Introduction

Summary

The chapters in the handbook cover five main topics. Gesture types in terms of forms and functions; the focus is on manual gestures and their use as emblems, recurrent gestures, pointing gestures, and iconic representational gestures, but attention is also given to facial gestures. Different methods by which gestures have been annotated and analyzed, and different theoretical and methodological approaches, including semiotic analysis. The relation of gesture to language use covers language evolution as well as first and second language acquisition. Gestures in relation to cognition, including an overview of McNeill’s growth point theory. Gestures in interaction, considering variation in gesture use and intersubjectivity. Across the chapters, the meaning of the term ‘gesture’ is itself debated, as is the relation of gesture to language (as multimodal communication or in terms of different semiotic systems). Gesture use is studied based on data from speakers of various languages and cultures, but there is a bias toward European cultures, which remains to be addressed. The handbook provides overviews of the work of some scholars which was previously not widely available in English.