gestuel

Gestuel is a term used in linguistics and related fields to describe the system of nonverbal communication that centers on visible bodily gestures accompanying spoken language. It encompasses hand and arm movements, finger configurations, facial expressions, head nods, and body posture that participants use during interaction. Gestuel gestures function alongside speech to convey information, organize discourse, regulate turn-taking, emphasize points, and convey affect. Unlike sign languages, gestuel forms are not a stand-alone grammar; they are integrated with spoken language and can vary widely within and across cultures.

Scholars classify gestuel gestures into categories such as deictic gestures (pointing to objects or locations), iconic gestures (resembling the referent's shape or action), metaphoric gestures (representing abstract concepts), and beat gestures (rhythmic hand movements aligning with speech prosody). Research methods include video observation, coding schemes for gesture types, and experimental studies on gesture-speech integration.

Applications include language teaching, where gestures support comprehension; human-computer interaction and virtual agents, where gestural cues improve naturalness; and sign-language interpretation, where understanding gestuel helps distinguish co-speech gestures from fully linguistic signs.

Etymology: the term derives from the French gestuel, relating to gesture, and is used primarily in francophone and cross-linguistic literature to emphasize gesture in communication rather than as a separate language.

See also: co-speech gesture, nonverbal communication, sign language, semiotics.