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when interacting with a socially distant superior. Speakers of both languages produced fewer gestures when addressing the superior, reduced their gesture space, decreased the encoding of manner, and reduced the use of
character-viewpoint gestures. We see the decrease in gesture frequency and the less frequent encoding of manner as indicators of
lower levels of iconicity when talking with status superiors. Curtailing gesture marks a less playful communicative context, and a more
serious and deferential persona. Altogether, our research speaks to the importance of politeness in gesture production, and the social
nature of gestures in human communication.
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