Spontaneous Gestures in L2 Naturalistic Spontaneous Interaction: Effects of Language Proficiency

Abstract

Gestures produced by language learners have a positive impact on interactions; however, few studies have examined natural conversation data focusing on a learner’s spoken language proficiency level. This study investigates gesture use among learners of English as a second language with varying language proficiency levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) to determine whether gesture use and type (e.g., iconic, deictic, metaphoric, and beat gestures) differ by language proficiency level. This study examined 17 video-recorded dyadic interactions in English consisting of mixed-level and same-level pairs. Quantitative analysis followed by a data-driven approach demonstrated that more advanced learners employed gestures with speech more frequently than other groups. During interactions, iconic gestures were used more often by the beginner group, while deictic gestures were employed more by the advanced group. Moreover, the function of the gestures produced by each group during the interactions appeared to be qualitatively varied. These results indicate that gesture use and type may relate to learners’ language profi ciency levels. This study has revealed significant differences in gesture use among learners of English as a second language with varying language proficiency levels, providing insights into learners’ cognition process during verbal communication.