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Q+A: To curtsey or not to curtsey?

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Unknown woman sits on Q+A panel
Q+A: To curtsey or not to curtsey?

SUBJECTS:  English

YEARS:  9–10


Newspapers had a field day when the Queen visited Australia in 2011.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard chose to bow to her, while the Governor General, Quentin Bryce AC CVO, curtseyed instead.

This Q+A clip explores several perspectives on this event. Note how each panellist's non-verbal language reflects their attitude toward this topic.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Should women still curtsey in this day and age? Is the controversy over the PM choosing to bow instead of cursteying really a gender issue, or just an opportunity to criticise her leadership?
  2. 2.Tanya Plibersek indicates her disgust, labelling this controversy 'a storm in a teacup'. How does her body language reveal this attitude? How does Judith Sloan show she's being humorous when she says the Governor General 'did a great curtsey'? What does the use of humour suggest about her attitude? Comment on what Christopher Pyne's spoken language and gesturing reveals to you about his attitudes.
  3. 3.Make a list of the key features of spoken language that convey a speaker's attitudes. Now add to this list all the key non-verbal features that can reveal such attitudes.
  4. 4.Find out more about the practice of curtseying. Next, record yourself, perhaps via webcam, for a vlog or vodcast, presenting your perspective on whether curtseying is still relevant in the 21st century. Get someone else to record you if you have no webcam. To convey your attitude clearly, make sure you carefully consider both your verbal and non-verbal language. Play back your recording to judge your performance!



Date of broadcast: 24 Oct 2011


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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