Gesture types

In discussing the representations of gestural viewpoints, five gestural features, gestural space, handedness, stroke duration, frequency and the involvement of other body parts have been recognized as indicative criteria in identifying speaker viewpoint, and observer viewpoint and character viewpoint. The five features work in collaboration with each other and differences in the performances of these gestural

features might therefore yield different representations of viewpoints. These gestural features and their interaction can also be manifested in gestures of different gesture types.

In McNeill’s gestural study on viewpoints, he mainly focused on how observer and character viewpoints can be inferred from iconic gestures. However, viewpoints can also be seen in and expressed through other types of gesture. In the current data, speakers make use of iconic, metaphoric and spatial gestures in company with speech in talking about third-person past events. The distribution of the different types of gesture in representing each viewpoint can be seen in Table 10.

Table 10. Types of gesture in representing viewpoints

Viewpoint

Table 10 shows that in the current data, iconic gesture is the major gesture type produced in representing viewpoints. In terms of gestures expressing character viewpoint, iconic gestures account for 92.1% (58 out of 63) of all gestures. On the other hand, while iconic gestures also account for over half of all gestures in

expressing observer viewpoint, the percentage is much lower than for those produced in expressing character viewpoint (53.8%, 28 out of 52). Metaphoric and spatial gestures together account for the other half of all gestures that convey observer viewpoint.

Concerning speaker viewpoint, the four gestures produced are all metaphoric gestures. Metaphoric gestures—gestures that involve the metaphoric use of form to present abstract ideas or concepts, can present speakers’ attitudes and comments on the events through the metaphoric use of form and therefore may be expected to be the major type of gesture expressing speaker viewpoint.

In fact, if we focus on only observer and character viewpoint, we find that most of the metaphoric and spatial gestures are performed to convey observer viewpoint.

73.7% of all metaphoric gestures (14 out of 19) and 71.4% of all spatial gestures (10 out of 14) convey observer viewpoint rather than character viewpoint. The number of occurrences of metaphoric gestures that convey character viewpoint, especially, involve only one case in the current data. This suggests that in talking about third-person past events, speakers’ metaphoric use of the accompanying gestures and the use of an abstract pointing are mostly used to help speakers represent the events from the position of an outside-the-event observer.

Despite the fact that metaphoric and spatial gestures mostly convey an observer

viewpoint in speakers’ descriptions of third-person past events, we can still see how metaphoric and spatial gestures are also able to express character viewpoint.

Examples (21) and (22) are illustrations of the use of metaphoric gestures in representing observer and character viewpoint. Examples (23) and (24) on the other hand, illustrate how spatial gestures represent observer and character viewpoint.

Example (21) illustrates how metaphoric gesture can express observer viewpoint.

In Example (21), the conversational topic is about an event in which the president of M1’s company once invited all of the chief executives in his corporation to a banquet.

(21) |~~~~~~~~~~~~~***************-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-|

[a] [b] [c]

M1: tā búshì qǐng suǒyǒu de dǒngjiān 3SG NEG.COP invite all DE chief.executives

[a] At tā, right hand moves from the table in front of the speaker to front of the chest, with all digits bent at the base ((1) in Figure 8)

[b] From qǐng to suǒyǒu, right index finger extends and points downward, then draws a clockwise circle. Other digits curl into the fist ((2) in Figure 8)

[c] At de, right hand moves back to the table ((3) in Figure 8) M1: ‘Didn’t he invite all of the chief executives?’

Figure 8. Metaphoric gesture in representing observer viewpoint

In talking about this clausal event, M1 produced a speech-accompanying gesture

meaning suǒyǒu de dǒngjiān ‘all of the chief executives’. Within this gesture, the characters suǒyǒu de dǒngjiān of this past event are conceptualized by the abstract use of form—a clockwise circle drawn with M1’s right index finger to represent all of the chief executives as an object which is being referred to. In other words, all chief of the executives—characters of the past event, are represented as a whole in the movement of M1’s right index finger and the circle he draws. In making this hand movement, the gestural space is localized at the front of M1’s chest at Center-Center space. In this case, M1’s body is outside of the gestural space, which suggests that he does not seek to place himself inside the original scene. Only the right hand is used in making this gesture, and the stroke duration is short in that it only lasts for 0.4 seconds. There is no repetition of the hand movement, and no other body parts are involved in making the gesture. M1’s use of the speech-accompanying gesture, with five simple gestural features work in collaboration with each other, suggests that he is using his hand movement to depict the past event in the role of an observer outside of the event.

