Proposals that the semiotic system of gesture played a pivotal role in the evolution of language have been, and continue to be, influential. This statement, however, illustrates not so much a specific theory but an axis of debate in the field of language origins, along which ‘gesture-first’ proposals traditionally compete with ‘speech-first’ theories. Below this general characterization, there are many differences between gestural origin theories. If we accept a very general definition of gesture, such as the one given by Zlatev: ‘expressive movements performed by the hands, the head, or any other part of the body, and perceived [predominantly] visually’, gestural hypothesis of language can be divided into two general categories positions: Monosemiotic hypotheses and Mutlimodal hypotheses.
In this Research Topic, we would like to inspect the state of the art of the gestural positions of language origin, debating their theoretical commitments and types of evidence they appeal to.
The scope of our research include, but are not limited to:
- Language origin;
- Gestural origins of language;
- Multimodal hypothesis of language origin;
- Early integration of vocal and manual systems;
- Mirror Neuron theory;
We welcome original research articles and reviews within the scope of our research topic.
Proposals that the semiotic system of gesture played a pivotal role in the evolution of language have been, and continue to be, influential. This statement, however, illustrates not so much a specific theory but an axis of debate in the field of language origins, along which ‘gesture-first’ proposals traditionally compete with ‘speech-first’ theories. Below this general characterization, there are many differences between gestural origin theories. If we accept a very general definition of gesture, such as the one given by Zlatev: ‘expressive movements performed by the hands, the head, or any other part of the body, and perceived [predominantly] visually’, gestural hypothesis of language can be divided into two general categories positions: Monosemiotic hypotheses and Mutlimodal hypotheses.
In this Research Topic, we would like to inspect the state of the art of the gestural positions of language origin, debating their theoretical commitments and types of evidence they appeal to.
The scope of our research include, but are not limited to:
- Language origin;
- Gestural origins of language;
- Multimodal hypothesis of language origin;
- Early integration of vocal and manual systems;
- Mirror Neuron theory;
We welcome original research articles and reviews within the scope of our research topic.
