Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

Publication Date

Spring 5-16-2026

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the systematic organization of co‑speech gestures in referential communication, using data from Spanish‑speaking monolinguals and Spanish–English bilinguals. While traditional gesture research treats pointing as a universal phenomenon, the current analyses show that gestural productions display internal phonological patterning and context‑conditioned variability that parallels spoken constructions. Quantitative results demonstrate how referential distance and communicative context (find‑it versus misunderstanding situations) shape the selection of embodied phonological features—handshape, orientation, movement, and beats—revealing consistent associations between form and interactional demands. Qualitative analyses trace how gestural realizations reduce across discourse as shared understanding emerges. A new complexity metric, based on token frequency and motoric effort, shows that speech and gesture co‑vary under referential pressure: speech becomes more complex with distance but simplifies during repair, while gesture elaboration increases in both contexts. Bilingual comparisons further highlight sensitivity to referential demands.

Degree Name

Spanish & Portuguese (PhD)

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Spanish and Portuguese

First Committee Member (Chair)

Naomi Shin

Second Committee Member

Richard File-Muriel

Third Committee Member

Jill Morford

Fourth Committee Member

Corrine Occhino

Language

English

Keywords

Multimodal communication, co-speech gestures, embodied phonology, referential distance, complexity, bilingualism

Document Type

Dissertation

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