The basic communicative gestures all over the world are universal.

Language of gesture.

 

The special feature of body language is that we use it like impulses of our subconsciousness. We can't falsify these impulses and that's why we trust this more than usual language. So we pay attention to meaning of gesture and facial expression and we want to learn how to explain that special language witch we use without realizing it.

The knowledge of body language is necessary both in business sphere and in sphere of personal mutual relations. Ability to interpret that language and use of various auxiliary means will help to become successful in any business. The good knowledge and effective application of body language in the communication with foreign people help us to understand better culture of the people.

 

Gesture in Germany

gestures of the Germans agree with the Russian, but there is one difference.

shake one's finger – грозить пальцем

Germans raise their hand to the level of the face, finger nail turned to his companion and is moving parallel to the body (немцы поднимают руку на уровень лица, палец повернут ногтем к собеседнику и движется параллельно телу)

Gesture in Russia

Handshake

limp handshake — low self-appraisal (вялое / слабое рукопожатие- низкая самооценка)

firm handshake — aggression (твёрдое пожатие- агрессия)

walk up and down - decision-making (расхаживать взад и вперёд- принятие решения)

walk slowly – restraint, care (идти тихим шагом – сдержанность, осторожность)

stoop- submission (сутулость- покорность, подчинение)

 

 

The alphabet of gesture

 

The basic communicative gestures all over the world are universal.

People smile when they are happy, frown when they are sad, almost everywhere in the world the nod means "Yes", rocking by a head from side to side means "No", shrug of the shoulders almost everywhere is distinguished as misunderstanding.

For example: From time immemorial open palm associated with sincerity, honesty, fidelity and trustfulness. A palm unwrapped downwards - constraining and calming gesture. The hands hidden for a back or in pockets and also crossed on a chest speak about the latent lie and opposition. Lie gestures are childly simple. It is protection mouth by a hand, touching a nose, rubbing an eyelid or an ear, scratching an ear.

For a long time the aspiration to reduce the growth before others was used as means of an establishment of relations of subordination. The more modestly the person feels itself, the more strongly he bends the back.

The hands crossed on a chest allow the person to hide from an adverse situation. This universal defensive condition of the person. The crossing of legs also speaks about the negative or defensive relation of the person. "The double lock" when your interlocutor has left in itself is a leg lying on a leg and the hands crossed on a chest. If at conversation the person has thrown a leg on a leg and has clasped a leg by hands be prepare for difficult conversation with the obstinate person. If person has twisted with feet of a leg of a chair he is not sure in his strength and will lie.

The author of many popular books about nonverbal components of communication doctor David Levis allocates four types of gestures depending on their mission:

 

 

American cuisine

American cuisine, as well as American society, is international: Here you can find Chinese, Mexican, Cuban, Russian, and even Moroccan dishes. Prices and service levels are also quite varied - from an average of between $2 in food up to $ 100 and above (without drinks) in the best restaurants in New York.

Some of the cheap restaurants are organized by a type of buffet. You pay at the door for unlimited access to all of the food they have to offer. These types of places are prevalent in Las Vegas and Orland. Many restaurants have smoking and non-smoking sections that are strictly enforced.

National American cuisine is high in calories and easy to prepare. The most popular dishes of American cuisine includes: Pumpkin soup, pork ribs, stuffed turkey, various steaks and burgers. As you know, America is home to Fast Food (burgers, sandwiches, French fries, etc.), and the United States stand in first place in terms of the diversity of eateries offering this type of cuisine: McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and many others.

Of course, the constant eating of fast food adversely affects the health of many Americans. According to the National Center for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases and the Preservation of Health (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) 300 thousand Americans die each year because of diseases caused by obesity. More than half of U.S. residents have excess weight, and approximately 20% of them are considered obese. The United States took third place in the world in the number of fat children, after Malta and Italy: 27% of American children under the age of 10 years (!) are overweight. In 2000, $117 billion was spent on the health of obese Americans.

Fast Food - of course, this is the most convenient way to eat lunch: It's fast, cheap, and even delicious. But do not save on your health! First of all this food, especially when eaten by girls, can quickly make them become thicker. Secondly, fast food is always fried food, and the oil used for frying in the eatery is not always good (there is not only the level of bad cholesterol, but also the general quality of the product leaves much to be desired).

