Human language is not the same as human speech. We use gestures and signs to communicate alongside, or instead of, speaking. Yet gestures and speech are processed in the same areas of the human brain, and the study of how both have evolved is central to research on the origins of human communication. Written by one of the pioneers of the field, this is the first book to explain how speech and gesture evolved together into a system that all humans possess.
Whether we are conscious of it or not, in any conversation there are actually two languages being spoken. One is the verbal communication we are all familiar with, but the other--and maybe more important, is the more subtle collection of gestures, expressions, and movements that constitute body language. In this illustrated guide, authors Gerard Nierenberg and Henry Calero decode this largely unexplored form of expression--revealing how to look past words to determine what’s really being said.
Gestures are prevalent in communication and tightly linked to language and speech. As such they can shed important light on issues of language development across the lifespan. This volume, originally published as a Special Issue of Gesture Volume 8:2 (2008), brings together studies from different disciplines that examine language development in children and adults from varying perspectives.
This landmark study examines the role of gestures in relation to speech and thought. Leading scholars, including psychologists, linguists and anthropologists, offer state-of-the-art analyses to demonstrate that gestures are not merely an embellishment of speech but are integral parts of language itself. The volume contributes to a rapidly growing field of study, offering a wide range of theoretical perspectives. It has strong cross-linguistic and cross-cultural components, examining gestures by speakers of Mayan, Australian, East Asian, as well as English and European languages.
Darting through examples found anywhere from the controlled psychology laboratory to modern advertising and the Big Brother TV phenomenon, official Big Brother psychologist Geoffrey Beattie takes on the issue of what our everyday gestures mean and how they affect our relationships with other people.
