gesture
Quick Summary
Gestures are movements of the body or limbs that convey ideas or feelings, serving as a form of nonverbal communication. They can include signs, signals, and mimes, and are often unique to specific cultures. While some gestures, like facial expressions, appear to be universally understood, many others vary significantly across different cultures and can lead to misinterpretation.1234
Gestures are a component of kinesics, a field that studies how body movements generate meaning, similar to how sounds form words in spoken language. Beyond conveying explicit messages, gestures can also add emphasis, express emotions, and regulate social interactions. In addition to gestures, nonverbal communication encompasses other signals such as facial expressions, tone of voice, and body posture.243
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
languageParalinguistics…these are collectively known as gestures. The contribution of bodily gestures to the total meaning of a conversation is in part culturally determined and differs in different communities. Just how important these visual symbols are may be seen when one considers how much less effective phone conversation is as compared…
Read More…these are collectively known as gestures. The contribution of bodily gestures to the total meaning of a conversation is in part culturally determined and differs in different communities. Just how important these visual symbols are may be seen when one considers how much less effective phone conversation is as compared…
Read More- languageStyle
…supplemented by facial expression and gesture when speaker and hearer are mutually in sight, indicates and is intended to indicate a great deal more than factual information, inquiries, and requests. Similarly, sign languages incorporate facial expressions and body language to add meaning and nuance. The fact that some of these…
Read More…supplemented by facial expression and gesture when speaker and hearer are mutually in sight, indicates and is intended to indicate a great deal more than factual information, inquiries, and requests. Similarly, sign languages incorporate facial expressions and body language to add meaning and nuance. The fact that some of these…
Read More