Ingredients

Cooking apples^[1] (culinary apples), such as the Bramley, Empire, Northern Spy or Granny Smith, are crisp and acidic. The fruit for the pie can be fresh, canned, or reconstituted from dried apples. This affects the final texture, and the length of cooking time required; whether it has an effect on the flavour of the pie is a matter of opinion. Dried or preserved apples were originally substituted only at times when freshfruit was unavailable.

Apple Pie is often served in the style "a la Mode" (topped with ice cream). Alternatively, a piece of cheese (such as a sharp cheddar) is occasionally placed on top of or alongside a slice of the finished pie.^[

 

English cuisine

 

English cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but also shares much with wider British cuisine, largely due to the importation of ingredients and ideas from places such as North America, China, and India during the time of the British Empire and as a result of post-war immigration.

In the Early Modern Period the food of England was historically characterised by its simplicity of approach and a reliance on the high quality of naturalproduce. It is possible the effects of this can still be seen in traditional cuisine.

Traditional meals have ancient origins, such as bread and cheese, roasted and stewed meats, meat and game pies, boiled vegetables and broths, and freshwater and saltwater fish. The 14th-century English cookbook, the Forme of Cury, contains recipes for these, and dates from the royal court of Richard II. In the second half of the 18th century Rev. Gilbert White, in The Natural History of Selborne made note of the increased consumption of vegetables by ordinary country people in the south of England, to which, he noted, potatoes had only been added during the reign of George III: "Green-stalls in cities now support multitudes in comfortable state, while gardeners get fortunes. Every decent labourer also has his garden, which is half his support; and common farmers provide plenty of beans, peas, and greens, for their hinds to eat with their bacon."

Other meals, such as fish and chips, which were once urban street food eaten from newspaper with salt and malt vinegar, and pies and sausages with mashed potatoes, onions, and gravy, are now matched in popularity by curries from India and Bangladesh, and stir-fries based on Chinese and Thaicuisine. Italian cuisine and French cuisine are also now widely adapted. Britain was also quick to adopt the innovation of fast food from the United States, and continues to absorb culinary ideas from all over the world while at the same time rediscovering its roots in sustainable rural agriculture.

 

 

Sandwiches

England can claim to have given the world the word "sandwich", although the eponymous John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich was not the first to add a filling to bread^{[ citation needed ]}. English sandwiches are made with two slices of bread, or some kind of roll. Fillings such as pickled relishes and Gentleman's Relish could also be considered distinctively English. Common types of sandwich are roast beef, chicken salad, ham and mustard, cheese and pickle, BLT, egg mayonnaise, prawn mayonnaise, tuna, marmite and jam.^[16] A dainty form of sandwich, cut into small squares, without crusts, and often filled with cucumber, are served at genteel gatherings, such as Royal Garden parties.^[17] Robust sandwiches made from thick slices are called "doorsteps" and are often served in pubs.

English Cucumber Sandwiches

8 oz. Neufchâtel (or low-fat cream cheese), room temperature
10 oz. goat cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper3-4 tablespoons milk

1 english cucumber
1 loaf rosemary olive oil bread, thinly sliced

To make spread:
In a bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, place the Neufchâtel, goat cheese, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Beat on medium speed, add in milk to thin out to desired consistency. I like the spread to be a little thicker, so I use only a few tablespoons of milk. Set aside.

With a mandolin or sharp knife, slice the unpeeled cucumbers into thin rounds.

Spread the goat cheese/Neufchâtel mixture on each slice of bread. Place cucumbers on one slice and top with another piece of bread, pressing slightly. Cut each sandwich in half and serve.

 

German cuisine

In 1949 after World War II, Germany was divided into East Germany and West Germany. This division caused the country's two halves to develop different styles of cooking. East Germany, closely associated with its neighbor, Russia, took on a more Russian style of cooking. West Germans continued the traditional German cuisine.

In the north, restaurants in Hamburg and Berlin might feature aalsuppe (eel soup) or eintopf (seafood stew). Soups of dried beans, such as weisse bohnensuppe (white bean soup) are also popular. In the center of the country, menus include breads and cereals made with buckwheat and rye flour. A favorite dish is birnen, bohnen und speck (pears, green beans, and bacon). In the middle of the country, a region near the Netherlands known as Wesphalia is famous for spargel (asparagus), especially white asparagus, and rich, heavy pumpernickel bread. Westphalian ham, served with pungent mustard, is popular with Germans worldwide.

