When Being Expressive is Overly Expressive
Some gestures can be just too much.
It can be said that Italians are known for being expressive. Even in Italy, people can go too far with expressive gestures. In Florence, a renaissance city with more than a few overly flamboyant types, they have an expression, “fare i salemelecchi.”
What do we mean by ‘overly expressive?’
Decades ago extreme politeness, flattery, and ceremonial greetings like bowing are all fine and dandy during their time. Today, they seem very out of place (unless used for comedic value).
The phrase, “fare i salemelecchi,” itself comes from the Islamic “alait salam”, which means ‘peace upon you’.
It’s a beautiful sentiment in Islam but translated to English, it seems overly formal and to some, over the top. Why offer the blessing of peace, when what you really want to say is, “What’s up?”
