Culture | Johnson

Gestures are a subtle and vital form of communication

Susan Goldin-Meadow explains why and how in “Thinking With Your Hands”

Illustration: Nick Lowndes

“TIE AN ITALIAN’S hands behind his back,” runs an old joke, “and he’ll be speechless.” The gag rests on a national stereotype: Italians are voluble and emotional, and all that arm-waggling supposedly goes to prove it.

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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Talk with the hand”

Ukraine strikes back

From the June 10th 2023 edition

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