Bilingual children gesticulate differently

It has been known so far that bilingual children communicate differently, such as clarifying misunderstandings more often and responding better to their interlocutor.

Researchers at the University of Zurich have now looked at differences in gesticulation. Primarily, iconic gestures were observed, i.e., hand and arm movements that illustrate the shape or speed of an object. Examples include imitating the cutting motion of scissors with your fingers or signaling high speed with a quick movement of your hand.

Stephanie Wermelinger and her research team looked at how iconic gestures are interpreted and applied in preschool children. The group of monolingual and bilingual children did not differ in their understanding of gestures, but in their application: bilingual speakers performed better.

The participating children had to explain to a “deaf” puppet which toy they would like to ask him to play. Bilingual children used more hand gestures in the meantime than their monolingual peers. They gestured more intelligibly, communicating more information about the shape and movement of the desired object.

This made them more successful in communication: the puppet, i.e. the person moving it, could more easily recognize which game the children wanted. The researchers reported their findings in the journal Developmental Science.

(Source: hazesotthon.co.hu; marmalade.co.hu; hirado.hu | Image: pixabay.com)