Article published In: The gesture–sign interface in language acquisition / L’interface geste–signe dans l’acquisition du langage
Edited by Aliyah Morgenstern and Michèle Guidetti
[Language, Interaction and Acquisition 8:1] 2017
► pp. 13–41
Developmental evidence for continuity from action to gesture to sign/word
Virginia Volterra | Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC), National Research Council (CNR) of Italy, Rome, Italy
Olga Capirci | Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC), National Research Council (CNR) of Italy, Rome, Italy
Maria Cristina Caselli | Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC), National Research Council (CNR) of Italy, Rome, Italy
Published online: 16 October 2017
https://doi.org/10.1075/lia.8.1.02vol
https://doi.org/10.1075/lia.8.1.02vol
Abstract
What is linguistic communication and what is it not? Even if we often convey meanings through visible bodily actions, these are rarely considered part of human language. However, co-verbal gestures have compositional structure and semantic significance, while highly iconic structures are essential in sign languages. This paper offers a review of major studies conducted in our lab on the continuity from actions to gestures to words/signs in development. After a brief introduction, we show how gestures may bridge the gap between actions and words and how this interrelationship extends beyond early childhood and across cultures. We stress the role of sign language and multimodal communication in the study of language as a form of action and present recent research on motoric aspects of human communication. Studying the visible actions of speakers and signers leads to a revision of the traditional dichotomy between linguistic and enacted, and to the development of a new approach to embodied language.
Keywords: language, gesture, sign language, motor actions, children, development
Résumé
Qu’est-ce qui est communication linguistique, et qu’est-ce qui ne l’est pas ? Même si nous transmettons souvent du sens via nos actions corporelles visibles, ces actions sont très rarement considérées comme une partie du langage humain. D’un côté, les gestes co-verbaux ont une structure compositionnelle et un signifié sémantique et, de l’autre, les structures de grande iconicité sont fondamentales dans les langues des signes. Cet article présente une revue des études les plus importantes menées dans notre laboratoire sur la continuité entre actions, gestes et mots/signes dans le développement de l’enfant. Après une brève introduction, les deuxième et troisième parties montrent comment les gestes rendent possible le passage entre actions et mots, et comment leur relation se poursuit au-delà de la petite enfance, à travers plusieurs cultures. La quatrième partie souligne le rôle des langues des signes et de la communication multimodale dans l’étude du langage en tant que forme d’action. La cinquième partie présente les études les plus récentes sur les aspects moteurs de la communication humaine. L’étude des actions visibles des locuteurs et des signeurs conduit à une révision de la dichotomie traditionnelle entre linguistique et gestuel pour développer une nouvelle approche du langage incarné.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.From actions to gestures to words: evidence on how early action-gestures scaffold word acquisition in infancy
- 3.Towards multimodality: developing a more nuanced understanding of the role of gesture production in toddlers and older children
- 4.From actions to gestures to signs: the importance of considering sign language acquisition in understanding embodied language
- 5.Moving ahead: general conclusion and further contributions to the current debate on embodying language
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
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