L'Art du Geste Italien --- The Art of Italian Gesture

L'Art du Geste ( la Chironomie de QUINTILIEN ) était , à Rome , pratiqué jusqu'à l'excès ; Il est resté une composante du mode d'expression de l'Italie .ENGLISH : In ancient Rome , the Art of Gesture ( Quintilian's chironomia ) was practiced to the extreme ; it has remained a component of the mode of expression in Italy as illustrated in this sketchbook : 270 gestures , 202 italian expressions , 579 definitions , 111 références to " LA MIMICA" by Andrea de Jorio .

8 mai 2016

ITALIAN GESTURE , ROMAN CHIRONOMY : AN ANCIENT ART

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  ILLUSTRATIONS :       CLICK ON ADJACENT  " ARCHIVES DU BLOG 2010 "

ANDREA DE JORIO ( 1769 - 1851 ) , Neapolitan canon and curator of the Museo Real Borbonico , was an archeologist .
He wanted to understand the meaning behind the gestures of the various painted , carved , engraved and sculpted figures from antiquity .
In his book " La Mimica degli Antichi investigata nel Gestire Napoletano" ( 1832 ) he describes a structured line of reasoning , supporting argument that were erudite , novel , even daring in archeologie :if all the gestures described by classical authors are identical to contemporary ( circa 1830 ) Neapolitan gestures , then all other contemporary gestures must also date from antiquity and thus be interpretable and translatable .
ADAM KENDON renders this idea explicit in the title of his translation and exegesis " Gesture in Naples and Gesture in Classical Antiquity" ( Indiana University Press - 2000 ) .
The same reasoning can be applied to The Art of Italian Gesture .
The arc cast over the 1700 years between ancient Rome and La Mimica and prolonged by that cast over the 150 years between La Mimica and the Sketchbook 1974 - 1978 , proves the perenniality of Chironomia Romana : we find 111 references to La Mimica in 245 gestures ( excepting Section F ) .
It is therfore plausible that this Corpus reproduces the Actio ( action in the Quintilian sense ) of a Roman epoch in which , Cicero dixit , each word was practcally doubled by a gesture . 
One might fear the progressive disappearence of this antique cultural patrimony that was sown on the shores of the Mare Nostrum , exported by the various diasporas , misunderstood by foreigners , mocked by ignorants , ignored by Latin scholars , latinizing perinde ac cadaver and forgotten or even denied by its successors .
Today the Anglo - Saxon nescire gestum dominantes the Latin non nescire : ubi major , minor cessat .
Yet gestures havelong been publically recognized : it was , after all , in London in the 18th century that one used the most gestures and , in the 19th century , to Kronprinz Friedrich Wilhelm that Andrea De Jorio dedicated La Mimica .
This preamble does not pertain to the signs in Section F Mafia .
Quintilian Chironomy and Sicilian mafia body language are distinct :
- the former involves the hands and the arms ; the latter have to do with body language and clothing .
- the former is public and accessible to everyone ; the latter are specific to each Cosca ( peach , fruits and vegetables , etc ) and indiscernable by third parties because they are naturally integrated into everyday gestures and movement .
- the former links gesture and spoken word ; the latter are silent , encoded messages transmitted from distance .
- the former can be counted , listed ; the latter are difficult to codify , as much due to the diversity of the many Cosche as to the Omerta . As  one Picciotto said " to be able to talk about the mafia , one must be in the mafia and when one is inthe mafia , it is impossible to talk about it " .                                                                                                                                                 

SKETCHBOOK 1974 - 1978

ENGLISH VERSION ABRIDGED : CLICK ON ADJACENT " ARCHIVES DU BLOG 2016 MAI AND AVRIL"
  FRENCH VERSION WITH ILLUSTRATIONS : CLICK ON ADJACENT " ARCHIVES DU BLOG 2012 AND 2010" 

ENGLISH VERSION ABRIDGED
Blue  : Italian expressions and literal translations
Red   : meanings

FRENCH VERSION COMPLETE
Illustrations
Black   : succint descriptions of the gestures
Blue     : Italian expressions and literal translations
Red     : meanings
Green  : references to Andrea De Jorio's " La Mimica "
Violet   : cinematographic illustrations

A Who is he / she ? 45 gestures ,  106 meanings , 15 references to De Jorio
B Relationship         34                   70                  17
C Moods                26                   52                  13
D Clash !                 61                118                  41
E Agreement            79                197                  25
F Mafia                    25                  36                          

A WHO IS HE ? WHO IS SHE ?

ILLUSTRATIONS : CLICK ON ADJACENT " ARCHIVES DU BLOG 2010"

A1
A He is crafty , clever , shrewd 
E' un furbo = he's a smart one / he's smart 
B beautiful , pretty ( in all accepted senses )
C good ( tasty ) 

A2
E' un dritto = he's a shrewd one 
A he is clever , astute
B he's not afraid
C he drives a hard bargain / he's a tough negotiator
D that's someone who knows what he's doing / knows how to handle himself  

A3
E' uno con i baffi = that's a man with whiskers / a beard 
Same meanings as gesture A2 

A4
Ha un culo cosi = he has an ass like this 
He is really lucky / what a lucky guy / what luck ! 

