Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Children's Gestures in Sweden

Andrén, Mats LU (2014) 2. p.1282-1289
Abstract
What are Swedish children’s gestures like? How do they change over time in development? How do they relate to spoken language? Is there anything particularly Swedish about them? These questions are all discussed in this paper. The main message is that the overarching patterns of gestural development in Swedish children are similar to what has been found in studies of children in other cultures, but that conventionality — in the sense of culturally established forms of conduct — is a pervasive and somewhat underestimated aspect of children’s gestures. Finally, a distinction between different levels of conventionality is presented — typified and normative conventionality — that makes possible a more nuanced discussion of cultural aspects of... (More)
What are Swedish children’s gestures like? How do they change over time in development? How do they relate to spoken language? Is there anything particularly Swedish about them? These questions are all discussed in this paper. The main message is that the overarching patterns of gestural development in Swedish children are similar to what has been found in studies of children in other cultures, but that conventionality — in the sense of culturally established forms of conduct — is a pervasive and somewhat underestimated aspect of children’s gestures. Finally, a distinction between different levels of conventionality is presented — typified and normative conventionality — that makes possible a more nuanced discussion of cultural aspects of gesture. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
in press
subject
keywords
conventionality, language, children, gestures, development
host publication
Body Language Communication
editor
Müller, Cornelia ; Cienki, Alan ; Fricke, Ellen ; Ladewig, Silva ; McNeill, David and Teßendor, Sedinha
volume
2
pages
1282 - 1289
publisher
De Gruyter
project
Centre for Cognitive Semiotics (RJ)
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b90c1811-b5de-446a-8fe2-91b4dbba77e6 (old id 4255629)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:30:28
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:05:18
@inbook{b90c1811-b5de-446a-8fe2-91b4dbba77e6,
  abstract     = {{What are Swedish children’s gestures like? How do they change over time in development? How do they relate to spoken language? Is there anything particularly Swedish about them? These questions are all discussed in this paper. The main message is that the overarching patterns of gestural development in Swedish children are similar to what has been found in studies of children in other cultures, but that conventionality — in the sense of culturally established forms of conduct — is a pervasive and somewhat underestimated aspect of children’s gestures. Finally, a distinction between different levels of conventionality is presented — typified and normative conventionality — that makes possible a more nuanced discussion of cultural aspects of gesture.}},
  author       = {{Andrén, Mats}},
  booktitle    = {{Body Language Communication}},
  editor       = {{Müller, Cornelia and Cienki, Alan and Fricke, Ellen and Ladewig, Silva and McNeill, David and Teßendor, Sedinha}},
  keywords     = {{conventionality; language; children; gestures; development}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{1282--1289}},
  publisher    = {{De Gruyter}},
  title        = {{Children's Gestures in Sweden}},
  volume       = {{2}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}