A modality axis in gesture space? The Vertical Palm and construal of negation as distance

Locations and movements in gesture space reflect both interactional and conceptual constraints. This paper presents evidence that suggests gesture space is at least partially structured by a conceptual axis projecting outwards from the speaker’s body, along which gestures are positioned or moved to reflect the construal of negation as distance – hence, a modality axis (as in ‘epistemic mood’; [1, 2]). The Vertical Palm gesture described by Kendon (2004) offers an interesting case in point because it illustrates how the interactional and modality axes inter-relate. Integrating form-based gesture study with discourse analysis and conceptual semantics [3, 4], this paper analyses Vertical Palm gestures in a corpus of spoken English to shed light on the intersection between negation, gesture, and cognition.