Ebook315 pages6 hours
Gesture and Thought
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this ebook
Gesturing is such an integral yet unconscious part of communication that we are mostly oblivious to it. But if you observe anyone in conversation, you are likely to see his or her fingers, hands, and arms in some form of spontaneous motion. Why? David McNeill, a pioneer in the ongoing study of the relationship between gesture and language, set about answering this question over twenty-five years ago. In Gesture and Thought he brings together years of this research, arguing that gesturing, an act which has been popularly understood as an accessory to speech, is actually a dialectical component of language.
Gesture and Thought expands on McNeill’s acclaimed classic Hand and Mind. While that earlier work demonstrated what gestures reveal about thought, here gestures are shown to be active participants in both speaking and thinking. Expanding on an approach introduced by Lev Vygotsky in the 1930s, McNeill posits that gestures are key ingredients in an “imagery-language dialectic” that fuels both speech and thought. Gestures are both the “imagery” and components of “language.” The smallest element of this dialectic is the “growth point,” a snapshot of an utterance at its beginning psychological stage. Utilizing several innovative experiments he created and administered with subjects spanning several different age, gender, and language groups, McNeill shows how growth points organize themselves into utterances and extend to discourse at the moment of speaking.
An ambitious project in the ongoing study of the relationship of human communication and thought, Gesture and Thought is a work of such consequence that it will influence all subsequent theory on the subject.
Gesture and Thought expands on McNeill’s acclaimed classic Hand and Mind. While that earlier work demonstrated what gestures reveal about thought, here gestures are shown to be active participants in both speaking and thinking. Expanding on an approach introduced by Lev Vygotsky in the 1930s, McNeill posits that gestures are key ingredients in an “imagery-language dialectic” that fuels both speech and thought. Gestures are both the “imagery” and components of “language.” The smallest element of this dialectic is the “growth point,” a snapshot of an utterance at its beginning psychological stage. Utilizing several innovative experiments he created and administered with subjects spanning several different age, gender, and language groups, McNeill shows how growth points organize themselves into utterances and extend to discourse at the moment of speaking.
An ambitious project in the ongoing study of the relationship of human communication and thought, Gesture and Thought is a work of such consequence that it will influence all subsequent theory on the subject.
Author
David McNeill
David McNeill is the Japan correspondent for The Independent and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He is the co-author of Strong in the Rain. He writes for The Irish Times and The Japan Times, while teaching at Sophia University in Tokyo. His work has appeared in Newsweek, New Scientist, Marie Claire, International Herald Tribune, Chicago Tribune, and on the BBC. He lives in Tokyo.
Related to Gesture and Thought
Related ebooks
Verbal Minds: Language and the Architecture of Cognition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMetaphors Dead and Alive, Sleeping and Waking: A Dynamic View Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpeech and Language: Advances in Basic Research and Practice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTheory of Mind and Literature Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Emotions Really Are: The Problem of Psychological Categories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Functions of Language and Cognition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Linguistic Cerebellum Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Serious Fun: The Power of Improvisation for Learning and Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ambiguity of Play Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Reflections in Communication: An Interdisciplinary Approach Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmbodied Cognition and 3D Art: Art, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Her Own Worst Enemy: Integrated Skills Through Drama Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPerception and Communication Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You’re All Talk: why we are what we speak Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMind, Body, World: Foundations of Cognitive Science Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Handbook of Communication and Emotion: Research, Theory, Applications, and Contexts Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Emotions, Remembering and Feeling Better: Dealing with the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement in Canada Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEngaging Ambience: Visual and Multisensory Methodologies and Rhetorical Theory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat We Mean by Experience Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMisbehaving Science: Controversy and the Development of Behavior Genetics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIslands of Privacy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImprovising Theory: Process and Temporality in Ethnographic Fieldwork Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Language and the World: Essays New and Old Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsErotic Attunement: Parenthood and the Ethics of Sensuality between Unequals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMemes, Communities and Continuous Change: Chinese Internet Vernacular Explained Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsActivist WPA, The: Changing Stories About Writing and Writers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eureka Myth: Creators, Innovators, and Everyday Intellectual Property Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Networkologies: A Philosophy of Networks for a Hyperconnected Age - A Manifesto Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Psychology For You
How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Self-Care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Prioritize You! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shadow Work: Face Hidden Fears, Heal Trauma, Awaken Your Dream Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5101 Fun Personality Quizzes: Who Are You . . . Really?! Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated For the Next Generation of Leaders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5F*ck Feelings: One Shrink's Practical Advice for Managing All Life's Impossible Problems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Letting Go: Stop Overthinking, Stop Negative Spirals, and Find Emotional Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Source: The Secrets of the Universe, the Science of the Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Covert Passive Aggressive Narcissist: The Narcissism Series, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Brain's Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Gesture and Thought
Rating: 3.8 out of 5 stars
4/5
5 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Gesture and Thought - David McNeill
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1