Metaphoric gesture is relevant for cognitive linguistics in two broad respects. On the one hand, it provides an independent source of evidence for cognitive linguistic notions. On the other hand, it poses the issue of whether such gesture should itself be considered linguistic in nature, i.e. an inherent aspect of language structure. The ways in which gesture is relevant as a source of evidence are for the most part quite apparent. Obviously, the prevalence of metaphoric gesture attests to the view of cognitive linguists that metaphor is a fundamental aspect of conceptual organization. (Ronald W. Langacker)