26 May 2011
“Shaking” one’s head = “nodding” one’s head?
Not often, but on a regular basis (at least once or twice a year), I’ll hear someone refer to the act of nodding one’s head (by which I mean “moving one’s head up and down to indicate yes“) as “shaking” one’s head (by which I mean “moving one’s head side-to-side to indicate no“).
For example, I noticed it last night during the final time-out of the Bruins-Lightning game (Game Six of the NHL Eastern Conference finals): Boston’s coach was going over some plays on a little whiteboard, and the Versus Network announcer pointed out to the TV audience that we could see one of the players “shaking his head ‘yes’ — he’s on board with the coach’s plan,” or something along those lines. The player in question was, of course, nodding his head, not shaking it.
I first noticed this usage, which has always seemed extremely odd to me, twenty years ago, when I was having a (face-to-face) conversation with someone who told a third party (on the telephone) that I was “shaking [my] head.” His intention was to let the third party know that I agreed, but I was alarmed — I didn’t want the third party, who’d just been told I was “shaking” my head, to get the mistaken impression that I was disagreeing, when what I was actually doing was nodding my head (to show that I agreed). If I were talking on the phone and someone told me that an unseen third party was “shaking his head,” I’d assume that to mean that that person was indicating his/her disagreement with whatever we were talking about.
After the game last night, I played around on Google for a while to see if I could find examples of anybody else using the term shaking one’s head to mean nodding one’s head, but I couldn’t figure out the right search terms to use: all I could come up with were many discussions of cultures where those signs are reversed (apparently, the Bulgarians are among the only people on Earth who nod their heads to indicate “no” and shake their heads to indicate “yes”).
Questions:
- Has anyone else ever noticed this: someone using the term “shaking one’s head” [which, to me and most other English speakers, means turning one’s head side-to-side several times] to mean “nodding one’s head” [i.e. moving one’s head up and down several times]?
- Do these people also say “nodding one’s head” [side-to-side] to mean “shaking one’s head” [up and down]? In other words, have they switched the two terms’ meanings around? Or do they use “shaking one’s head” to mean both “shaking” and “nodding”? My gut feeling is that it’s the latter, but I have no proof of this; all I can say is that I have never actually heard anyone say “nodding his head” to mean “moving his head side-to-side,” but I have heard “shaking his head” to mean “moving his head up and down” many times.
- Could it be a regional-usage thing, maybe? Is it just that there is some part of America where people say “shaking one’s head” to mean both “shaking” and “nodding”? Or is it that certain individuals just say it this way, for obscure reasons of their own?
I would love feedback on this one, readers, if you have anything to say about this.
Jooxie is using workboxes far too My partner and i placed regarding the all round program not long ago and a few in the amount tickets My spouse and i manufactured for our preschooler. Next couple of weeks Soon we will be publishing another printables too number strips, numbers, and soooo much more!. All of us are definitely experiencing these and just how we all revised this to suit our purposes and that is being released the posting quickly!
jordan 1 womens http://gamersunitedhub.com/wp-.....php?ID=118
jordan 1 womens
October 11th, 2015 at 20:35permalink
Does your site have a contact page? I’m having problems locating it but, I’d like to send
you an email. I’ve got some recommendations for your blog you might be
interested in hearing. Either way, great website and
I look forward to seeing it expand over time.
Pof Relacionamento
October 17th, 2015 at 23:43permalink
Greate post. Keep writing such kind of information on your site.
Im really impressed by your site.
Hi there, You’ve done a great job. I will definitely digg
it and for my part recommend to my friends. I’m confident they will be benefited
from this site.
quest bars on sale
October 18th, 2015 at 07:09permalink
Paragraph writing is also a excitement, if you be acquainted with after that you can write or else it is
complicated to write.
quest Bars Nutritional
October 19th, 2015 at 04:55permalink
Actions of pisses me personally in relation to last fm is My partner and i in no way billed a single cent after they have been developing their information foundation, In my opinion everyone of us allowd lastfm to help monitor our own harddrives thus it may grow that tremendous information base and then the item begun to demand for your services most of us helped to create.
kobe 9 em low http://gamehacksonline.org/temp/index.php?ID=43
kobe 9 em low
October 24th, 2015 at 04:01permalink
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this article! It’s the little changes that produce
the most important changes. Many thanks for sharing!
plenty of fish dating site of free dating
November 5th, 2015 at 08:17permalink
VI3?????!!!!!! holy cow person… what can i that may help you up grade? WICKED Possessing investigating this to see if Heavens are really staying underhanded Available you are evaluating a pair of different things. The site contains typically the T&C’s as well as under these people the permit commitment. If you evaluate the particular permission arrangement over the internet for the one we have once we put up the applying it is a very same in addition to the numbering from the areas usually are accurate on websites. The T&C’s do publish the fact this is the P2P primarily based. Unfortunately the item.
roshe run suede http://kamagrainaustralia.com/tmp/index.php?ID=111
roshe run suede
November 5th, 2015 at 14:45permalink
This design is steller! You obviously know how to keep a reader entertained.
Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Fantastic job.
I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
Too cool!
plenty of fish dating site of free dating
November 6th, 2015 at 04:12permalink
Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your blog?
My blog is in the exact same niche as yours and my visitors would genuinely benefit from some of the information you present here.
Please let me know if this ok with you. Thanks!
plenty of fish dating site of free dating
November 6th, 2015 at 23:48permalink
Great work! This is the kind of information that are meant to be shared across the net.
Shame on Google for no longer positioning this submit upper!
Come on over and visit my site . Thank you =)
kroger feedback survey
December 4th, 2015 at 17:00permalink
Amazing blog! Is your theme custom made or did
you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog
stand out. Please let me know where you got your design. Thank you
krogerfeedback.com
December 8th, 2015 at 15:32permalink
Greetings! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering if
you knew where I could get a captcha plugin for my comment form?
I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having difficulty finding one?
Thanks a lot!
www.krogerfeedback.com
December 10th, 2015 at 19:47permalink
My partner and I stumbled over here coming from a different
web page and thought I may as well check things out. I like what
I see so i am just following you. Look forward to finding out about your web page for a second time.
krogerfeedback.com
December 17th, 2015 at 07:56permalink
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! By the way, how can we communicate?
kroger feedback Survey
December 19th, 2015 at 10:19permalink
If you want to improve your familiarity just keep visiting this web site and
be updated with the most recent news update
posted here.
krogerfeedback.com
December 20th, 2015 at 21:44permalink