Culture﹕Gestures for numbers
【明報專訊】Eason spent his summer vacation in Germany (德國) and learnt some German gestures. When the Smarties have a reunion dinner on Mid-Autumn Festival, one of them behaves strangely.
" Bill: MoMo, you look unwell. Are you all right? "
" Eason: I was taken ill last night. L...Let me get you guys some sodas! "
" Pat: Why did you indicate "three" that way? "
" Dr Panda: That's the German way. MoMo didn't know that. "
" Eason: May I have three sodas please? "
" MoMo: Sorry for being late! "
" Dr Panda: He's Eason! He's just returned from Germany! "
■Culture tips culture tips
We make conventional signs with our hands and fingers to indicate numbers. Such signs vary from place to place. In the cartoon, Eason uses his thumb, index and middle fingers to express "three" (left). This is used in West-European countries (西歐國家) like France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. In the US, Canada and the UK, one usually indicates "three" by raising one's index, middle and ring fingers (right) as Hongkongers do.
(see the photo B)
■English highway﹕
Be taken ill
It is one way of saying somebody get sick.
e.g. Peter was taken ill, so I accompanied him when he went to see a doctor.
■Glossary
gesture (n) 手勢
reunion (n) 團聚
conventional (adj) 約定俗成的
thumb (n) 拇指
