Gestural depictions in requests for objects

Abstract

This conversation analytic paper analyses requests for concrete objects in settings centered around manual and physical tasks. The analytic focus is on requests designed to involve a gestural depiction. We show that the use of gestural depictions in requests is motivated by material-ecological contingencies that create a need for visually specifying what is requested for. Such contingencies are present in situations in which the requested object is not visible to the participants and in which the participants are in asymmetrical positions to perceive the material environment and ongoing changes in it. In such contexts, gestural depictions are used to visually specify task-relevant features of the requested object to overcome possible obstacles in identifying it. The analysis contributes to multimodal research on requesting by illustrating how material-ecological contingencies and participants’ perceptual access to the immediate physical environment are relevant for how requests are formulated.