We tend to focus on the functionality of communicating, especially when we're speaking to strangers. In Niger, the greetings may take several minutes. Hand-shaking and touch are also a big part of conversations there. Most people shake hands at the beginning and end of a conversation and usually a few times in between, also. It's not unusual there to see two men holding hands while they speak to one another, or children to walk around with their arms around each other.
Handshakes also differ by region.
Someone out in the bush will touch his fingertips to his chest after each handshake to show that you're in his heart. The language barrier was pretty substantial, but everyone in the world recognizes a genuine smile, and I found it to be the quickest way to render language differences inconsequential.