Human face-to-face communication is composed of verbal and nonverbal information. One of the key components in nonverbal information is gesture, an underinvestigated area in the field of SLA. This is the first book dedicated to gesture in relation to SLA. This volume is a collection of 14 research studies, divided into five parts. Part 1, “Introduction to Gesture and its L2 [second language] Applications,” consists of two chapters (Stam; McCafferty & Quinlisk) that provide readers with information about gesture research studies in SLA. Part 2, “Gesture and Making Meaning in the L2,” includes three chapters (McCafferty; Platt & Brooks; Negueruela & Lantolf) that focus on how gestures facilitate the expression of L2 speakers’ thoughts. Part 3, “Gesture and Communication in the L2,” consists of three chapters by Olsher, Kida, and Jungheim, respectively. These studies investigate when and how L2 speakers attend to gesture during L2 communication. Part 4, “Gesture and Linguistic Structure in the L2,” includes three chapters by Gullberg, Yoshioka, and Stam, respectively, that collectively analyze how linguistic structures of L2 speakers are reflected in their use of gesture. Finally, chapter 5, “Gesture and the L2 Classroom,” includes three studies (Sime; Furaco & Kida; Tabensky) that illustrate how L2 learners attend to their instructors’ gestures in L2 classrooms.

Because gesture is included as a part of interaction analysis, readers are reminded of the necessity to consider nonverbal cues when investigating L2 interaction. Most of the studies presented here used conversation analysis; therefore, some prior knowledge of interpreting such data would be helpful. This book will also be a beneficial addition to graduate-level SLA courses. This is a unique and informative collection of studies and a good resource for SLA researchers interested in analyzing verbal and nonverbal data.