General Information about Item:

• Genre: Gesture
• Place Collected: Hanover, NH
• Date Collected: November 11th, 2019
• Country of Origin: Switzerland
• Informant: Jacqueline Byrne

Informant Data:

• Jaqueline Byrne is my sister, an 18 year old, female, Dartmouth student in the class of 2022. She was born in London, England and raised between Bermuda, Switzerland and the United States. She has been visiting Switzerland yearly since she was very young, and lived there for three years between the ages of 10 and 13. Jacqueline currently studies theater at Dartmouth College and lives in Montreal, Canada when not in school.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: This gesture is used to indicate that the performer of the gesture thinks whoever they are addressing or speaking about is stupid. The gesture is universally understood in Switzerland, but rarely used, as it is considered highly offensive. It is primarily used among friends when discussing someone who is not present to indicate their idiocy. To direct this gesture at someone would be seen as extremely rude. Jacqueline learned this gesture at the international school she attended soon after moving to Switzerland. She was warned by a teacher not to rest her fingers near her forehead, for if her actions were mistaken for a performance of this gesture, she could easily seem disrespectful. Jacqueline believes this gesture is also common in Germany, where it can be directed at one’s friend to jokingly indicate their stupidity. She does not think it would be used jokingly in Swiss culture.
• Cultural Context: Switzerland borders France, Italy and Germany, and its culture is heavily influenced by all three countries. However, the Swiss also have their own values and traditions. As a people, they are known to appreciate organization, be highly formal with strangers and adhere very strictly to unspoken social rules.

Item:

• This gesture is performed by forming a loose fist with only the index finger raised, then tapping the forehead near the temple with the tip of the index finger multiple times.

Associated file:

Informant’s Comments: Given the tendency within Swiss culture to be extremely formal around strangers and acquaintances, it makes sense that this gesture is very taboo. However, this tendency to adhere to social rules also gives insight into why such a gesture might exist, to allow someone to express a negative opinion without forcing them to explicitly say it. The fact that this gesture can be used jokingly in other cultures but not in Switzerland is interesting, given that the Swiss are known as very serious people.

Collector’s Name: Sophie Byrne

Tags/Keywords:

• Gesture
• Switzerland