Germans tend to eat heavy and hearty meals that include ample portions of meat and bread. Potatoes are the staple food, and each region has its own favorite ways of preparing them. Some Germans eat potatoes with pears, bacon, and beans. Others prepare a special stew called the Pichelsteiner, made with three kinds of meat and potatoes. Germans from the capital city of Berlin eat potatoes with bacon and spicy sausage. Sauerbraten is a large roast made of pork, beef, or veal that is popular throughout Germany, and is flavored in different ways depending on the region. In the Rhine River area, it is flavored with raisins, but is usually cooked with a variety of savory spices and vinegar. Fruit (instead of vegetables) is often combined with meat dishes to add a sweet and sour taste to the meal. Throughout Germany desserts made with apples are very popular.

Breakfast, or früstück, consists of rolls with jam, cheese, eggs, and meat. Coffee or tea may also be served. The zweites früstück (literally second breakfast) is a mid-morning snack eaten at work or school. Students may have belegtes brot (literally covered bread), a small sandwich of meat or cheese, and a piece of fruit. Germans eat their big meal of the day, mittagessen, around noon or later, sometimes lasting two hours. The meal almost always begins with suppe (soup), and several more courses follow (see sample menu). In the afternoon, kaffee (snack with coffee) is often served, consisting of pastries and cakes. Abendbrot (supper, literally "bread of the evening") is a lighter meal than lunch, usually offering an open-faced sandwich of bread with cold cuts and cheese, eaten with a knife and fork, and perhaps some coleslaw or fruit. Pretzels and sweets may be enjoyed, especially by children, any time during the day.

 

 

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1½ cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 4 cups flour (approximate)
• Shortening for greasing bowl and cookie sheet
• 1 egg, beaten
• Coarse salt

Procedure

1. Dissolve sugar, salt, and yeast in warm water.
2. Allow to stand for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Stir in 3 cups of flour.
4. Add the last cup of flour, a little at a time, until a stiff dough forms.
5. Sprinkle flour onto a cutting board or countertop and turn the dough out of the bowl.
6. Using clean hands, knead the dough (fold it over, press down, turn).
7. Repeat this process for about 7 or 8 minutes. Clean out the mixing bowl and coat the inside lightly with oil.
8. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave the bowl in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.
9. During this time the dough will expand, or "rise" to about twice its size.
10. Grease two cookie sheets and remove the plastic wrap from the bowl.
11. Cover your fist with flour, and then punch down into the center of the dough.
12. Turn the dough back out onto the floured counter and cut or tear it into about 12 equal pieces.
13. Roll each piece into a long rope (about 12 to 16 inches long).
14. Twist the ropes into pretzel shapes and place them on a greased cookie sheet.
15. Using a clean pastry brush, brush each pretzel with beaten egg and then sprinkle them with coarse salt.
16. Cover the cookie sheets loosely with plastic wrap and allow the pretzels to rise again for about 1 hour.
17. Preheat oven to 425°F.
18. Bake the pretzels for 10 to 15 minutes (until lightly browned).
19. Serve immediately with spicy mustard.

 

Russian Cuisine

Traditional Russian cuisine, an important part of Russian national culture, arouses a keen interest both in Russia itself and around the world. The compilers of the below-quoted recipes have focused their attention on the most popular and interesting culinary examples from its vast repertory. Our goal is to introduce you to the Russian national cuisine, with all its authenticity and originality. Some of the recipes go back to hoary antiquity, while others evolved later, in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

In times past, grain - wheat, rye, oats and millet - was the main foodstuff in Russia. Russian people were engaged in ploughing since time immemorial and so bread played a very significant part in their diet. The festive table couldn't be imagined without pies and other pasties. Pies were cooked with a cook cereals, all sorts of pancakes and baked puddings. Cattle-breeding was always popular in Russia as was hunting - hence a large choice of meat dishes included those of wild animals and fowl.

Large areas covered by woods and forests, especially in the north of Russia, were abundant in berries and mushrooms and this accounted for a wealth of "gifts of the forests" on the Russian table. One should also not forget about the fish courses. Russian cuisine was renowned for diverse delicacies, especially refreshments, made of fish. Russian rivers, lakes and seas yielded much of this tasty and useful kind of food.

Centuries have passed… Growing contacts with Western countries led to numerous borrowings in Russian cooking. In the times of Peter the Great contemporary cookers became widespread in Russia and together with them saucepans, frying-pans, straining spoons and other indispensable kitchen utensils were introduced. At the beginning of the nineteenth century Russian cooks derived various sauces and dressings for which French cuisine was famous. These innovations became an important addition to traditional Russian spices - horse-radish and mustard. All of this undoubtedly enriches Russian cookery.

