Body, Language and Meaning in Conflict Situations: A semiotic analysis of gesture-word mismatches in Israeli-Jewish and Arab discourse

204 Pages·2010·1.62 MB·English

by  Orit Sônia Waisman

Body, Language and Meaning in Conflict Situations
Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics (SFSL)
Taking the broadest and most general definitions of the terms functional and
structural, this series aims to present linguistic and interdisciplinary research that
relates language structure — at any level of analysis from phonology to discourse —
to broader functional considerations, whether cognitive, communicative, pragmatic
or sociocultural. Preference will be given to studies that focus on data from actual
discourse, whether speech, writing or other nonvocal medium.
The series was formerly known as Linguistic & Literary Studies in Eastern Europe (LLSEE).
Founding Editor Honorary Editors
John Odmark Eva Hajičová Petr Sgall
Charles University Charles University
General Editors
Yishai Tobin Ellen Contini-Morava
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev University of Virginia
Editorial Board
Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald Jim Miller
La Trobe University University of Auckland
Joan Bybee Marianne Mithun
University of New Mexico University of California, at Santa Barbara
Nicholas Evans Lawrence J. Raphael

University of Melbourne CUNY and Adelphi University
Victor A. Friedman Olga Mišeska Tomić
University of Chicago Leiden University
Anatoly Liberman Olga T. Yokoyama
University of Minnesota UCLA
James A. Matisoff
University of California, Berkeley
Volume 62
Body, Language and Meaning in Conflict Situations. A semiotic analysis of
gesture-word mismatches in Israeli-Jewish and Arab discourse
by Orit SÔnia Waisman
Body, Language and Meaning
in Conflict Situations
A semiotic analysis of gesture-word mismatches
in Israeli-Jewish and Arab discourse
Orit SÔnia Waisman
Petr Sgall
Charles University

John Benjamins Publishing Company
Amsterdam / Philadelphia
TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
8
American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Waisman, Orit SÔnia.
  Body, language and meaning in conflict situations : a semiotic analysis of gesture-word
mismatches in Israeli-Jewish and Arab discourse / Orit SÔnia Waisman.
p. cm. (Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics, issn 0165-7712 ; v. 62)
Includes bibliographical references and index.

1.  Speech and gesture--Political aspects--Israel. 2.  Body language--Political aspects--
Israel. 3.  Gesture--Political aspects--Israel. 4.  Arab-Israeli conflict--Psychological
aspects.  I. Title.
P117.5.I75W35 2010
302.2’22095694--dc22 2010033262
isbn 978 90 272 1572 7 (Hb ; alk. paper)
isbn 978 90 272 8755 7 (Eb)
© 2010 – John Benjamins B.V.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any
other means, without written permission from the publisher.
John Benjamins Publishing Co. · P.O. Box 36224 · 1020 me Amsterdam · The Netherlands
John Benjamins North America · P.O. Box 27519 · Philadelphia pa 19118-0519 · usa
Table of contents
Acknowledgments xi
chapter 1
Introduction 1
chapter 2
A presentation of the field 7
Body, language and meaning 8
The body and its social meaning 8
The study of non-verbal communication 9
Pointing gestures 12
Mismatches between verbal and non-verbal modalities 14
Gestures remain unnoticed 15
Linguistics and non-verbal study 16
Sign-oriented semiotic theory 19
The word systems semiotic approach 20
Research on conflict 23
Language and conflict 23
Conflict between groups 26
The Arab-Jewish conflict 27
chapter 3

Methodological issues 29
The data: A means to study conflict 29
Preliminary data analysis 31
A gestalt view of the text 31
Initial analysis of mismatches 33
The mismatch form 34
Non-random distribution of signs: The word systems 37
Analysis of the text as a whole 37
The word systems theoretical framework 38
The beten (belly) word system 38
The medina-adama (state-land) word system 40
The Shoa-Nakba (Holocaust-Catastrophe) word system 40
Limitations 41
vi Body, Language and Meaning in Conflict Situations
chapter 4
The beten word system 45
The meaning of the belly – Literature review 45
The first half of the ninth meeting 48
Brief presentation of the interaction 48
The mismatches 52
Non-verbal expressions of beten 53
The second half of the ninth meeting 53
The beginning 53
Michal: The notion of space and the full beten 55
Nurit: Addressing her own identity issue
through the beten mele’a 57
Nabila: The beten as a common enemy 60
Nurit: Efforts to connect to Manar’s beten 60
Manar: Puncture vs. protection, some verbal
and non-verbal considerations 61
Shoshi: “I’m dying to understand you. It’s difficult for you,
so I can’t understand you” 64
Other participants describe Shoshi 66
Further observations – Other participants 67
The facilitators: Verbal and non-verbal considerations 67
Sari: Difficulties with the undefined, with feelings 70
Michael: Approaching intimacy 72
Ovad and Dan: The handshake 75
Ovad: Struggling with “sensations of the beten” 77
Nabila confronts Ovad’s refusal to feel 80
The various outlets of the body 82
Discussion 84
chapter 5
The medina-adama word system 89
The meanings of medina-adama: Literature review 89
The analysis 93
Sari: The speaker of the medina  93
Mismatch M11/129: Proximate and remote deictics 94
How a state is born 98
Mismatch M7/130 100
Nasrin: The speaker of the adama  103
Nasrin: Non-verbal considerations 103
Table of contents vii
The first meeting 104
The second meeting 106
The third meeting 110
Meeting 3 continued: The first overt confrontation
between Sari and Nasrin 111
Meetings 4–6 114
Meeting 7: The second conflict between Nasrin and Sari 115
Meetings 8–11 115
Loss of the adama: Meetings 12–16 116
Summary: Sari and Nasrin 117
Medina and adama: Additional analyses 118
Haled: “No problem of adama” 119
The relationship between Ovad and Dan 122
Dan: The medina solution 122
Ovad: Loyalty to the medina 123
Dan and Ovad 123
The territories 124
Ibrahim’s adama  126
Muhammad’s finale 128
Discussion 129
chapter 6
The Shoa-Nakba word system 133
A general look at the Shoa-Nakba word system 135
The thirteenth meeting 140
Raising unspeakable issues 140
Leading up to Nabila’s mismatch 144
Mismatch M13/121: Equating the Shoa and the Nakba 147

The aftermath of the mismatch 149
Points of interconnection between the Shoa-Nakba
and the beten word systems 150
The relationship between Dana and Muhammad 154
Dana: The “radar” of the Shoa word system 154
Muhammad, who dares speak the Nakba 156
Dana’s mismatches 156
Who snaps first? Meetings 4 and 5 157
Meeting 7: Hidden knowledge of Muhammad 160
Blurring of identities 163
A final word 167
viii Body, Language and Meaning in Conflict Situations
chapter 7
Conclusions 169
Understanding conflict 169
Three layers of significance of the Arab-Jewish conflict 169
Analysis of conflict groups 171
Mismatches between verbal and non-verbal expressions 172
Recommendations for future research 176
Epilogue 177
Bibliography 179
Appendix 187
Name index 189
Subject index 191
Your Lebanon is a political knot, a national dilemma,
a place of conflict and deception. My Lebanon,
is a place of beauty and dreams of enchanting valleys
and splendid mountains
Gibran Khalil Gibran
From: The Treasured Writings of Khalil Gibran,
edited and translated from Arabic
by Martin L. Wolf, Anthony R. Ferris, and Andrew D. Sherfan