Gesturing is interpreted differently as an indicator of emotion by first and foreign language users

What is it about?

Foreign language users perceived 2 videos fo a speaker using low and medium gestures as significantly more emotional than L1 users. We suggest that LX users may have relied more on the visual channel over the vocal and verbal channels compared to L1 users. The difference between both groups might also be the consequence of overcompensation for the detachment effect of LX emotion speech

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Why is it important?

Interpreting the degree of emotionality of speech is particularly hard in a foreign language as it is signalled in complex and subtle ways, including verbal, vocal and visual cues.

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