Wheaten Blinis (Red Blinis)

4.5 glasses (7 cups) flour, 4 glasses (4 1/2 cups) milk,
25 g (1 1/2 tbsps) yeast, 25 g (1 1/2 tbsps) butter,
100 g (1/2 cup) cream, 2 eggs, 2 tsps sugar, 1 tsp salt

Dissolve half the flour, the yeast and butter in milk and let it rise. Beat up the dough, add the rest of the flour, salt and egg yolks ground with sugar. Beat again, add the beaten egg whites and cream, let the dough rest and then begin to bake.

 

The notion of national hero is the allocation of a number of qualities and objective characteristics or sometimes fantasized a historical figure by a national community.
Some national heroes are also assigned, almost always after the fact, the distinction of Father of his Country.
Many nations have one or more heroic figures, sometimes legendary, whose actions and personality are honored and highlighted as an example.

They must receive the nation that recognizes a cultural consensus majority but still subjective. Their claims to fame are always attached to the origins of the nation, they were often the first performance and have sometimes lost their lives in defense of their liberties. However, they do not have official recognition as such, their worship is quite popular and traditional.

Flowers in Germany

Pink – admiration (гвоздика, восхищение)

Lily - light-mindedness (лилия, легкомыслие)

Dandelion – happiness (одуванчик, счастье)

Rose – love

 

Flowers inRussia

Rose – love

Tulip– red- Undying love

Yellow - Hopeless love

Aster - Symbol of love, daintiness, talisman of love,trusting

Jonquil (нарцисс) - "Return my affection"

Lotus - Purity, chastity and eloquence

Peony - Shame, bashfulness

 

British humour is displayed in many types of British media, ranging from plays, political quotes, sitcoms, and some really awesome jokes.

British humour is a somewhat general term applied to certain comedic motifs that are often prevalent in comedy acts originating in the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth.

A strong theme of sarcasm and self-deprecation, often with deadpan delivery, runs throughout British humour. Emotion is often buried under humour in a way that seems insensitive to other cultures. Jokes are told about everything and almost no subject is taboo, though often a lack of subtlety when discussing controversial issues is considered crass. Many UK comedy TV shows typical of British humour have been internationally popular, and have been an important channel for the export and representation of British culture to the international audience.

Here is a very funny joke of how the English and the Scottish save on train fare.

Five Englishmen boarded a train just behind five Scots, who, as a group had only purchased one ticket. Just before the conductor came through, all the Scots piled into the toilet stall at the back of the car. As the conductor passed the stall, he knocked and called "Tickets, please!" and one of the Scots slid a ticket under the door. It was punched, pushed back under the door, and when it was safe all the Scots came out and took their seats. The Englishmen were tremendously impressed by the Scots' ingenuity. On the trip back, the five Englishmen decided to try this themselves and purchased only one ticket. They noticed that, oddly, the Scots had not purchased any tickets this time. Anyway, again, just before the conductor came through, the Scots piled into one of the toilet stalls, the Englishmen into the other. Then one of the Scots leaned out, knocked on the Englishmen's stall and called "Ticket, Please!" When the ticket slid out under the door, he picked it up and quickly closed the door.

Here you have two perfect examples of how the English and Scottish love to compete with one another, even in humor. Imagine how it must be during soccer season, when their teams play against each other. After all, a little good humored fun keeps a country fun and vibrant. There are some really funny quotes in the political arena as well. Here are examples of a few:

"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end." Margaret Thatcher.

"The difference between a misfortune and a calamity is this: If Gladstone fell into the Thames, it would be a misfortune. But if someone dragged him out again, that would be a calamity." Benjamin Disraeli.

"At every crisis the Kaiser crumpled. In defeat he fled; in revolution he abdicated; in exile he remarried." Winston Churchill.

The leaders of Parliament did not only have a gift for governing, but they could also throw a good punch line as well. It’s great to know how to rule a nation with excellence, but to also know how to rule that nation with a sense of humor, that is sublime.

Let us not forget the televised version of England's priceless wit, the British sitcom. Fantastic programs such as Are You Being Served, Benny Hill, Monty Python, Keeping Up Appearances, and Waiting For God, are just a few examples of the best of English comedy. Much of the dialogues in most of these shows are priceless, and incredibly funny.

