When Deictics are not just Deictics: Pointing Gestures and Second Language Learning (Omaggio a Jim Lantolf)

This conceptual paper deals with ways in which gesture or embodied utterances create deictic expressions (i.e., deixis) that are relevant to second language teaching and learning. While many gesture types have been found to be material carriers of meaning (McNeill, 1992; Vygotsky, 1986), deictics have the ability and function to create new beginnings or propositions for learning. We review research concerning gesture, Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (SCT), and findings dealing with the function of gesture in second language classrooms. We provide general gesture classifications and definitions and argue that deictics should be understood for their role in creating and unifying time, space, and qualitatively meaningful experiences. We then provide a conceptual understanding for how gesture works within Vygotsky’s (1987) genetic method, the term he used in researching higher forms of mental behavior. We focus on Vygotsky’s genesis as a space-time act and promote the use of deictics as additional mediation that create genesis junctures that initiate opportune moments for second language (L2) learning between teachers and students. Throughout the paper, we acknowledge Jim Lantolf’s work for providing foundational and insightful understandings in viewing L2 learning and teaching through a Vygotskian perspective.