is so difficult, even in mock Latin. We know it as Illegitimi non carborundum.

Sadly its not a reply from a native.

Try as I might I cant do the head wiggle.

More input please

Surprised to find how right you are. There are a few presumptive natives, though we had to scroll through three pages to come upon this, from Nasik, Maharastra:

As to training for a head bobble, I've had some success by trying to move the tip of my nose in a figure-of-eight. Keeping that image in mind and downing a stiff shot of Scotch whisky might get you into the feel of it, and after that it's easy to access through sense-memory.

PS: distaff points out that I should have said to move the tip of the nose in a side-to-side figure-of-eight, like an infinity symbol (∞). If you do 8, it just looks like a clumsy "yes."

Oh, definitely correct! This will help a lot of people. Like another Indian gesture, this time with the hand, was demystified for me by someone posting, "It's like unscrewing a light bulb."
Or, indeed, none of the above! Most usefully, in my experience, it turned potentially dangerous aggression into smiles. So, I guess, in that instance it translated, "Uhhh...sorry! My mistake! I really did not mean that!"

On the other hand, occasionally, as a non-native, one just gets the, "Oh! You can do the head wobble!" response and everyone forgets what you were talking about in the first place...

If you are an Indian you'll understand it instinctive, but find it impossible to articulate the what why and how of it. If you are not ,then the only way is to engage in a deep study of Indian philosophy, and after a few years, the penny will drop and your head will begin wobble naturally, and you'll no longer need to know anything more of India or Indians.

However briefly it means : depending on the context and depending on the outcome choose your paradigm, because both are right, and unto eternity.

It depends on the participants communicating but I see it mainly as a barometer, bridge, and/or form of biofeedback that reflects how the person is generally interpreting & reacting to your words.

As in most forms of body language there can be very submissive head wobbles, understanding head wobbles, uncertain head wobbles & respectful yet disagreeing head wobbles that will tip you off that a major refutation is about to be delivered. The eye intensity/language is also an important characteristic to observe in conjunction with this head movement & when trying to discern this unique 'body talk'.

Of course, I'm speaking mostly from my experience of doing business in India where many are interested in 'tying-up' & into JVs. In these scenarios there is initially a lot of hand shaking, cocktail parties, story telling, yakity yaking, posturing, BSing & of course associated head wobbling.

What does it all mean? Nothing or everything!

When I was 15 my parents and I moved to a South-West-English coastal town. Two of the most common idioms were 'right, mate? and Thhhhhhhh. The first, with its responces was fairly easy to get the hang of, although it required some acquisition of the local accent. Thhhhhhhhhhh, (inhaled) however, was much harder. It was not quite as wide-ranging in its meaning as the head wobble, being mostly yes or no, but, with some coaching from my schoolfriends, I did get the hang of it.

I wish I could be a Tamil learner, but, failing that, the head wobble is about the next most useful communication tool

It is both an internal and an external communication tool, and that's a problem , because it doesn't work if you fake it , it just has to happen, and when it does your head will wobble by itself ,without any effort or input from you, and then you'll know India has arrived within you!

Proof: getting a head wobble in response to one's own ...and getting what the guy means by it, too

But the one that can still fox me is the half-shake: a slight movement of the head to one side, that means "yes." Even Mrs N can still confuse me with that one.

(and I would never use a head movement of any sort whatsoever with a nine )


(err... nain? Even Mrs N is unsure about how to transliterate that one)

Are you sure it means a "yes" , or does it mean I understand where you are coming from , but I may or not agree with what you are saying, or could it mean I agree with you but not so sure about what you are saying, Or does it mean "What on earth are you going on about man, which planet are you from"!


That could have very dangerous consequences! Seriously, I avoid any kind of movement in their presence. Nothing to do with them, most are just very troubled beings, its just my own irrational fear from childhood. I'm over that now , I think.

By the way the equivalent of the Tamil 9 in Hindi a 6 (chakka).
Hit a sixer, has multiple meanings!

The one I mean (I suppose I should attach a video ) is a straight affirmative, a simple yes.
People have other ways of communicating that to me ...most of the time
I saw three yesterday, and it was only by voice and behaviour (women in nice-looking saris do not go around in groups, begging aggressively from shops, plus these people always overdo the sexy sari style) I could determine that they were not female. Yes, it can be so confusing it's a bit scary. Also, one of those fates that it is good not to have been born to.
50% inflation!