gebaar

Gebaar, in Dutch, means gesture. In broader usage the term refers to a nonverbal movement made by the body—often the hands, arms, or face—that conveys meaning or regulates interaction. Gestures accompany spoken language, replace words in some contexts, or express emotions and attitudes. They are studied across linguistics, psychology, and anthropology as part of nonverbal communication.

Types include emblems (culturally understood signs with specific lexical meaning, such as a thumbs-up), illustrators (movements that depict or emphasize aspects of speech), regulators (gestures that manage turn-taking), adaptors (self-directed movements such as fidgeting), and affect displays (facial expressions or postures that convey mood).

Cultural variation: the meaning of gestures can vary between communities; some gestures carry universal or near-universal connotations, while others are culture-specific and may cause misunderstanding in cross-cultural encounters. The context of use, accompanying speech, and the gesture’s timing influence interpretation.

In addition to everyday communication, gestures are important in fields such as sign languages, human-computer interaction, education, and animation. Researchers examine how gestures relate to speech, cognition, and social interaction, including their origins, development, and variation across cultures.