Gesture

A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication made with a part of the body, used instead of or in combination with verbal communication. The language of gesture is rich in ways for individuals to express a variety of feelings and thoughts, from contempt and hostility to approval and affection. Most people use gestures and body language in addition to words when they speak; some ethnic groups and languages use them more than others do, and the amount of such gesturing that is considered culturally acceptable varies from one location to the next.

Type of gesture

Although some gestures, such as the ubiquitous act of pointing, differ little from one place to another, most gestures do not have invariable or universal meanings, having specific connotations only in certain cultures. Different types of gestures are distinguished. The most famous type of gestures are the so-called emblems or quotable gestures (see the examples below). These are culturespecific gestures that can be used as replacement for words. Communities have repertoires of such gestures. A single emblematic gesture can have very different significance in different cultural contexts, ranging from complimentary to highly offensive.

Another type of gestures are the ones we use when we speak. These gestures are closely coordinated with speech. The meaningful part of the gesture is temporally synchronised with the co-expressive parts of speech. For example, a gesture that depicts the act of throwing will be synchronous with the word 'threw' in the utterance "and then he threw the ball right into the window." Other gestures like the so-called beat gestures, are used in conjunction with speech, keeping time with the rhythm of speech and to emphasize certain words or phrases. These types of gestures are integrally connected to speech and thought processes.

Studies of gesture

The first full-length study of gesture was published by John Bulwer in 1644. Bulwer analyzed dozens of gestures, and provided a guide on how to use gestures to increase eloquence and clarity for public speaking. Today, one of the most prominent researchers in the field of gesture research is Adam Kendon. He has investigated many aspects of gestures, including their role in communication, conventionalization of gesture, integration of gesture and speech, and the evolution of language. One of his studies show that people might become more intelligent if they use gestures on a repeated basis. Other prominent researchers in this field include Susan Goldin-Meadow and David McNeill.

Social significance

Gestures play a major role in many aspects of human life. Many animals, including humans, use gestures to initiate a mating ritual. This may include elaborate dances and other movements.

Religious and spiritual gestures are also common, such as the Christian sign of the cross. In Hinduism and Buddhism, a mudra (Sanskrit, literally "seal") is a symbolic gesture made with the hand or fingers. Each mudra has a specific meaning, playing a central role in Hindu and Buddhist iconography. An example is the Vitarka mudra, the gesture of discussion and transmission of Buddhist teaching. It is done by joining the tips of the thumb and the index together, while keeping the other fingers straight.

Hand gestures

Main article: Hand gesture

Hand gestures, i.e., gestures performed by one or two hands, is the most numerous category of gestures due to the the ability of the human hand to acquire a huge number of clearly discernible configurations, the fact of importance for the sign languages. The latter ones are not discussed in this article.

Body gestures

Mooning

Mooning is the act of displaying one's bare buttocks by lowering the back side of one's trousers and underpants, usually without exposing the genitals. Mooning is used in some cultures to express protest, scorn, disrespect, or provocation. It can also be done for shock value or fun.

Anasyrma

Anasyrma or "lifting the skirts" is a gesture traceable to European antiquity. It is used in connection with certain religious rituals, eroticism, and lewd jokes.

The "peacock"

Expresses superiority or domination combined with a certain degree of smug arrogance. Performed by pushing the chest up and out at the front as well as tilting the face slightly upward. This may be accompanied by motions of hooking both thumbs under one's lapels or suspenders even if they are not present.

Raising Hand

Raising a hand is a gesture that conveys hello.^[1]

Head/face gestures

Facial expressions

Facial expressions is a rich language in is own and will not be discussed in this article. Some facial expressions are byproducts of emotions, while others, such as winking or eye-rolling are akin to gestures.

Eye-rolling

Rotating the eyes upward may have the following meanings.

• It may indicate condescension, contempt, boredom, or exasperation. This is often referred to as "rolling ones eyes to Heaven," as though wishing for a divine intervention for a rescue from boredom or frustration. It may also be accompanied by the head thrown backwards.
• Rolling eyes up with head slightly risen up, as if pointing upwards, may be the reference to people in higher hierarchy, e.g., upper management.

Nodding

A nod is a gesture of confirmation in many cultures and negation in some (e.g., in Bulgaria and Sri Lanka).

Bent head

A gesture of shame, subduing, or agreement/confirmation. An interpretation depends on the way it being performed and overall body context. Or, can be used as a greeting.

Head shaking

Head shaking, i.e., repeated alternating bending of the head to the left and to the right means disapproval in some cultures, e.g., in the East Slavic culture.

Head turning

Repeated turning of the head side to side has a meaning opposite to the nod: negation in many cultures and confirmation in some.

Pointing by chin

A direction may be pointed by chin, e.g., when the arms are doing something else: the head is turned in the corresponding direction and the chin is slightly jerked up and in the pointed direction. This is also used as a greeting in some regions in the U.S., usually among young men.

Hello by nod

A single nod of the head, (one single cycle in image-pitch) characterizes the hello gesture.^[2]

See also

• List of gestures
• Kinesics
• Rock, Paper, Scissors, a game played with hand gestures
• Sign language
• Charades
• Chironomia
• Diving signal
• Talk to the hand
• Metacommunicative competence
• Taunt
• Musical Gestures
• Body language

References

• Bulwer, John (1644). "Chirologia: or the Naturall Language of the Hand" (London,1644)
• Goldin-Meadow, Susan (2003). The resilience of language: What gesture creation in deaf children can tell us about how all children learn language. In the Essays in Developmental Psychologyseries (J. Werker & H. Wellman, Eds.). New York: Psychology Press.
• Goldin-Meadow, Susan (2003). Hearing gesture: How our hands help us think. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Johns, C. (1982). Sex or Symbol. Erotic Images of Greece and Rome. London: British Museum Publications.
• Kendon, Adam (ed.) (1981). Nonverbal Communication, Interaction and Gesture: Selections from Semiotica (Vol.41, Approaches to Semiotics). The Hague: Mouton and Co. [Includes as an Introduction by Kendon an extended critical survey of methodological and theoretical issues in the field].
• Kendon, Adam (1997). Annual Review of Anthropology. 26: 109-128.
• Kendon, Adam (2000). Gesture in Naples and Gesture in Classical Antiquity. An English translation, with an Introductory Essay and Notes of La mimica degli antichi investigata nel gestire Napoletano ('Gestural expression of the ancients in the light of neapolitan gesturing') by Andrea de Jorio (1832). Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.
• Kendon, Adam (2004). Gesture: Visible Action as Utterance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• McNeill, David (1992). Hand and Mind. What Gestures Reveal about Thought. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
• McNeill, David (2005). Gesture and Thought. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
• Kita, S. (ed.) (2003). Pointing: Where Language, Culture and Cognition Meet. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, ISBN 0-8058-4014-1.

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