I have recently had a few friends visit who have picked up that I've become 'very' Indian -- speaking in Belhi English and using Indian inflection/intonation. Most importantly, they claimed I have picked up the Indian bob (the head movement, not the hair cut).
The Indian bob has been getting a lot of air time lately, Conan's Amex commercial, the Indians in 90 Seconds video (below), and NBC's ill-conceived sitcom 'Outsourced' which I had the recent misfortune of watching.
If 1 billion people used the exact same expression for 'Yes' and 'No,' I doubt the country could function. So clearly, the 'Yes' bob and the 'No' bob are different. Here's an idiot's guide on how to spot it:
1) Watch the Face: 'No' bob expected has a strong negative expression (e.g. squinted brow)
2) Watch the Speed: 'No' bob is the 'Yes' bob's must faster, jittery, ADHD brother
3) Don't forget the context: Did you ask question that should definitely be answered with a 'Yes'? Or 'No'? If so, why did you ask this question? You're gonna get punished with a wrong/ambiguous answer. You deserve it though.
No comments:
Post a Comment