Humans produce utterances intentionally. Visible bodily action, or gesture, has long been acknowledged as part of the broader activity of speaking, but it is only recently that the role of gesture during utterance production and comprehension has been the focus of investigation. If we are to understand the role of gesture in communication, we must answer the following questions: Do gestures communicate? Do people produce gestures with an intention to communicate? This Element argues that the answer to both these questions is yes. Gestures are (or can be) communicative in all the ways language is. This Element arrives at this conclusion on the basis that communication involves prediction. Communicators predict the behaviours of themselves and others, and such predictions guide the production and comprehension of utterance. This Element uses evidence from experimental and neuroscientific studies to argue that people produce gestures because doing so improves such predictions.
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1. Communication, pragmatics and prediction; 2. Incorporating gesture into pragmatic theories of communication; 3. Experimental studies on gesture comprehension and production; 4. Prediction, communication and gesture; 5. Conclusions; References.
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Taking ideas from theory, neuropsychological studies and analyses, this Element proposes a model of gesture production and comprehension.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781009013796
Publisert
2024-02-29
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
96

Forfatter