Gesture, Icon, Metaphor. Introduction to Gesture Analysis 3301-JF2650-2ST
The course introduces the basic concepts of gesture analysis within the framework of semiotics, cognitive linguistics, and multimodal communication. Students will explore how gestures function as meaningful components of human interaction, complementing and enhancing spoken language. Through a combination of theoretical discussions and practical applications, participants will develop the skills necessary to analyze and annotate gesture data.
While not a strict requirement, students will be asked to bring their own laptops to class for data-analysis sessions.
Course participants will be evaluated based on assignments involving audio-visual data annotation and analysis. Some of the planned tasks require installing EXMARaLDA Partitur Editor, an open-source application supported by all major operating systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux). The app will be introduced in class.
Key topics:
- Peircean semiotics;
- Iconicity in language;
- Modes of iconic representation in gesture;
- Indexicality and attention to gesture;
- Kendon’s continuum;
- McNeill’s gesture typology: iconics, metaphorics, deictics, beats;
- Describing gesture form
- Annotation of audio-visual data in Exmaralda Partitur Editor
- Metaphor and metonymy in gesture interpretation
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
Students will be able to:
K_W01 Identify and characterize on an advanced level the place and status of gesture studies within the field of linguistics
K_W02 Describe on an advanced level the current trends in gesture analysis within cognitive linguistics
Abilities
Students will be able to:
K_U01
Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to cognitive linguistics, and the methods of gesture analysis
K_U03
Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to describe, analyze, and interpret co-speech gestures thereby completing a research task which investigates the role of gestures in communication
K_U04
Analyze linguistic, literary and cultural phenomena and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, factors on an advanced level. Specifically, they should be able to discuss the role of iconicity in communication.
K_U05
Discern alternative methodological paradigms within the field of gesture studies
K_U08
Participate in group projects, related to the collection and analysis of linguistic data; collaborate with others and be a team leader in conducting collaborative research, presentations and other tasks included in the curriculum
K_U09
Present knowledge in a coherent, precise and linguistically correct manner in English on level C2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, ensuring an appropriate register and form, especially in the context of communication and linguistics
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
K_K02 Apply knowledge and skills obtained during the course of studies to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and professional development, and in particular their abilities to critically study academic literature.
K_K03 Take responsibility for performing one’s professional duties, with due respect for the work of others during the course, obey and develop the ethical norms in professional and academic settings related to the disciplines included on the curriculum of English studies
K_K04 Assess critically one’s own knowledge and skills related to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of audio-visual data
Assessment criteria
The final grade is based on the overall performance of students throughout the semestre. This includes 3-4 research assignments (collection, analysis and discussion of data) which constitute 90% of the grade.
The maximum amount of absences is 3
Bibliography
Antas, J. (2013). Semantyczność ciała. Gesty jako znaki myślenia. Primum Verbum.
Cienki, A. (2010). Multimodal metaphor analysis. In L. Cameron & R. Maslen (Eds.), Metaphor Analysis: Research Practice in applied Linguistics, Social Sciences and the Humanities (pp. 195–216). Equinox.
Cienki, A. (2020). Insights on the nature of language from the study of gesture units. In J. Badio (Ed.), Categories and Units in Language and Linguistics. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego.
Cienki, A., & Müller, C. (2009). Words, gestures, and beyond: Forms of multimodal metaphor in the use of spoken language. In C. Forceville & E. Urios-Aparisi (Eds.), Multimodal Metaphor (pp. 297–328). Walter de Gruyter.
Cooperrider, K. (2019). Universals and diversity in gesture: Research past, present, and future. Gesture, 18(2–3), 209–238.
EXMARaLDA. (2024). www.exmaralda.org
Kendon, A. (1980). Gesticulation and speech: Two aspects of the process of utterance. In M. R. Key (Ed.), The relationship of verbal and nonverbal communication (pp. 207–227). Mouton.
Kendon, A. (2004). Gesture: Visible action as utterance. Cambridge University Press.
McNeill, D. (1992). Hand and mind: What gestures reveal about thought. University of Chicago Press.
McNeill, D. (2006). Gesture and Communication. In K. Brown (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (Vol. 5, pp. 58–66). Elsevier.
Mittelberg, I. (2019). Visuo-Kinetic Signs Are Inherently Metonymic: How Embodied Metonymy Motivates Forms, Functions, and Schematic Patterns in Gesture. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 254.
Mittelberg, I., & Waugh, L. (2014). Gestures and metonymy. In C. Müller, A. Cienki, E. Fricke, S. Ladewig, D. McNeill, & J. Bressem (Eds.), Handbook of linguistics and communication science (pp. 1747–1766). Mouton de Gruyter.
Müller, C. (1998). Iconicity and Gesture. In S. Santi (Ed.), Oralité et gestualité: Communication multimodale, interaction: Actes du colloque Orage’98 (pp. 321–328). Harmattan.
Müller, C. (2014). Gestural modes of representation as techniques of depiction. In C. Müller, A. Cienki, E. Fricke, S. Ladewig, D. McNeill, & J. Bressem (Eds.), Handbook on mutlimodality and human interaction (pp. 1687–1702). Mouton de Gruyter.
Schmidt, T., & Wörner, K. (2013). EXMARaLDA. In J. Durand, U. Gut, & G. Kristoffersen (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Corpus Phonology (pp. 402–419). Oxford University Press.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: