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Publication

When gesture “takes over”: A multimodal analysis of speech-embedded nonverbal depictions in interaction

Book - Dissertation

This doctoral project is an analysis of what we identify as "speech-embedded nonverbal depictions," namely cases where meaning is communicated iconically, nonverbally, and without simultaneously co-occurring speech. Though ubiquitous in spontaneous interaction, such depictions have been largely marginalized in the literature of relevant fields of inquiry. Operationalizing Clark's (2016) staging theory for depicting as the overarching theoretical framework, and drawing upon empirical data from our multimodal corpus of American TV talk shows, the present dissertation explores speech-embedded nonverbal depictions along three analytical dimensions — depiction-speech relations, depiction-depiction relations, and speaker-speaker relations — zooming in on phenomena of particular theoretical significance, including "multimodal iteration," "complex composite depictions," and those pertaining to intersubjective dynamics. In addition to establishing a methodology for researching depictions, this dissertation study more importantly yields findings with implications for our understanding of the role of iconic nonverbal signals in language use.
Publication year:2021
Accessibility:Open