Gestures in Second Language Acquisition

Despite the popular conviction that gestures play an important role in second language use, both in production and comprehension, as well as for actual language acquisition, the topic has received remarkably little scholarly attention until recently. This one-of-a-kind volume presents a comprehensive overview of theoretical issues concerning the role of gestures in the production and comprehension of second languages. Examining the role of gestures through a cognitive and psycholinguistic paradigm, the book discusses issues in L2 research to which gesture analyses can contribute and relates them to theories and research on (L1) learning. It also provides an overview of SLA domains where gestures are relevant and connects acquisition-related questions and theories in psychology and cognitive science to SLA, and includes a substantial methodological section to illustrate how to conduct gesture studies in SLA. Researchers and students in the fields of SLA and bilingualism studies, applied linguistics, psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and education will find Gestures in Second Language Acquisition a timely and relevant text.