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gesture

Did you mean: gesture, gestures, The Gestures, The Gestures (Rock Band, '60s), The Gestures (1996 Album by The Gestures)

 
Dictionary: ges·ture   (jĕs'chər) pronunciation
n.
  1. A motion of the limbs or body made to express or help express thought or to emphasize speech.
  2. The act of moving the limbs or body as an expression of thought or emphasis.
  3. An act or a remark made as a formality or as a sign of intention or attitude: sent flowers as a gesture of sympathy.

v., -tured, -tur·ing, -tures.

v.intr.
To make gestures.

v.tr.
To show, express, or direct by gestures.

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin gestūra, bearing, from Latin gestus, past participle of gerere, to behave.]

gestural ges'tur·al adj.
gesturally ges'tur·al·ly adv.
gesturer ges'tur·er n.

SYNONYMS   gesture, gesticulation, sign, signal. These nouns denote an expressive, meaningful bodily motion: a gesture of approval; frantic gesticulations to get help; made a sign for silence; gave the signal to advance.


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Thesaurus: gesture
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noun

  1. An expressive, meaningful bodily movement: gesticulation, indication, motion, sign, signal. Informal high sign. See express.
  2. Something that takes the place of words in communicating a thought or feeling: expression, indication, sign, token. See show/hide.

verb

    To make bodily motions so as to convey an idea or complement speech: gesticulate, motion, sign, signal, signalize. Idioms: give the high sign. See express.

Antonyms: gesture
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n

Definition: motion as communication
Antonyms: speech


Word Tutor: gesture
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A movement or action of the hands or face, expressive of some idea or emotion.

pronunciation A smile is a friendly gesture that can make a newcomer feel welcome.

Tutor's tip: A good "jester" (a person who tells jokes) will use "gestures" (movements to express an attitude) to make the jokes even funnier.

Wikipedia: Gesture
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Military signallers use hand and body gestures to direct flight operations aboard aircraft carriers.

A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions are used to communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with spoken words.[1] Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body. Gestures differ from physical non-verbal communication that does not communicate specific messages, such as purely expressive displays, proxemics, or displays of joint attention.[1] The language of gesture allows individuals to express a variety of feelings and thoughts, from contempt and hostility to approval and affection. Most people use gestures and body language in addition to words when they speak. The use of gesture as language by some ethnic groups is more common than in others, and the amount of such gesturing that is considered culturally acceptable varies from one location to the next.

Contents

Studies of gesture

Gestures have been studied throughout the centuries from different view points. [2] Quintillian in the antiquity studied in his Institution Oratoria how gesture may be used in rhetorical discourse. Another broad study of gesture was published by John Bulwer in 1644.[3] Bulwer analyzed dozens of gestures and provided a guide on how to use gestures to increase eloquence and clarity for public speaking. Andrea De Jorio published an extensive account of gestural expression in 1832.[4] Today, one of the most prominent researchers in the field of gesture research is Adam Kendon. He has investigated many aspects of gestures, including their role in communication, conventionalization of gesture, integration of gesture and speech, and the evolution of language [5]. Other prominent researchers in this field include Susan Goldin-Meadow and David McNeill. Susan Goldin-Meadow (2003) has investigated intensively the role of gesture in problem solving in children[6]. David McNeill (1992, 2006)[7] has developed a broad theory about how gesture and speech are part of a single thought process. Adam Kendon is a leading authority on the study of gesture, and has also published important studies in social interaction. He has published over a hundred articles and several books on the role of the body in social interaction.[8]

Social significance

Vitarka mudra, Tarim Basin, 9th century.

Many animals, including humans, use gestures to initiate a mating ritual. This may include elaborate dances and other movements. Gestures play a major role in many aspects of human life. Gesturing is probably a universal; there has been no report of a community that does not gesture. Gestures are a crucial part of everyday conversation such as chatting, describing a route, negotiating prices on a market; they are ubiquitous. Gestures have been documented in the arts such as in Greek vase paintings, Indian Miniatures or European paintings.

Gestures play a central role in religious or spiritual rituals such as the Christian sign of the cross. In Hinduism and Buddhism, a mudra (Sanskrit, literally "seal") is a symbolic gesture made with the hand or fingers. Each mudra has a specific meaning, playing a central role in Hindu and Buddhist iconography. An example is the Vitarka mudra, the gesture of discussion and transmission of Buddhist teaching. It is done by joining the tips of the thumb and the index together, while keeping the other fingers straight.

Types of gestures

Pointing with an extended finger is offensive in many cultures.

Different types of gestures are distinguished. Well-known gestures are the so-called emblems or quotable gestures. These are culture-specific gestures that can be used as replacement for words. Communities have repertoires of such gestures. A single emblematic gesture can a have very different significance in different cultural contexts, ranging from complimentary to highly offensive [9]

Other types of gestures are the ones we use when we speak. These gestures are closely coordinated with speech. Gestures and co-occurring speech express the same meaning. For example, a gesture that depicts the act of throwing may be synchronous with the utterance, "He threw the ball right into the window." [10] Other gestures, like the so-called beat gestures, are used in conjunction with speech and keep time with the rhythm of speech to emphasize certain words or phrases. These types of gestures are integrally connected to speech and thought processes.[10]

The page Types of gestures discusses gestures made with one hand, two hands, hand and other body parts, and body and facial gestures.

