LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

Body language often communicates what words leave unsaid. A glance, a shrug, or a gesture can reveal our feelings more quickly and effectively than a carefully chosen sentence. One such gesture is to curl one's lip , that slight raising of the upper lip that conveys disgust, contempt, or disdain. Thus we read: "Sophie curled her lip in disgust" (Fern Michaels, Breaking News , 2012). Spanish has its own equivalent expressions. We may torcer el morro , arrugar el morro , or retorcer el morro .  Manuel Seco's Diccionario fraseológico documentado del español actual defines torcer el morro rather economically as "poner mala cara." A vivid illustration appears in Gonzalo Torrente Ballester's Filomeno, a mi pesar : "Primero torció el morro, después se echó a reír." The gesture itself is instantly recognizable. Whether we curl our lip in English or torcemos el morro in Spanish, we communicate disapproval before uttering a single word. Body language ...

I asked Dear Abby who says that yawning is a show of indifference towards the person who we are talking to. Some say it's ok. Other say it is rude and impolite. I favor the latter. I feel that when I am trying to express some idea, watching the listener yawn in my face, showing his rotten teeth, fillings and yellow tongue is the rudest thing to do. Go to a job interview and yawn as much as you can and you will suffer the results. When trying to interest a client of yours, yawn a few times... and he will lose interest fast. On a date, yawn several times. You will not be given a second opportunity. In Spain everyone yawns ... and they excuse such behavior saying they are tired, they slept poorly and such. Just in case, in the United States do not, I repeat, do not yawn . It is part of body language, and a negative trait, implying lack of interest. Yawning is like picking your nose, your teeth, or wiping your nose with your sleeve.