Cultural variation in nonverbal communication: comparative gesture inventory from the XIXth to the XXth centuries.

Abstract

Nonverbal communication became the fundamental object of study of the independent discipline known by the same name halfway through the past century. However, its study did not begin at that time, it has been paid attention to since the classic days. This has provided conceptions and treatments of non-verbal communication which, together with more detailed and rigorous studies, evolve into the current belief that non-verbal signs are an essential part of human communication and culture. Parting from the contributions that we consider to be essential in the XIXth century, and above all, in the XXth century, when the works are carried out from different perspectives with methodological-theoretical frameworks with a philosophical, linguistic, anthropological or psicological view, that have increased in empirism with the passing of time and offer significant data and descriptions of great relevance, we give account, in the present article, of the cultural and geolectal variation documented in past times and recent decades in contrastive repertoires of gestures, which establishes the basis for present and future investigations.