The famous Indian head nod or wiggle

bongdongs

A very good blog there surya, this article in particular is very good, a must read for all here:

http://vsequeira.blogspot.com/2005/0...ats-going.html

cyberhippie

Is this famous head wiggle dying out amongst younger generations? I'm asking our India members especially, as it seems to me I don't see it used as body language so much these days with the youngsters not seeming to use it at all, then again I may be completely wrong. It may be I just don't notice it these days.

R.T.

I once asked a taxi driver what the head wobble really meant.

So he wobbles his head and says:
-"you mean this?".
(me again)"Yep."
-"Well, that means 'no'"
"So this (imitating his head wobble) means 'no'?"
-Wobbles his head again in confirmation. :-)

PeakXV

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Nick-H

Exactly.

There is a Cornish equivalent, a sharp intake of breath through the front teeth, sort of "Th---". Means yes. Except when it means No.

The head wobble can only be understood in context and along with other body language and can mean almost anything at all.

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lotus blossom

it took me a bit to figure this out, but i eventually came to understand the ambivelance of it.

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sadhuji

wobbling of the head in response to a question has to be interpreted in context of the conversation - there are those who have a habit of nodding irrespective of whether the answer is in the asffiemative or not. usually, they are a confused lot and are not sure of how exactly to rspond!

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crvlvr

similar to the hindu worrd, "kul" which means yesterday and/or tomorrow.

Hyderabadi

"Parsoo" in Hyderabad could be day-before-yesterday, one week ago, one month ago, one year...or day-after-tomorrow,.........

Nick-H

Well, in English we have The other day and some time. ... slightly less flexible...

sadhuji

apparently vague replies are universal in nature.

PeakXV

Well let me take a crack at it : The degree of wobble off the central axis of the neck is directly proportional to how enthused the wobbler is reacting to your proposal, verbage or just plain banter. If they are only mildly enthused then you will witness but a 5 degree or less tilt - usually commencing with a sway to the right side of the body - then the left. If they are really-really enthused then the degree of wobble may increase to 15 degrees off the central axis. The duration of the wobble usually lasts approximately 2-3 seconds or 3-4 tilts to either side ... unless your converstion is particularty long winded or tantalizing and then the wobble may be an ongoing and barometer like reflection & belief of the topic being discussed. There you have .. the secrets of the head wobble .. absolutely explained ... well sort of <does a head wobble> .... actually still not sure

Bigzero

<< nods/tilts >> @ peakXV

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itgirl

I have to something to add to the fast wobble meaning: I see lots of guys wobbling fast in Toronto when the police approached them! What about in India?

Decoding the head wobble: a most interesting topic!

Lugubert

I was aware of the Bulgarian way, and had seen a reference to the wobble, before going to India, so I tried to observe and evaluate every case I encountered.

Sometimes, it looked like "I don't agree, but am too polite to tell you", "I don't understand your beginner's Hindi, but won't embarass you, so please just go on and I might guess what you mean", or "I don't know, but won't lose face in telling you so", but many times it was used as a "discourse marker", that is to show that the wobbler is listening, but has nothing to add to the conversation right then but is just waiting for you to go on.