The Development of the Nonverbal Code

The development of the human nonverbal communication system is studied in a form of a survey of theories proposed in the literature on the subject. Following a brief sketch of human & animal ethology & a classification of language origin theories, the three stages in the development of nonverbal language - from unintentional through semi-intentional to intentional gestures - are discussed in more detail. Distinctions are made between interpersonal interaction vs communication & the subperceptual, nonverbal, & verbal modes of the latter. It is argued, drawing on proposals in the literature, that in their beginnings, gestures had a purely kinetic manifestation & were processed visually, with the auditory channel utilized later. Kinesics was the first stage in the evolution of human nonverbal communication, & gestures were spontaneous, iconic, & impulsive at this stage. At the second stage, gesticulation was based on coded algorithms of spatial grammars. The fully communicative function of gestures as semiotic signs developed in organized human societies. The literature survey identifies 10 different conceptions & treatments of gestures. 50 References. Adapted from the source document