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Constraints on communicating the order of events in stories through pantomime

Sibierska, Marta ; Żywiczyński, Przemysław ; Zlatev, Jordan LU ; van de Weijer, Joost LU orcid and Boruta-Żywiczyńska, Monika (2023) In Journal of Language Evolution p.1-15
Abstract
Pantomime is a means of bodily visual communication that is based on iconic gestures that are not fully conventional. It has become a key element in many models of language evolution and a strong candidate for the original human-specific communicative system (Zlatev et al. 2020). Although pantomime affords successful communication in many contexts, it has some semiotic limitations. In this study, we looked at one of them, connected with communicating the order of events in stories. We assumed that pantomime is well-suited for communicating simple stories, where events are arranged in chronological order, and less so for communicating complex stories, where events are arranged in a non-chronological order. To test this assumption, we... (More)
Pantomime is a means of bodily visual communication that is based on iconic gestures that are not fully conventional. It has become a key element in many models of language evolution and a strong candidate for the original human-specific communicative system (Zlatev et al. 2020). Although pantomime affords successful communication in many contexts, it has some semiotic limitations. In this study, we looked at one of them, connected with communicating the order of events in stories. We assumed that pantomime is well-suited for communicating simple stories, where events are arranged in chronological order, and less so for communicating complex stories, where events are arranged in a non-chronological order. To test this assumption, we designed a semiotic game in which participants took turns as directors and matchers. The task of the directors was to mime a story in one of two conditions: chronological or non-chronological; the task of the matchers was to interpret what was mimed. The results showed that the chronological condition was easier for the participants. In the non-chronological condition, we observed that initially, poor communicative success improved as the participants started to use various markers of event order. The results of our study provide insight into the early stages of conventionalisation in bodily visual communication, a potential first step towards protolanguage. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Language Evolution
pages
15 pages
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85173729263
ISSN
2058-4571
DOI
10.1093/jole/lzad008
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
75b87b78-d8df-4957-8401-76924d0895f2
date added to LUP
2023-08-07 10:54:24
date last changed
2023-12-14 04:03:38
@article{75b87b78-d8df-4957-8401-76924d0895f2,
  abstract     = {{Pantomime is a means of bodily visual communication that is based on iconic gestures that are not fully conventional. It has become a key element in many models of language evolution and a strong candidate for the original human-specific communicative system (Zlatev et al. 2020). Although pantomime affords successful communication in many contexts, it has some semiotic limitations. In this study, we looked at one of them, connected with communicating the order of events in stories. We assumed that pantomime is well-suited for communicating simple stories, where events are arranged in chronological order, and less so for communicating complex stories, where events are arranged in a non-chronological order. To test this assumption, we designed a semiotic game in which participants took turns as directors and matchers. The task of the directors was to mime a story in one of two conditions: chronological or non-chronological; the task of the matchers was to interpret what was mimed. The results showed that the chronological condition was easier for the participants. In the non-chronological condition, we observed that initially, poor communicative success improved as the participants started to use various markers of event order. The results of our study provide insight into the early stages of conventionalisation in bodily visual communication, a potential first step towards protolanguage.}},
  author       = {{Sibierska, Marta and Żywiczyński, Przemysław and Zlatev, Jordan and van de Weijer, Joost and Boruta-Żywiczyńska, Monika}},
  issn         = {{2058-4571}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  pages        = {{1--15}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Journal of Language Evolution}},
  title        = {{Constraints on communicating the order of events in stories through pantomime}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jole/lzad008}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/jole/lzad008}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}