Electronic interface

The movement of gestures can be used to interact with technology, using touch or multi-touch popularised by the iPhone, physical movement detection and visual motion capture, used in video game consoles.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Kendon, Adam. (2004) Gesture: Visible Action as Utterance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-83525-9
  2. ^ Kendon, A. (1982). The study of gesture: Some observations on its history. Recherches Sémiotiques/Semiotic Inquiry 2 (1)
  3. ^ Bulwer, John (1644). "Chirologia: or the Naturall Language of the Hand" (London,1644)
  4. ^ de Jorio, Andrea, Gesture in Naples and Gesture in Classical Antiquity. Indiana University Press
  5. ^ Kendon (2004). Gesture: Visible Action as Utterance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  6. ^ Goldin-Meadow, Susan (2003). Hearing gesture: How our hands help us think. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
  7. ^ # McNeill, David (1992). Hand and Mind. What Gestures Reveal about Thought. Chicago: Chicago University Press. McNeill, David (2005). Gesture and Thought. Chicago: Chicago University Press
  8. ^ A Profile of Adam Kendon. [1]
  9. ^ Morris, Desmond, Collett, Peter, Marsh, Peter, O'Shaughnessy, Marie. 1979. Gestures, their origins and distribution. London. Cape
  10. ^ a b McNeill (1992). Hand and Mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press

Further readings

  • Bulwer, John (1644). "Chirologia: or the Naturall Language of the Hand" (London,1644)
  • Goldin-Meadow, Susan (2003). The resilience of language: What gesture creation in deaf children can tell us about how all children learn language. In the Essays in Developmental Psychologyseries (J. Werker & H. Wellman, Eds.). New York: Psychology Press.
  • Goldin-Meadow, Susan (2003). Hearing gesture: How our hands help us think. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Johns, C. (1982). Sex or Symbol. Erotic Images of Greece and Rome. London: British Museum Publications.
  • Kendon, Adam (ed.) (1981). Nonverbal Communication, Interaction and Gesture: Selections from Semiotica (Vol.41, Approaches to Semiotics). The Hague: Mouton and Co. [Includes as an Introduction by Kendon an extended critical survey of methodological and theoretical issues in the field].
  • Kendon, Adam (1997). Annual Review of Anthropology. 26: 109-128.
  • Kendon, Adam (2000). Gesture in Naples and Gesture in Classical Antiquity. An English translation, with an Introductory Essay and Notes of La mimica degli antichi investigata nel gestire Napoletano ('Gestural expression of the ancients in the light of neapolitan gesturing') by Andrea de Jorio (1832). Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.
  • Kendon, Adam (2004). Gesture: Visible Action as Utterance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Kita, S. (ed.) (2003). Pointing: Where Language, Culture and Cognition Meet. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, ISBN 0-8058-4014-1.
  • McNeill, David (1992). Hand and Mind. What Gestures Reveal about Thought. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
  • McNeill, David (2005). Gesture and Thought. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

External links


Translations: Gesture
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - gestus, fagter, mimik
v. intr. - gestikulere, bruge fagter
v. tr. - gøre en gestus

Nederlands (Dutch)
gebaar, geste, gebaren, d.m.v. gebaren kenbaar maken

Français (French)
n. - (lit, fig) geste, gesticulation
v. intr. - faire un geste, désigner qch d'un geste, faire signe à qn (de faire)
v. tr. - faire signe, faire un geste (d'assentiment)

Deutsch (German)
v. - gestikulieren, Gesten machen, fuchteln
n. - Geste, Gebärde

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - χειρονομώ, γνέφω
n. - χειρονομία, γνέψιμο, νεύμα

Italiano (Italian)
gesticolare, gesto

Português (Portuguese)
v. - gesticular
n. - gesto (m), ato (m), demonstração (f)

Русский (Russian)
жест, мимика, жестикулировать

Español (Spanish)
n. - gesto, ademán, movimiento, detalle, muestra
v. intr. - hacer gestos o ademanes, gesticular
v. tr. - hacer gestos o ademanes, gesticular

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - göra ett tecken (en gest) åt
n. - gest, yttring, mim (teat.)

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
手势, 姿态, 做手势, 用动作示意, 用手势表示

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 手勢, 姿態
v. intr. - 做手勢, 用動作示意
v. tr. - 用手勢表示

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 동작, 표시
v. intr. - 몸짓으로 말하다
v. tr. - 몸짓으로 말하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 身振り, 手まね, しぐさ, 身振りをすること, そぶり
v. - 身りで表わす, 身振りをする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يشير, يومئ (الاسم) ايماءة, اشارة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מחווה, תנועת ראש, תנועה (בידיים), ג'סטה, פעולה שמטרתה לעורר שימת-לב‬
v. intr. - ‮הביע או רמז בתנועות ראש וידיים‬
v. tr. - ‮הביע או רמז בתנועות ראש וידיים‬


 
 

Did you mean: gesture, gestures, The Gestures, The Gestures (Rock Band, '60s), The Gestures (1996 Album by The Gestures)

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