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Perspectives on Pantomime
Pantomime is a unique form of communication, which we improvise “on the fly” to transmit information when unable to use language, for example during intercultural contacts or when the use of language is blocked or constrained, as in the case of some medical conditions or the game of charades. Pantomimic communication has been investigated from a number of perspectives, including neuropsychological, developmental and gesture research. Recently, pantomime has come under the attention of evolutionary linguistics as a strong candidate for a precursor of verbal communication. This volume brings together authors who are at the forefront of these studies, which challenge the notion that pantomime is merely a fallback mode of expression. This multidisciplinary journey traverses language evolution, cognitive science, cognitive semiotics, sign language linguistics, psychology and gesture studies to unveil the profound role that pantomime plays in human communication.
[Advances in Interaction Studies, 12] 2024. v, 244 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 30 January 2024
Published online on 30 January 2024
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
- Introduction. Perspectives on pantomime: Evolution, development, interactionPrzemysław Żywiczyński, Johan Blomberg and Monika Boruta-Żywiczyńska | pp. 1–15
- Chapter 1. Pantomime within and beyond the evolution of languageMichael Arbib | pp. 16–57
- Chapter 2. The relations of demonstration and pantomime to causal reasoning and event cognitionPeter Gärdenfors | pp. 58–77
- Chapter 3. Narrative and pantomime at the origin of languageFrancesco Ferretti | pp. 78–99
- Chapter 4. Two types of bodily-mimetic communication: Distinct design specifications and evolutionary trajectoriesSławomir Wacewicz and Przemysław Żywiczyński | pp. 100–114
- Chapter 5. Can pantomime narrate? A cognitive semiotic approachJordan Zlatev, Marta Sibierska, Przemysław Żywiczyński, Joost van de Weijer and Monika Boruta-Żywiczyńska | pp. 115–138
- Chapter 6. The pantomimic origins of the narrative artsSteven Brown | pp. 139–158
- Chapter 7. The pantomime roots of Sao Tome and Principe Sign LanguageAna Mineiro and Mara Moita | pp. 159–187
- Chapter 8. Symbolic distancing in three-year-old children’s object-use pantomimePaula Marentette, Chelsea Inaba and Rebecca Petrie | pp. 188–216
- Chapter 9. Gestural mimesis as “as-if” actionCornelia Müller | pp. 217–241
- Index | pp. 243–244
“The monumental debate on the gestural vs vocal vs multimodal origins of language could not be resolved in a single compilation of chapters, and nonetheless the arguments presented in this book will stir interesting thoughts in the field and beyond.
The body of work presented in this book is testament that pantomime is an important but under-researched topic of investigation which merits scientific attention because it holds important insights about language emergence.”
The body of work presented in this book is testament that pantomime is an important but under-researched topic of investigation which merits scientific attention because it holds important insights about language emergence.”
Gerardo Ortega, University of Birmingham, in Gesture 22:3 (2023)
Cited by (1)
Cited by one other publication
Ortega, Gerardo
2023. Review of Żywiczyński, Blomberg & Boruta-Żywiczyńska (2024): Perspectives on Pantomime. Gesture 22:3 ► pp. 325 ff.
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