English humor reflects on the best, as well as the ups and downs of life in England. Humor helps us to look at the lighter side of things because life is hard enough as it is.

 

German humour refers collectively to the conventions of comedy and its cultural meaning within the country of Germany. Although comedy is a staple of German culture, with many Germans making light of situations in social conversation, and with a large amount of time allotted to comedy in German television broadcasting, it is a widespread stereotype outside the country that Germans have little understanding (or a distorted understanding) of humorous situations.

German distinguish between "Comedy" (using the English word) and "Komödie" (the German word of the same origin). "Comedy" refers to post-90s TV-comedy, which is characterized by comedic entertainment in the form of stand-up comedy, stage shows, modern satire, cabaret and adaptations of foreign comedy concepts, including airing of foreign shows. "Komödie" refers to films and plays.

German humour often follows many conventions which, due to similarities in cultural perception of events and day-to-day life (and other such universal themes which may be discussed through comedy), may be readily interpreted by natives of other countries.

Some German humorists such as Loriot use seriousness as means of humour. Another notable example of mock-serious humour with satirical content is Jakob Maria Mierscheid MdB, a virtual politician, and his eponymous Mierscheid Law. Begun as a hoax to falsify restaurant bills, Mierscheid has gathered sufficiently enduring pop culture recognition since the '70s to gain his own (tongue-in-cheek) entry on the official Bundestag Website.^[5]Similarly, the Stone louse (Petrophaga lorioti), a fictitious animal which was a part of a comic mocumentary video sketch, gained acknowledgement as a fictitious entry in the medical encyclopedic dictionary Pschyrembel Klinisches Wörterbuch.

However, current events situations, traditions, and cultural factors which are unique to the country may provide a barrier to the understanding of the meaning behind a joke or comedic reference to someone who is not aware of the events being referred to. This applies especially to the abundant use of local dialects and customs in Germany. In other cases the humour derives from mixing different styles of speech or opposing them to each other. For instance, the comedian Helge Schneider (DOB: Aug 30, 1955) is renowned for his absurdist and anarchical humour, yet due to the deep roots of his humour in the German language and its several stylistic levels, extensive parts of his material are lost when translated into English.

 

Traditional joke themes and forms:

· Fritzchen (Little Fritz): A boy of 8–10, who traps adults (usually teachers, parents or policemen) in witty plays of question and answer, exposing their silly or bashful adult ways.

Example: Fritzchen and his grandma walk along the pavement. Fritzchen finds a 10 Pfennig coin, but his grandma intervenes: "No, don't pick up anything lying on the ground!" Soon afterwards Fritzchen finds a 10 Mark note, but again his grandma says "No, don't pick up anything lying on the ground!" Soon there is a banana lying on the pavement, grandma steps on it and slips over. "Help me, Fritzchen!", she cries, but Fritzchen says: "No, don't pick up anything lying on the ground!" (Note that because of their being hard to come by, bananas were a highly-craved commodity in East Germany)

· Jokes about other nationalities: Germans have their own set of stereotypes about other nations, that sometimes appear in jokes. For example, Scotsmen are portrayed as miserly, Swiss as physically slow, French as sophisticated lovers, Poles as notorious thieves, Dutch as either marijuana smokers or slow drivers on motorways (typically with a caravan attached to their car), Chinese employ caricatures of Confucian wisdom. An Austrian is usually merely an antagonist of a German character, and may be presented as superior, inferior, or an unacknowledged equal.

· East Frisians (Ostfriesen) (East Frisians are a people living in East Frisia, the north-western corner of Germany): This national minority is portrayed as absurdly stupid or naive. Jokes are often in the form of question and answer, both given by the joke-teller.

· Beamte: German state officials (Beamte). Within jokes, they are considered slow and lazy, doing a nearly useless job in the bureaucracy.

· Mantawitz (Manta joke): The male counterpart to the blonde is the Mantafahrer, the male driver of an Opel Manta, who is dull, lower class, macho, infatuated with his car and his blonde hairdresser girl friend, and often exceedingly proud and possessive about things that most people would consider embarrassing. Popular in the 1990s, also the popularity of such jokes spawned two successful movies (Manta – Der Film and Manta, Manta, the latter starring Til Schweiger as the Mantafahrer).

· Antiwitz (anti-joke): A short, often absurd scene, which has the recognizable structure of a joke, but is illogical or lacking a punch-line.

