Verbal Representation of Non-verbal Communication in W. Somerset Maugham’s "The Moon and Sixpence"

The increasing interest in the relationship between verbal language and bodily behavior in literature has led to the development of new approaches to analyzing the lexical representation of non-verbal actions. This study investigates the lexical-semantic field (LSF) of non-verbal motor actions in W. Somerset Maugham’s The Moon and Sixpence. Also, the study examines the structural organization, representation modes, and distribution of these actions throughout the novel, as well as the contributions of motor expressions to the characterization of people and their relationships with one another. A dataset of 340 lexical items was compiled from thorough analysis of the novel. The results of the study reveal that the LSF of non-verbal motor actions is very structured, with the core zone accounting for 48% of the lexical items, the medial zone for 37%, and the peripheral zone for 15%. Also, the study reveals that implicit representations of motor actions account for 62% of the dataset, while explicit representations of motor actions account for 38%. In terms of the functions of motor expressions, emotional uses accounted for 40% of the dataset, characterization uses for 30%, atmospheric uses for 17%, and social-interpersonal uses for 13%. Then, this study provides a systematic analysis of the lexical representation of motor actions in The Moon and Sixpence, showing the ways in which Maugham organized these lexical items within the novel. Future research could compare motor lexemes across novels by different authors, examine readers’ interpretations of non-verbal cues, and explore how the ability to recognize implicit non-verbal communication develops.