Publisher's Synopsis
Imagine a child explaining a conservation judgment by saying,That one's wider, while indicating the height of a glasswith his hand. Now consider an adult saying, She chased him,while brandishing an imaginary umbrella in her hands. In both ofthese examples, information different from that conveyed by speechis communicated by movements of the hands. These movements of thehands that co-occur with speech--gestures--are the subject of thisvolume of the New Directions for Child Development series.Although gesture has always been considered relevant to talk, ithas usually been seen as a stream separate from speech, one thatcan reflect the attitudes and feelings of speakers but that is notcentrally involved in language. It was not until recently thatgesture became a legitimate
interest of language researches. The chapters herein focus on thespontaneous gestures that accompany speech, especially the speechof children. Together they confirm that gesture is a robust andintegral part of communication that can provide unique insightsinto the mind.
