Gesture Space and Gesture Choreography in European Portuguese and African Portuguese Interactions: A Pilot Study of Two Cases

Abstract

This pilot study focuses on aspects of cultural variation in cospeech gestures in two interactions with Angolan and European Portuguese participants. The elements compared are gesture features - extension, drawn path, articulation points - and generated gesture spaces. Posture, interpersonal distance and other speech-correlated movements were taken into account as essential parameters for the definition of different kinds of physical spaces. Some differences were obvious: gestures performed by Angolan speakers were articulated at the levels of the shoulders, elbows and wrists, thus tracing considerable larger angles than those traced by gestures performed by Portuguese speakers. As the Angolan participants sit close to one another, their extended arms constantly invade the other participants’ personal spaces.