Toddler-directed and adult-directed gesture frequency in monolingual and bilingual caregivers

Abstract

Aims and objectives:

This study was designed to assess whether bilingual caregivers, compared with monolingual caregivers, modify their nonverbal gestures to match the increased communicative and/or cognitive-linguistic demands of bilingual language contexts – as would be predicted based on the ‘Facilitative Strategy Hypothesis’.

Methodology:

We examined the rate of gestures (i.e., representational and beat gestures) in monolingual and bilingual caregivers when retelling a cartoon story to their child or to an adult, in a monolingual and a bilingual context (‘synonym’ context for monolingual caregivers).

Data and analysis:

We calculated the frequency of all gestures, representational gestures, and beat gestures for each addressee (adult-directed vs. toddler-directed) and language context (monolingual vs. bilingual/synonym), separately for the monolingual and the bilingual caregivers. Using linear mixed models, we contrasted monolingual versus bilingual caregivers’ gesture frequency.

Findings/conclusions:

Bilingual caregivers gesture more than monolingual caregivers, irrespective of addressee and language context. Furthermore, we found evidence in support of the Facilitative Strategy Hypothesis across both monolingual and bilingual caregivers, as both groups increased the rate of their representational gestures in the child-directed retelling. Furthermore, both bilingual and monolingual caregivers used more gestures in the context of increased communicative demands (language mixing or using synonyms for monolingual caregivers).

Originality:

To our knowledge, this is the first study of gesture use in child-directed communication in monolingual and bilingual caregivers.

Significance/implications:

Independent of their monolingual or bilingual status, caregivers adjust their multimodal communication strategies (specifically gestures) when interacting with their children. Furthermore, under increased communicative demands, both groups of caregivers further increase their gesture rate.