A5
Ha un fegato cosi = he's got a liver like this 
He is brave / he's a brave man / he's got courage ( he's got balls ) 

A6
Ne ha due cosi = he's got two like this ( he's got balls ) 
He is courageous 

A7
Ha un paio di baffi cosi = he has a set of whiskers / a mustache like this  
He is very capable 

A8
Uno che pensa = someone who is thinking 
A a thoughtful , intelligent person with lots of ( good ) ideas
B eureka !
C I remember
D have all his / her marbles , have a good head on his / her shoulders
E to elaborate
F unaware , brainless , idiotic , crasy ( see gesture A36 ) 

A9
1 a livello , di classe 
Person , attitude , or object of great value , quality , or beauty  
2 il tocco finale = the final touch 
The finishing touch 
2 Repeated finger snapping
Have that " special something" 

A10
A fineness / subtlety of a sentiment or an object
B intuition , sensation
C to have that little " something "
D to have it on the tip of the tongue
E a fine difference / separation ( in quality , time , etc ) 

A11
1 E' una persona o una cosa pulita , di qualita = he / she is an spotless / clean individual , someone of quality 
A the person , thing , or situation is honest , pure , of value
B everything is perfectly clear ; nothing needs to be repeated ; everything is OK 
2 E' una cosa liscia = it's a smooth object / thing 
A there is nothing wrong , no problems , no difficulties , nothing in the way , no obstacles
B everything is going smoothly 

A12
An honest , straight , exact , precise , just , accomplished / successfull , perfect person , situation , or affair 

A13
Bella ragazza = beautiful girl 
A pretty girl , pretty woman
B symbol of feminism / feminists 

A14
same meanings as A13A 

A15
Tanto di cappello ! = well done ! 
A I recognize unquestionably the value of the person or the action
B I tip my hat to you
C Hats off to you ! 

A16
A admiration , congratulations , recognition 
Bravo , brava , bravi = he , she they are good , impressive , etc
Bravissimo , bravissima , bravissimi = he , she , they are excellent , extraordinary , incredible , etc 
B idem , more personal 
Complimenti ! = my compliments ! 
C respect , consideration , esteem
D sarcasm : good job / smooth move
E to claque for 

A17
Sexual impotence 

A18
E' un finocchio = he's a fag / faggot , a fairy , etc 
He's a homosexual 

A19 
1 Fare la faccia lunga = have a long face 
A disappointed
B disillusioned
C sad 
2 E' una faccia di bronzo = he has a face of bronze 
He has nerve , gall , aplomb  
3 Fare il muso ( = to pout / muzzle ) 
To pout , to sulk 
4 Fare il musone ( = unlikeable / not very social or friendly person )  
To pout , to grumble , to gripe 

A20
Fare il muso , fare il musone 
Same as A19 3 and 4 

A21 
E' un baffone = he has a big mustache 
He scoffs at ( it ) , he has no interest in it  

A22
Ha un pelo sullo stomaco = he has a hair on his stomach 
He is unscrupulous 

A23
Ha un doppio pelo sullo stomaco = he has a double hair on his stomach 
He has absolutely no scruples , he doesn't have a moral / scrupulous bone in him 

A24
A He is venal , corrupt 
E' uno che mangia = he is one who eats 
B To eat well , a lot
It's good 

A25
E' uno che mangia = he's one who eats 

He is venal , corrupt 

A26
A beware of thieves
B He / she is a thief 

A27
1 E' uno che mangia = he's one who eats
He is venal , corrupt 
2 E' un chiaccherone = he talks a lot / he's a real talker
A He talks a lot , too much
B this talk / speech is boring / uninteresting 

A28
E' un chiaccherone = he talks a lot / he's a real talker
A He talks a lot , too much
B There is a difference between what he says and what he does 

A29
1 Occhio ! = Watch out ! / Look out ! / Watch it ! / Watch ! / Look ! 
A To look , to pay attention , to be attentive or prepared , etc
B Be careful / pay attention / watch out / there's something shady going on
C I'm not a fool / I'm not such an easy mark 
D Who do you think you're fooling ? What do you think ( sarcastic ) ? 
2 E' un imbroglione = he's wily / crafty 
A crafty / a trickster / a bluffer
B cheater
C swindler / con artist / thief 

A30
Dare sul naso = to tap the nose 
A be wary of someone or something
B of doubtful morality or quality
C shady / suspect person or situation 

A31
1 The fist or fists ( or the palm of the hand ) strike the forehead
1 E' testardo  
He is stubborn 
E' duro = he is hard ( a hard sell ) 
He is difficult to convince 
2 The fist strikes a hard surface ( table , wall , etc )
Ha la testa cosi = he has a head like this 
Ha la testa dura = he has a hard head 
He is stubborn , obstinate , narrow - minded 

A32
Ha una cannetta di vetro = he has a fine / thin glass cane 
A He is lazy
B He is apathetic / sluggish 

A33
1 E' fesso = he's an idiot 
A He's stupid , an imbecile
B That's idiotic , that's stupid 
2 Non sono mica fesso = I'm not an idiot 
A I'm not an idiot , I'm not stupid
B Don't take us for imbeciles ! 