Metaphoric gesture can also express character viewpoint, by the interactions between the same five gestural features. The five gestural features often show more gestural complexity in manifesting character viewpoint in gesture. Example (22) provides an illustration. In Example (22), the conversational topic is about one of speaker M1’s colleagues Lìwáng. M1 is commenting on Liwang’s act of writing a

monolog on the social network.

(22) |~~~*************

[a] [b]

M1: tā wánquán dōu zài.. zìwèn zìdá 3SG completely all at self.ask self.answer

[a] From zài, right hand lifts up with the index finger extended upward to front of the mouth ((1) in Figure 9)

[b] At zìwèn zìdá, right hand moves slightly outward and then back inward toward speaker’s own body; then outward and inward again ((2) to (3) in Figure 9)

M1: ‘He is talking to himself.’

Figure 9. Metaphoric gesture in representing character viewpoint

In this event, a speech-accompanying gesture that conceptualizes the situation of

zìwèn zìdá ‘talking to himself’ is performed. In representing this situation, M1’s use

of the right index finger is conceptualized as abstract words, and the outward-inward movement conceptualizes the situation of words spoken to Liwang and words come out from Liwang’s mouth. The outward movement suggests that Lìwáng is ‘asking himself questions’ ‘zìwèn’, and the inward movement suggests that Lìwáng is

‘answering questions he asked himself’ ‘zìdá’. In this case, M1 is acting as Lìwáng,

with his mouth as Liwang’s mouth and his body as Liwang’s body. This hand

movement representing zìwèn zìdá is performed in front of M1’s face, encompassing the Periphery space. The gesture also has longer stroke duration which lasts for 1.16 seconds. In addition, the same outward-inward hand movement representing the situation of zìwèn zìdá is done twice. The conceptualization of zìwèn zìdá is represented through M1’s metaphoric use of gesture with three complex gestural features that conveys character viewpoint: M1’s use of the gestural space at Periphery space, of the longer stroke duration and the repetition of the same outward-inward movement.

In terms of how spatial gesture might be able to convey both observer and character viewpoint, we can see Examples (23) and (24). Example (23) first shows how spatial gesture expresses observer viewpoint. In Example (23), the conversational topic is about how the president of M1’s company has once invited all of the chief executives in his corporation to a banquet and the clausal event being examined is about how the president nevertheless has deliberately missed out someone on the list.

(23) |~~~~~*****************

[a] [b]

M1: tāmen jiù yǒu…(0.8) yǒu lòudiào jǐge rén 3PL just have have miss some people

[a] At yǒu, right hand knocks on the table in front of the speaker, with all fingers curling into the fist ((1) in Figure 10)

[b] From lòudiào to rén, right index finger slightly extends and points down at the table five times but at different places each time ((2) to (3) in Figure 10)

M1: ‘They have been deliberately missing out some people on the list.’

Figure 10. Spatial gesture in representing observer viewpoint

In talking about this event, M1 makes a spatial gesture to orientate the characters of this event jǐge rén ‘some people’. In other words, characters are represented through M1’s use of only the right index finger and a point-down hand movement. In addition, the pointing gesture is performed at the table that is in front of M1’s chest, encompassing only the Center-Center space. M1’s body is clearly not included in the gestural space, suggesting that M1 is presenting this event like an onlooker outside of the event. In addition, there is no involvement of other body parts accompanying the gesture used in making the pointing. Taking the performances of these gestural features that show less gestural complexity together—the gesture performed at the Center-Center space, the use of only right hand, and no involvement of other body parts, therefore, it is suggested that this spatial gesture is expressing the observer viewpoint.

In terms of how spatial gesture represents character viewpoint, we can see Example (24). In Example (24), the conversational topic is about how speaker F and her aunt had once gone looking for a house. In talking about her aunt’s reaction when

seeing a beautiful house, F is using direct speech to quote what her aunt said at that time.

(24) |~~~*******************************************-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-|

[a] [b] [c] [d] [e]

1 F: .. tā jiù jiǎng shuō zhè jiān.. a zhè jiān hǎo piàoliàng yo..

3SG just speak COMPL this CL PRT this CL very beautiful PRT 2 zhè jiān.. huì-bú-huì hěn guì

this CL can.NEG.can very expensive

[a] At tā, left hand rises from the waist to front of the face, the arm bends to speaker’s right side with the index finger extended and pointing to the right ((1) to (2) in Figure 11) [b] From jiù to shuō, left arm rises up to overhead, with the index finger extended and

pointing up ((3) in Figure 11)

[c] At zhè jiān, left arm slightly goes down, the index finger remains extended and pointing up ((4) in Figure 11)

[d] At a zhè jiān, left arm lifts up slightly again to the place that is a bit lower than that of the first rise-up mentioned in Line [b] ((5) in Figure 11)

[e] At hǎo, left hand starts returning to thigh ((6) in Figure 11)

F: ‘And then she says, “This one, ah, this one, this one is beautiful, this one…Is this one expensive?”’

