Exploring the boundaries of gesture-speech integration during language comprehension
Abstract
The present review explores the integrated relationship between gesture and speech during language comprehension. Taking a broad view, it presents a conceptual framework that approaches the comprehension of gesture and speech along three different dimensions: (1) components of language (semantics, pragmatics, phonetics and syntax), (2) levels of analysis (social, cognitive, and biological) and (3) timeframes of integration (online, moment-to-moment, developmental). The evidence suggests that some linguistic components (e.g., concrete semantic and pragmatic) are deeply connected to gestures, but others (e.g., abstract semantic, syntactic and phonetic) are less so. In this way, the hands help to delineate what aspects of language function as part of the body and what aspects operate independently of it.
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Observing gestures triggers semantic processing.
“Because observing gesture triggers semantic processing [30,31] it is conceivable that gestures linked to L2 grammatical morphemes could help children learn.”
From Can grammatical morphemes be taught? Evidence of gestures influencing second language procedural learning in middle childhood (2023) · cites this paper as [30]
Cites
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Visual Contribution to Speech Intelligibility in Noise
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Integration of word meaning and world knowledge in language comprehension
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Lip reading in infants: Attention to speech presented in- and out-of-synchrony
Dodd, B. (1979) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1016/0010-0285(79)90021-5 · Cited by 279 · see citing works
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Janzen Ulbricht, N. (2023) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0280543 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Because observing gesture triggers semantic processing [30,31] it is conceivable that gestures linked to L2 grammatical morphemes could help children learn.”
Background
- Authors
- Kelly, S. D.
- Affiliations
- Colgate University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kelly, Spencer D.
- ORCID
- Kelly, Spencer D.
- Venue
- Gesture Studies
- Publisher
- John Benjamins Publishing Company
- Published
- 2017-04-13
- Pages
- 243-265
- ISSN
- 1874-6829 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2607061846
- Cited by
- 30
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2020: 5 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 5.45
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Gesture studies (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Hearing Impairment and Communication
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies
- Keywords
- gesture-speech integration, language comprehension, embodied cognition, semantics, pragmatics, syntax, phonetics, developmental integration, social cognition, conceptual framework
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