Chapter 44 A "Composite Utterances" approach to meaning 45. Towards a grammar of gestures A form-based view

• Main Author: Enfield, N. J. (auth)
• Other Authors: Müller, Cornelia (Editor), Fricke, Ellen (Editor), Cienki, Alan (Editor), McNeill, David (Editor), Ladewig, Silva (Editor), Tessendorf, Sedinha (Editor)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Boston De Gruyter 2013
• Subjects: linguistics; Communication studies; Multimodal Communication; Embodiment
• Online Access: OAPEN Library: download the publication; OAPEN Library: description of the publication

This chapter argues for a composite utterances approach to research on body, language, and communication. It argues that to understand meaning we need to begin with the utterance or speech act as the unit of analysis. From this perspective, the primary task in interpreting others' behaviour in...