Moving head to indicate Yes/No?

Question

Is moving the head up & down for YES & side to side for NO universal?

Answer 1

I found a good website and im going to be lazy and just pull some quotes:
It is pretty universal but there are some exceptions:

"certain Australian natives, when uttering a negative, "don't shake the head, but holding up the right hand, shake it by turning it half round and back again two or three times.'"

"the Abyssinians said "no" by jerking the head to the right shoulder and making a slight cluck, while "yes" was expressed by the head being thrown backwards and the eyebrows raised for an instant."

"The Dyaks of Borneo supposedly raised their eyebrows for "yes" and slightly contracted them, "together with a peculiar look of the eyes," for "no.'"

"Eskimoes nodded for "yes" and winked for "no.'"

"Bulgaria. There a nod means no and a shake means yes."

"The Turks are almost as confusing--they say "yes" by shaking their heads from side to side, and "no" by tossing their heads back and clucking."


"Still, cultures ranging from the Chinese to the natives of Guinea nod and shake their heads like we do, leading Darwin to believe that the gestures were innate to some extent. He noticed that when babies refused food they almost always turned their heads to the side, whereas when they had worked up an appetite they inclined their heads forward in a nodding gesture."

here is the website:

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_450b.html


This is kind of irrelevant, but i thought it was interesting, In some forms of American sign language moving your fist up&down or side to side (mimmicking a head's movement) is the sign for yes and no, respectively.

Answer 2

It is already understood everywhere, but I've heard that there are actually a few places in which moving the head side to side is YES and up & down for NO

Answer 3

Of course not. Language is very different from place to place!!

For instance, in Greece, moving the head up and down means *no*.

In parts of the Middle East, they don't use their head; instead "no" is a single click (like a tut-tut type).

And, incidentally, in ASL (see sources section below), yes is moving your hand up and down (as in nodding), but no is moving your *fingers* up and down (also as in nodding); the dictionary I found shows a single motion, but I have seen it done with a double motion, too.

Answer 4

In turkey ,moving head from down to up,means NO,never

Answer 5

Of course, I lived in Japan for 7 years and I am half turkish-white, and they always understood me. and my Grandpa doesnt speak any English and he knows what I mean when i nod my head up and down when he asks me a question

Answer 6

A shot contained in the darkish A previous, lost in area the position do I start up The previous, and the chase You hunted me down Like a wolf, a predator I felt like a deer in love lighting fixtures fixtures. She wolf by technique of sia and David Guetta ^_^

Answer 7

No, there it at least one country where it's the opposite. (Shake for yes, nod for no.) Generally, however, it is the universal sign.

Answer 8

yes

Answer 9

up and down = nod = YES

left to right = shake = NO

Answer 10

i think so. but i think facial expressions as you do the movements are crucial. eg happy face as you say Yes and angry for No.