Personal Space and Nonverbal Communication

My C.P and I discussed the proxemic and kinesic systems. We utilized Edward Hall’s four zones when discussing personal space in her culture. When comparing the Punjabi culture and the American culture, we found some overriding similarities between the two, but we also found certain profound differences.
When discussing personal space, I realized that my C.P.’s culture use rules of personal space that are fundamentally the same as the one delineated by Edward Hall for people who are not family or close friends.. In the Panjabi culture, like the American culture, the most important variable which defines the appropriate amount of personal space is the relationship between the two people.
The public zone for both cultures is essentially the same, as is the social zone. However, the social zone may allow for slightly closer contact- three feet is acceptable. And the basic rules underlying all categorizations of personal space in the Panjabi culture are somewhat similar to the American: C.P. explained that a lack of trust between two people constitutes the maximal amount is space between them during an interaction; as trust builds, the space between them constricts.
However, profound differences between the two cultures arise within rules governing the personal and intimate zones. There are a plethora of rules which apply to family; personal space is determined by the relationship between the member. Intimate contact is allowed between mother and (adult) daughter or father and (adult) son (for example when discussing important subjects, they can be seated very near one another). However, it is inappropriate for family members of the same sex, no matter what the relationship, to interact within an intimate zone. When same sex sibling speaking with another, intimate contact is acceptable as well, unless there is a age large difference between them. Beyond this, only members of extremely close the relationships between aunts and nieces, uncles and nephews, or same sex cousins are allowed to interact in the intimate zone. In the Punjabi culture, within a family, age difference is the rough equivalent of status in American culture. At times, an elder may invade your personal space-only in an appropriate manner of course- but the younger person may not do the same. When addressing an elder, the space between you and that elder must be a reasonable space; roughly equivalent to the social zone. Based on what C.P. told me, when she speaks to her grandfather, she must sit or stand always facing him-but must never be closer than about three feet.
With respect to friends (same sex only), personal space is categorized differently between the two cultures- especially when it comes to male friends. It is based in how close the two friends are; however, there is no taboo against male friends interacting in the personal zone if they are very good friends. For example, when two close male friends are speaking there are almost head to head, and one commonly places his arm on the other persons shoulder. The Panjabi culture is very warm- there is a good deal of physical contact between same sex family or friends.
When I asked C.P. about the, kinesics or nonverbal communications, of the Punjabi culture, C.P. began to laugh. She told me that when Punjabi’s speak, they speak with their hands. I asked her to give me some examples. She explained that there are just random hand movements people make as they talk. As she put it, “we just flap our hands everywhere” . When discussing the specifics, I found many large variations in emblems and illustrators between the two cultures. For example, in Punjabi, giving someone the “finger” is done by moving the forearm (while the hands are in a fist) violently upward until it reaches the other arm, which is in a perpendicular position at about chest height. If one whishes to call another gay in a derogatory manner, the person uses the American thumbs up sign- except that the it is more of a thumbs side sign and they wave the sideways thumb laterally. Another variation of the thumbs up is one in which the individual waves (side to side) the thumb in the up position; this is the rough equivalent to sticking your tongue out towards another person. Moreover, sticking your tongue out in Punjabi has a very different meaning than it does in America- a Panjabi person sticks the tongue very slightly beyond the teeth. This indicates that the individual is apologetic for committing some minor error, or made an accidental mistake, such as breaking a glass. Most of the affect displays, regulators and adaptors are extremely similar to those used in American culture.