Philobiblon

The great thing, you’d think, about sign language, is that it is universal. A smiley face is a smiley face; you don’t need words.

But you’d be wrong. 🙂

I was corresponding by IM with a friend in Korea and thereby learnt that a smile in Korean web-writing is ^^, and a frown ^-^.

Which reminds me of one time in eastern Syria when I was trying to get a taxidriver to take me to the train station. Phrasebook Arabic didn’t work, so I had a brainwave and signalling with a pulling down motion with my arm, as you’d operate a train whistle, and said “choo choo”. Smiles all around; he understood perfectly!

Shortly afterwards, we arrived at the church – complete with bells. I caught the bus in the end.