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Abstract

Abstract

This paper examines whether observers use gestural information to decide the meaning of the polysemous verb in ambiguous contexts. To address this question, three studies were carried out. Study 1 tests whether observers could accurately distinguish the meaning of the verb just by looking at hand gestures. Study 2 explores which gesture location and handshape combinations are associated with the physical and emotional meanings of . Study 3 investigates whether observers decide the meaning of faster when they see a co-speech hand gesture and whether reaction time varies depending on the specific gesture combination observed. The main findings illustrate how the modality of gesture helps observers to disambiguate the meaning of a polysemous word such as the verb . Thus, this research shows that location and handshape are key components that bias the meaning of when the verbal message is ambiguous or absent.

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2025-11-13
2025-12-06

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/content/journals/10.1075/rcl.00243.bol
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Disambiguating polysemy
John Benjamins ; https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00243.bol
/content/journals/10.1075/rcl.00243.bol
/content/journals/10.1075/rcl.00243.bol
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: ambiguity ; touch ; polysemy ; gesture ; meaning disambiguation

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