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Article published In:
Language and Dialogue
Vol. 9:3 (2019) ► pp.349–378

Exploring bilingual children’s integration of gestures into talk-in-interaction

Functions, meaning, and sequence

| Nord University (Norway)
| British University in Dubai (UAE)

This paper explores how gestures, or the movements of hands, arms, and fingers, are employed by young bilinguals, or those who possess a good command of two languages. Moreover, it uncovers the sequential environment in which those gestures are found. The data come from twelve hours of recorded, naturally-occurring interaction between six bilingual girls in English. The findings reveal that their gestures have cognitive, communicative, interpersonal, and interactional functions. The gestures help solve speech problems, such as disambiguating speech, compensating for speech, and searching for words or what to say next. They also help allocate turns-at-talk, draw addressees’ attention, and maintain social relations. At a discourse level, the study reveals how bilinguals display similar gestures within the same discourse domain.

Keywords: bilinguals, bilingual interaction, gesture, speech-gesture connections, turns-at-talk
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Relevant literature
    • 2.1Gesture and bilinguals
    • 2.2Gestures in talk-in-interaction
      • 2.2.1Features
      • 2.2.2Meaning
      • 2.2.3Speech-gesture relationship
      • 2.2.4Gestures and interlocutors
    • 2.3Language-as-dialogue approach to studying gestural interaction
  • 3.Research methods
    • 3.1Research questions
    • 3.2Participants
    • 3.3Data collection and setting
  • 4.Analyses
    • 4.1Gestures and problematic talk
    • 4.2Gestures and discourse
    • 4.3Gestures and space
    • 4.4Gesture as a turn-taking management tool
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Gesture as a support in talk-in-interaction
    • 5.2Gesture as a private, interpersonal, and interactional practice
    • 5.3Gesturing to facilitate learning and knowing
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 29 October 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00047.wan
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