A34
Scemo = idiot 

A You're an idiot , stupid , imbecile
B That's stupid , idiotic
C I hope you're kidding / joking
D Do you realize what you're saying ? 

A35
1 Scemo = idiot 

A He's an idiot
B That's idiotic 
2 Pazzo  = crazy
A He'scrazy
B That's crazy 

A36
E'pazzo = he's crazy 
A He's crazy , reckless
B That's crazy / foolish / reckless  

A37
Cosa ti scatta in mente ? = What are you thinking ? What's going on in your head ? 
A What's gotten into you ? Where's your head ?
B Do you realize what you're saying ?
C You're crazy ! I must be crazy !  

A38 
Ha la puzza sotto il naso = He has the stink under his nose
A He is a snob
B He is pretentious 

A39 
Fa il bauscia = He's a braggart
He's a show-off 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 

B RELATIONSHIP

ILLUSTRATIONS : CLICK ON ADJACENT " ARCHIVES DU BLOG 2010 "


B1
Ciao ! = hi ! 
A gesture reserved for friends , family , and other loved ones , meaning :
Hi , hello
See you later , ( good ) bye , farewell 
Ciao ! ciao ! 
Idem , but more personal , more affectionate 

B2  
1 Saluti = greetings / salutations 
A gesture reserved for friends , family , and other loved ones ( with others , it is condescending ) 
2 Tanti saluti a casa ! = many salutations / greetings to the house ! 
Sarcastic or insulting : " My best to you all ! " , " Good riddance ! " , " Fascinating , Do continue "  

B3 
A Gesture reserved for friends , family , and other loved ones : hi , hello , goodbye    
Salve ! = hi ! 
B Excuse me / pardon me / sorry
C Don't move ! stop! don't go any further ! 

B4 
respect , courtesy , playful banter , affection , love , etc 
Baciamo le mani = we kiss your hands 
A sign of respect
B sign of submission 
See the section F mafia F23 

B5 
A to be linked , to be in league
B to be very close , lovers
C to be in step , to keep pace , to go vtogether , to go hand in hand 
Andare di pari passo = to with the same step   

B6
1
2
3 
The same meanings as B5 with very close connections 
4 the ring fingers of each hand hook each other 
Strong relationships of a more intimate , personal , secret nature 
5 all the fingers of one hand hook those of the other hand  
Unbreakable bond 

B7 
A they are associated , in cahoots
B they are married , in love , lovers
C a beautiful couple ! 

B8 
Fare l'incrocio = to cross , to combine 
A to crossbreed animals , to mix genii
B to combine or associate two things
C to entwine / interwine
D a relationship based on shared interests 

B9 
A all of us , all of you
B together
C a change of situation  

B10  
A you and me , you and him / her , him / her and another / the other one
B one on one 

B11 
una sviolinata = one who fawns 
to put on the charm , to cajole , to wheedle , to coax 

B12  
to make love , to fuck 

B13 
A antagonism
B incompatibility
C enmity 

B14 
Andare a braccetto = to go arm in arm 
Indicates as much to the person whose arm one takes as to others that the relationship is friendly , personal , private  

B15 
Between two close people ( friends , family , etc ) : happy birthday ! 

B16 
sarcastic and familiar
A congratulations ! 
B You should be proud !
C you don't deny yourself anything , do you ?  

B17
1 
A to be hungry
B to go get something to eat
C to eat 
2 
to be hard to digest 

B18 
to eat 

B19 
A to eat ( literal )
B to eat ( figurative ) : to steal , to spend , to take everything ( he cleaned me out ) , etc 

B20 
A to sleep
B I'm going to take a nap 
vado a fare un pisolino = I'm going to take a little nap 

B21 
A to write
B to sign
C to read
D to ask for the check / bill at a restaurant or a hotel 

B22 
A to come , to approach
B to leave , to move further away 

B23 
A everything pertaining to time :
" What time is it ? " , " It's time ! " , " How much time is left ? " , " How much time do you need ? " , etc
I have an appointment 
I'm in a hurry
punctuality 
B everything related to watches :
to have a watch , to not have a watch , to have forgotten one's watch , etc
" My watch has stopped / is broken / is new / etc " 

B24 
A to telephone / call : Call me , I'll call / I'll call you , He'll call me , 
B Pick up the receiver
C To record the conversation
D One's action , decision , etc , is " telegraphed " ( = obvious , predictable , etc )  

B25 
A it's raining , it's going to rain
B take an umbrella , do you have an umbrella ?
C in both literal and figurative senses : it's really going to ^pour ! what should we bring wjth us ? 

B26
1 
A Two , double  
B At school : may I go to the lavatory ? 
2 
Smoking : Can we smoke ? Is smoking allowed / forbidden ? Do you have / want a cigarette ? 
3 
To cut , to interrupt