ABSTRACT
This paper discusses how co-speech gestures identify newly introduced Ground reference (locational information) in narrative by learners whose native and target languages differ typologically (Dutch learners of Japanese). Here we focus on inanimate referents that are introduced as reference points to describe the spatial orientation of a protagonist. The analyses of Dutch and Japanese narratives show that the two groups of native speakers adopt different rhetorical and manual styles in introducing Ground reference. In Dutch, the speakers typically background Ground reference in its introduction, producing it in adpositional phrases in VPs. Ground reference is hardly ever introduced in existential or presentative constructions. With respect to manual introduction, Dutch speakers’ gestures depict Ground reference only when its form becomes the focus of attention. In contrast, in Japanese, the introduction of Ground reference is frequently foregrounded by the use of existential or presentative constructions. The attention paid to locative descriptions by Japanese speakers in speech is reflected in gesture. Mentions of Ground elements are frequently accompanied by gestures which outline the form of entities, visually depicting the location where actions take place. Analyses of second language (L2) production reveal that learners have a strong preference for mapping their source-language-based bi-modal (linguistic and manual) styles onto L2 narrative production. However, the grammatical constraints of the target language sometimes force them to adjust the mapping from source to target. This subtle adjustment is reflected in gesture. Possible ways of understanding manual introductions of Ground reference are discussed.
