Gestural Depiction in Acquired Language Disorders: On the Form and Use of Iconic Gestures in Aphasic Talk-In-Interaction

Abstract

This paper uses conversation analysis to investigate the form and use of iconic gestures by a man with severe Broca-type aphasia in interaction with his speech and language therapist. Deconstructing iconic gestures into the different types of methods used to produce them, the paper analyzes how these gestures can depict certain entities, such as actions or types of people, in ways that may be understandable to the recipient. It is also observed that these iconic gestures can constitute gestural contributions, which not only communicate certain semantic meanings, but also accomplish social actions, such as answering or repairing. The implications of this analysis for our understanding of compensatory behavior in aphasia, and of augmentative and alternative communication in social interaction more generally, are discussed.