A prelinguistic gestural universal of human communication.
Several cognitive accounts of human communication argue for a language-independent, prelinguistic basis of human communication and language. The current study provides evidence for the universality of a prelinguistic gestural basis for human communication. We used a standardized, semi-natural elicitation procedure in seven very different cultures around the world to test for the existence of preverbal pointing in infants and their caregivers. Results were that by 10-14 months of age, infants and their caregivers pointed in all cultures in the same basic situation with similar frequencies and the same proto-typical morphology of the extended index finger. Infants' pointing was best predicted by age and caregiver pointing, but not by cultural group. Further analyses revealed a strong relation between the temporal unfolding of caregivers' and infants' pointing events, uncovering a structure of early prelinguistic gestural conversation. Findings support the existence of a gestural, language-independent universal of human communication that forms a culturally shared, prelinguistic basis for diversified linguistic communication.
Max Planck Research Group Communication Before Language, Max-Planck-Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD Nijmegen, The Netherlands. ulf.liszkowski@mpi.nl
Ulf
U
Liszkowski
Penny
P
Brown
Tara
T
Callaghan
Akira
A
Takada
Conny
C
de Vos
D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers; D002657:Child Development; D003071:Cognition; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010287:Parent-Child Relations