ABSTRACT
I have used the word gesture in Chapter 1 to describe those aspects of the nature of language other than those covered by dictionary definition and word-order. These gestures are similar to the physical gestures and tones of voice in conversation. Obviously it is common and important that we use clear, ‘cold’ instrumental language in everyday life so that we know to meet inside or outside a cinema, or take two per day after, not before, meals. But, as we have seen, little or no communication is confined to transmitting information in this way.
