Air quotes are a form of body language that imply a different meaning than the words being used. Scary quotes in print question the interpretation of a word. The gesture involves holding up index and middle fingers in quotation marks. Different cultures have their own versions of air quotes.
Air quotes are a form of body language and gestures, usually paired with an accompanying word or phrase that is meant to imply a different meaning than the words or phrase being used. A similar form in print is called scary quotes, where a word is enclosed in quotation marks to question how the word should be interpreted. An example of the fear quote might be something like the following: Well, the candidate “says” he won’t raise taxes. This questions the meaning of the word, he says, and can actually convey a belief that the person writing the line doesn’t believe the candidate is being truthful. Another way to use it would be to put the word, he says, in italics.
If you were speaking this line, you could apply air quotes as an extra form of emphasis. The gesture usually means bringing your hands slightly above shoulder height and close to your face; although some have the hands slightly above and to the sides of the shoulders. With each hand facing forward and with the thumb, ring and little fingers folded into the palm, the index and middle fingers are held up until the appropriate word or phrase is indicated in quotation marks by bending the index and the middle finger towards the palm.
Most people put their hands down after finishing a series of air quotes, as leaving them in the potential position of the air quotes would feel a little strange. Sometimes the gesture seems somewhat redundant because people also have a vocal tone which can help convey something like sarcasm, disbelief, satirical use of a word, or the suggestion that the word being used is euphemistic. Occasionally, people will also use air quotes when relating other people’s speech, which can include the person’s impression in addition to what the person said.
There are a number of synonyms for air quotes, and while the gesture is fairly well understood in English, other cultures have different means of conveying air quotes. First, they may be called surrogate quotes (surrogate pronunciation such as airsotts), and they may also be called airsotts, reflecting the pronunciation. Ersatz is an interesting choice of words and translates to replacement, substitute, or replacement. It can also mean imitation or artificial. The word itself may make sense in the context of air quotes as the gesture almost always indicates that the words or phrase being used substitutes for other more accurate words which could be used instead.
Ersatz is of German descent, and Germany has a different version of the air citation than people in the United States. Their version looks more like the German question mark, with one hand raised and the other upside down. Many people using air quote forms will try to replicate something resembling quotation marks in their own language. This may or may not be similar to smart quotes.
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