ABSTRACT
Anthropologists have traditionally concentrated their efforts in describing cultures in terms of isolated autonomous systems. This practice has been adopted by some linguists trained in that tradition; and, as a consequence, there is a scarcity of information available on research that describes adequately and in sufficient detail how the process of communication takes place among tribes who are neighbors and interact socially but who do not share a common language and/or culture. This lack of knowledge is not limited to the study of verbal communication. It is also apparent in the area of nonverbal communication. As a result, information on the use of gestural and other sign systems under these circumstances is almost nil. The studies that do exist are usually limited to the description of preexisting linguae francae. In the area of nonverbal communication, Kroeber and Voegelin (Mallery, 1972) studied the American Indian sign language, which serves the function of a lingua franca.