· Kalauer: Short, often deliberately clumsy puns and plays on words.

· Bauernregel (Farmers' rule): Told in the traditional rhyme scheme of weather lore. There are two variants: one is really about weather, but the rule is absurd or tautologous; the other can be about any other topic, makes some sense, often with sexual connotations, and may feature word play or some real, hidden or twisted wisdom.

 

Russian humour gains much of its wit from the inflection of the Russian language, allowing for plays on words and unexpected associations. As with any other culture's humour, its vast scope ranges from lewd jokes and wordplay to political satire.

Russian humour is the integral part of Russian culture. Westerners sometimes allege that Russians have no sense of humour or admit it to be dry, sarcastic and quite often indecent. Better not try to get the essence of Russian humour. It is really very subtle based on the many intertextual ties with Russian literature, Russian cinema, politics and so on. Russian humour gains much of its wit from the great flexibility and richness of the Russian language, allowing for plays on words and unexpected associations.

Jokes

The most popular form of Russian humour consists of jokes (анекдо́ты — anekdoty), which are short stories with a punch line. Typical of Russian joke culture is a series of categories with fixed and highly familiar settings and characters. Surprising effects are achieved by an endless variety of plots and plays on words.

In most cases a good joke translated into English will mean nothing to an American or a Brit. Yet some westerners admit Russians enjoy their ability to have a laugh at themselves. There are a lot of cool jokes and short funny stories called "anekdoty" everywhere in Russia. You will hear them whenever you go to a party or just are outside within the company of Russians.

There is a number of Russian joke subjects that are peculiar to Russian or Soviet culture and which make the endless plots to anecdotes.

One of the characters of Russian anecdotes is Standartenfuhrer Stirlitz, alias Colonel Isayev, a character from the Soviet TV series "Seventeen Moments of Spring" played by the popular actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov about a fictional Soviet intelligence officer who infiltrates Nazi Germany. The plot of the anecdotes makes Stirlitz interacting with Nazi officials Walther Schellenberg, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Martin Bormann, Heinrich Muller as well as with fictional female radio operator Kat, Pastor Schlagg, Professor Pleischner and other characters in the series. The plot is resolved in grotesque plays on words or in dumb parodies of overly-smart narrow escapes and superlogical trains of thought of the "original" Stirlitz.

Another popular character of the series of anecdotes is Poruchik (Lieutenant) Rzhevsky. Rzhevsky is a cavalry (hussar) officer, a straightforward, unsophisticated, and immensely rude military type whose rank and standing gain him entrance into disproportionately higher society. In the aristocratic setting of high-society balls and 19th century social sophistication, Rzhevsky, famous for brisk but not very smart remarks, keeps ridiculing the decorum with his vulgarities. Rzhevsky's (and supposedly all hussars') nonchalant attitude to love and sex, his straightforward and sometimes stupid approach to courting women is also a source of jokes.

The character of the next series of jokes is Rabinovich, an sterotypical Russian Jew. He is a crafty, cynical, mercantile, hates the Soviet government, often too smart for his own good and is sometimes portrayed as an otkaznik (refusenik): someone who is refused permission to emigrate to Israel. However this These Jewish anecdotes are not the same as anti-Semitic jokes.

One of the popular hero of Russian anecdotes is Vovochka (a diminutive form of "Vova", itself, in turn, a diminutive form of "Vladimir"). A stereotypical Russian school student (depending on the story, his age may vary from kindergarten to high school): not too bright, not interested in studying, either, prone to underage drinking, smoking, and swearing. He's apparently a subversion of young Vladimir Lenin, who was a role model character in many didactic tales for children. His most common counterpart is Marivanna (shortened of "Maria Ivanovna"), a stereotypical Russian schoolmarm, whose portrayal varies from sympathetic to outright offending. Ever since Vladimir Putin got elected President, the joke-tellers started considering Vovochka anecdotes political jokes.

The teacher is angry with Vovochka using dirty words. She asks the girls of the class to get out of the classroom when he says something again. Vovochka rushes in the room and exclaims:
- Hey, chicks, great news: a whorehouse is being built nearby!
All girls are getting up and leaving the classroom.
- Don't rush so hard, it's not yet opened!

Vovochka knocks to the window. A woman opens:
- Whaddya want?
- I want your daughter Masha. I need her as a woman!!!
- Screw off, you little jerk!
- You have misunderstood me! I've accidently kicked my soccer ball into a women's restroom!

