gestualità

Gestualità is a field of study and a term used to describe the system of bodily movements—especially of the hands, arms, face and torso—that convey information in interaction, alongside or instead of spoken language. Derived from gesto (gesture) with the suffix -alità, it covers both spontaneous expressive movements and conventional, culturally codified gestures.

The concept is used across disciplines such as linguistics, anthropology, semiotics, communication studies, and cognitive science, as well as in theater and film studies. It examines how gestures accompany speech, modify meaning, regulate interaction, or function as independent acts of communication. A common analytical framework distinguishes several functional categories: emblematic or conventional gestures with a direct verbal translation (emblems); illustrators that accompany or illustrate speech content; regulators that help coordinate turn-taking and interaction (for example, hand movements or nodding); and adaptors used for self‑regulation or emotional expression.

Co-speech gestures are typically studied alongside spoken language, while some gestural acts are performed independently, contributing to a broader gestural repertoire within a culture. Cross-cultural variation in gestural meaning is significant; many gestures are culture-specific and may be misunderstood across boundaries, even though facial expressions are often perceived as relatively universal.

In addition to everyday communication, gestualità informs analyses in performance arts, media studies, and human–computer interaction, where body movement contributes to narrative style, character portrayal, or user experience. Key figures in the scholarly treatment of gesture include Adam Kendon, who emphasized gesture in social interaction, and David McNeill and colleagues, who developed models of co-speech gesture and its relation to thought and language.