Steven G. McCafferty

Gesture and Creating Zones of Proximal Development for Second Language Learning

This study investigated the role of gesture in and of itself and in conjunction with speech in creating zones of proximal development (ZPD) for second language learning and teaching. A university student of English, newly arrived in the United States, was videorecorded once a week in conversational interaction with an American graduate student, an ESL/EFL teacher, over two different periods lasting 15 weeks altogether. The view taken in the study of Vygotsky’s concept of the ZPD follows that of Newman and Holtzman (1993), who argued that it primarily concerns revolutionary activity, that learning and teaching transforms as a consequence of interacting in the ZPD, and that this affects all participants. Findings indicate the important role that gesture played both in promoting language learning and in facilitating positive interaction between the two participants, helping to create a sense of shared social, symbolic, physical, and mental space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION TO GESTURE AND SLA: TOWARD AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

The title of this special issue, Gesture and SLA: Toward an Integrated Approach, stems in large part from the idea known as integrationism, principally set forth by Harris (2003, 2005), which posits that it is time to “demythologize” linguistics, moving away from the “orthodox exponents” that have idealized the notion of language. The integrationist approach intends a view that focuses on communication—that is, language in use, language as a “fact of life” (Harris, 2003, p. 50). Although not all gesture studies embrace an integrationist view—indeed, the field applies numerous theories across various disciplines—it is nonetheless true that to study gesture is to study what has traditionally been called paralinguistic modes of interaction, with the paralinguistic label given on the assumption that gesture is not part of the core meaning of what is rendered linguistically. However, arguably, most researchers within gesture studies would maintain just the opposite: The studies presented in this special issue reflect a view whereby gesture is regarded as a central aspect of language in use, integral to how we communicate (make meaning) both with each other and with ourselves. (Less)

Adolescent second language literacy: Language‐culture, literature, and identity

Abstract The process of reconceptualizing identity as it relates to re‐representing oneself in a second language‐culture is considered in relation to the interface between language, culture, and cognition. Through discussing language and its use in the contexts of literary texts, it is suggested that adolescent second language speakers of English can both better come to understand the second culture as embedded in the language and to feel more comfortable with expressing their sense of self through language. Concepts deriving from the philosophy of language, sociolinguistics, cognitive linguistics, and sociocultural theory are utilized in this effort. Pedagogical recommendations are also provided.

Gesture and Identity in the Teaching and Learning of Italian

This study investigated the use of mimetic gestures of identity by foreign language teachers of Italian and their students in college classes as a form of meaning-making. All four of the teachers were found to use a variety of Italian gestures as a regular aspect of their teaching and presentation of self. Students and teachers also were found to mirror each others gestures. None of the teachers had been video-recorded before the study and all were surprised to see the degree to which they appeared to be Italian, although at the same time all believed this to be an important and positive aspect of their teaching. In offering an explanation for these findings we consider the role of gesture as a social semiotic in learning another language, how teachers use gesture to prolept students into a possible future as embodied communicators of the language (identity within a figured world), the process of communicative actuation as it relates to learning a language across different timescales and environments, and how all of the above relates to the zone of proximal development and its application to frontier regions of development.

Research on Language Education Through Programmes of Study and Residence Abroad: Recent Publications

Mind and Context in Adult Second Language Acquisition. Cristina Sanz (ed.). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press. 2005. Pp. xii/332. ISBN 9781589010701 (pbk):

Nonverbal Expression and L2 Private Speech.

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