Anecdotes about Chapayev make a significant part of military humour. This is just one of a myriad of jokes about Vasily Chapaev and his comrade-in-arms Petka. A military genius, a mythical hero, a part of the Soviet propaganda spin - Chapaev's life and death remain surrounded by doubt and debate. A Red Army commander during the Russian Civil War, he was turned into a Soviet myth and lives on in the Russian popular culture as a butt of a zillion anecdotes. Other military jokes (army humor) revolve around interaction between dim-witted non-commissioned and warrant officers and intelligent privates, who are usually conscripted students.

A number of jokes involve characters from the famous novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about the private detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Doctor Watson. The jokes appeared and became popular soon after the screen versions of several of those stories came out on Soviet TV in late 1970s - mid-1980s.

New Russians, i.e. the nouveau-riche, arrogant and poorly educated post-perestroika businessmen and gangsters, are also very popular category of characters in contemporary Russian jokes. New Russians seized enormous wealth in The Nineties and were driving around in Mercedes cars and expensive suits, but has no idea what "style" is, only price.

Chukchi, the native people of Chukotka related to Northwestern Native Americans, are the all-time favorites, often seen as generally primitive, uncivilized and simple-minded, but clever and philosophic in a naive kind of way.

Animals. These jokes are based around animal behaviour stereotypes, which have their roots in Russian Mythology And Tales: the violent Wolf, the sneaky (female) Fox, the cocky coward Hare, the strong, simple-minded Bear, and the king of animal kingdom Lion.

Toasts

Drinking toasts can take the form of anecdotes or not-so-short stories, concluded with "So here's to..." with a witty punchline referring to the initial story.

Chastushka

A specific form of humour is chastushkas, songs composed of four-line rhymes, usually of lewd, humoristic, or satiric content.

 

 

Language of gesture.

 

The special feature of body language is that we use it like impulses of our subconsciousness. We can't falsify these impulses and that's why we trust this more than usual language. So we pay attention to meaning of gesture and facial expression and we want to learn how to explain that special language witch we use without realizing it.

The knowledge of body language is necessary both in business sphere and in sphere of personal mutual relations. Ability to interpret that language and use of various auxiliary means will help to become successful in any business. The good knowledge and effective application of body language in the communication with foreign people help us to understand better culture of the people.

 

Gesture in Germany

gestures of the Germans agree with the Russian, but there is one difference.

shake one's finger – грозить пальцем

Germans raise their hand to the level of the face, finger nail turned to his companion and is moving parallel to the body (немцы поднимают руку на уровень лица, палец повернут ногтем к собеседнику и движется параллельно телу)

Gesture in Russia

Handshake

limp handshake — low self-appraisal (вялое / слабое рукопожатие- низкая самооценка)

firm handshake — aggression (твёрдое пожатие- агрессия)

walk up and down - decision-making (расхаживать взад и вперёд- принятие решения)

walk slowly – restraint, care (идти тихим шагом – сдержанность, осторожность)

stoop- submission (сутулость- покорность, подчинение)

 

 

The alphabet of gesture

 

The basic communicative gestures all over the world are universal.

People smile when they are happy, frown when they are sad, almost everywhere in the world the nod means "Yes", rocking by a head from side to side means "No", shrug of the shoulders almost everywhere is distinguished as misunderstanding.

For example: From time immemorial open palm associated with sincerity, honesty, fidelity and trustfulness. A palm unwrapped downwards - constraining and calming gesture. The hands hidden for a back or in pockets and also crossed on a chest speak about the latent lie and opposition. Lie gestures are childly simple. It is protection mouth by a hand, touching a nose, rubbing an eyelid or an ear, scratching an ear.

For a long time the aspiration to reduce the growth before others was used as means of an establishment of relations of subordination. The more modestly the person feels itself, the more strongly he bends the back.

The hands crossed on a chest allow the person to hide from an adverse situation. This universal defensive condition of the person. The crossing of legs also speaks about the negative or defensive relation of the person. "The double lock" when your interlocutor has left in itself is a leg lying on a leg and the hands crossed on a chest. If at conversation the person has thrown a leg on a leg and has clasped a leg by hands be prepare for difficult conversation with the obstinate person. If person has twisted with feet of a leg of a chair he is not sure in his strength and will lie.

The author of many popular books about nonverbal components of communication doctor David Levis allocates four types of gestures depending on their mission: