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Here is a picture of people talking:
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One thing is immediately obvious. They are using gesture alongside speech. They are not unusual in this. In fact, everyone gestures while they talk. Puzzlingly, they do so even when they cannot be seen, e.g. when talking on the phone.
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There are different types of gesture. Some gestures have clear meanings. For example, when describing putting up a picture we might gesture hammering in the nail. These are known as 'iconic' gestures. Some gestures have conventional, agreed meanings, like thumbs up.
These gestures are known as 'emblems'. Other gestures look like meaningless arm waving, although they may help to emphasise a point. These are known as 'batons'.
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Why do people gesture while they talk? Here are some ideas:
- Gestures help to clarify the message. They have a communicative purpose.
- Gestures help us to organise our thoughts and think of what we want to say
- Gestures are a 'throw back' to earlier forms of communication; they may have emerged before the evolution of speech
Gesture and Aphasia
Many aphasic people can still use gesture. This is good news, as they may be able to gesture things that they cannot say. But, unfortunately, this is not always the case. Some aphasic people find it hard to think of gestures or to make the correct arm and hand movements.
There is some evidence that aphasic people can learn gesture through therapy. However, this evidence is limited. We need to know more.
Our project is exploring the use of gesture in therapy. Here are some of the things that we want to find out:
- Can people with severe aphasia learn a set of gestures?
- Are gestures easier to learn than spoken or written words?
- Does learning gesture help to cue speech? In other words if a person learns a gesture for an object will it be easier to think of the name of that object?
- Will gesture help everyday communication, e.g. with a family member or friend?
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