The Secret Language of ...

by Donna MacMeans

When I was writing THE SEDUCTION OF A DUKE (which has a release date of April 7th, but you can preorder by clicking on the image at right *g*), I wrote a "wordless" scene where the heroine and her nemisis have an entire confrontation by virtue of the postioning of their hand fans. (Don't worry, it's possible to determine the substance of the "conversation" by the reaction of witnesses - but if you have any doubts - I've put a full list of the meaning of the various fan positions on my website.)

Here's the thing - I'm not sure I buy all the supposed "secret" languages of the Victorian era.

How discreet can a "secret" communication be if every woman in the room can interpret the meaning of the various signals? Certainly the men must have been privy to this language as they were often the intended recipients of the signals. Somehow I have difficulty believing this was high on the priority list of the eligible bachelors. To compound the problem, I found different interpretations of the same hand gestures.

For example, if a woman rests the fan on her right cheek, it means "yes." If the woman rests the fan on her left cheek, it means "no."

If she drops the fan - which I must admit, if I were transported back to the nineteenth century, I'd be doing this constantly - it means either "We will be friends" or "I belong to you" depending on which interpretation you follow. (By the way, I stole the fan image on the left from the Victoria and Albert Museum. It dates from 1840.)

I purchased a hand fan for the Dallas RWA convention to use when I awarded the winner of the Golden Heart - Long Historical award. I learned that the crisp "whump" of the fan being snapped open is a highly desired sound. I also learned that it's best to have a firm grip on that baby when dramatically snapping it open as the fan is likely to sail across the room! (Yes, I know that from experience!) However, I could not find an interpretation of that particular gesture. (This fan, by the way, is another is the V&A collection and is an example of a fan manufactured to match a particular fabric. This one dates from 1880).

Some of the described gestures translated in the language of the fan sound like they'd look a little ridiculous in the execution. For example, if one should place the fan behind one's head with a finger extended...no it is not an insult of Victorian proportions...it means "goodbye." (Hmmm....maybe it IS a crude insult and the "goodbye" translation is grossly understated) But how silly would that particular gesture appear?

The whole concept of a secret language of fans made me think about more modern secret languages. For instance, an earring stud worn in a man's left ear means something entirely different than one worn in their right ear, doesn't it? We all know that a gold band worn on a woman's left ring finger means she's married, but does it have a special meaning if she wears it on her right hand? I have to admit I'm clueless if these things do have a secret meaning. *g*

I did a quick Google search and discovered that many things are purported to have a secret meaning from the way we sleep (our bed positions) to the way we talk. (In the midst of an argument, the response "nothing" tends to mean something else indeed!)

So my question for you is - are you aware of any secret meanings in modern culture? Share please so we all can learn - or laugh if that's the case. *g* Heck - feel free to make them up! I think to a certain extent, that's how the secret language of fans began.

As THE SEDUCTION OF A DUKE is a sequel to THE EDUCATION OF MRS BRIMLEY (blantant self-promotion here), I'll send a copy of Mrs. B to the person with the best "secret" interpretation to ... anything (but keep it G-rated please.)