Figure 11. Spatial gesture in representing character viewpoint

In talking about this event, F not only uses direct speech through the linguistic channel to enact the role of the character’s (F’s aunt) speech, but also uses a spatial

gesture to act as her aunt. This spatial gesture used to orientate the house (zhè jiān) in the original scene of the past event suggests that F is playing the part of her aunt in this event by making her hand act as her aunt’s hand might have done at the time of the event. In performing this gesture, the hand moves from the Center to upper Periphery space, encompassing a large area in the carrying out of the pointing. The spatial gesture also has a longer stroke duration, which lasts for 1.69 seconds, and the pointing is done twice (see (3) and (5) in Figure 11). In addition, in carrying out this abstract pointing, F’s head lifts up slightly and her eye gaze also shifts slightly above, as if viewing the house in front of her in the original scene of the past event. This spatial gesture, compared to the spatial gesture illustrated in Example (23), shows different performances of the gestural features where this gesture is composed of four gestural features that show more gestural complexity—that the gestural space encompasses a large area, the longer stroke duration, the repetition of the pointing, and the involvement of head-rising and eyes shifting taken all together suggest that character viewpoint is being expressed through gesture.

5.5 Interim summary

In the previous chapter on linguistic viewpoints, hypotheses on gestural viewpoints were made based on the performance of linguistic viewpoints. Following

McNeill’s notion that “one area of meaning where speech and gesture are coexpressive is the point of view” (1992:118), we expected that the gestures accompanying speakers’ speech would also present a similar distributional pattern in the descriptions of third-person past events. However, the distributions of gestural viewpoints shown in previous sections of this chapter suggest that speakers’ use of speech-accompanying gestures display a different pattern in representing viewpoints.

Character viewpoint, which is rarely adopted in language, is the most often expressed viewpoint in gestures. In addition, while speakers in talking about third-person past events are also concerned occasionally about the ongoing conversation and therefore express speaker viewpoint through language, their speech-accompanying gestures often do not serve this function. Observer viewpoint, on the other hand, is frequently adopted in both the linguistic and gestural channels.

In discussing the distributional pattern of gestural viewpoints, we have also seen how each viewpoint is represented through the use of five gestural features—gestural space, handedness, stroke duration, frequency, and the involvement of other parts of the body, and the interactions between these five gestural features. In discussing how the gestures used in representing different viewpoints perform these gestural features, the statistics of the Chi-square tests suggest that the correlations between each gestural feature and gestural viewpoints are all significant. Gestural

features that show more gestural complexity are used more often in C-VPT gesture than in O-VPT gesture. On the contrary, simple gestural features that show less gestural complexity are used more often in O-VPT gesture rather than C-VPT gesture.

In addition, a C-VPT gesture is often composed of greater number of complex gestural features than an O-VPT gesture. In contrast, an O-VPT gesture is often composed of greater number of less complex gestural features than a C-VPT gesture.

This clearly suggests that the five gestural features recognized in this study could serve as indicative criteria in identifying different gestural viewpoints.

In McNeill’s gestural study on viewpoints (1992), he mainly focused on how observer and character viewpoint could be inferred from iconic gestures. However, based on the use of the five gestural features as indicative criteria in identifying speaker, observer, and character viewpoint, other gesture types can also be used to convey the three viewpoints. Despite the fact that iconic gestures are still the major gesture type produced in the current data, metaphoric and spatial gestures are also produced in speakers’ descriptions of third-person past events in expressing viewpoints. In addition, metaphoric and spatial gestures are performed most often to express observer viewpoint (73.7% and 71.4%). In terms of character viewpoint, 92.1% of all gestures are iconic gestures. With regard to speaker viewpoint, all four cases in the current data are represented through metaphoric gestures. Since speakers

in expressing speaker viewpoint attempt to reveal their concerns about the ongoing conversations by conveying their personal comments and attitudes as a current speaker, the use of metaphoric gestures—gestures that represent speakers’ abstract comments or attitudes through abstract use of forms are able to achieve this function.