I was able to make a connection between Elaine Chaika's work and the SPEAKING acronym we learned in class through the term kinesics. Kinesics is termed as the use of style and body motion. According to Dell Hymes, the SPEAKING acronym is used in sociolinguistics as a framework to describe a social setting. In order to bring these terms and ideas together, the first thing that came to mind is the stereotypical use of hands when Italians speak. I come from an Italian family, and as well as any other family member, I catch myself using hand gestures as well. Where did these kinesics come from? According to About.com: Italian Language, Italian is a complex form of Latin and because the less-educated didn't have as much of a grasp on the language as the higher educated and they therefore began using gestures to speak. Brought down from generations, I have seen my father's side of the family (participants) sitting at the dining room table (setting) over christmas (event). We'll be talking back-and-forth (act sequence) in a heated debate (key) about who knows what (instrumentality). Obviously other rules of engagement will ensue (norms and genre). One, thing that I've been able to look back upon is, that regardless of the situation (given the SPEAKING acronym), the hand gestures never change. Why is that? How is it that although I don't speak Italian, those gestures haven't left my family's side?
This is what I'm talkin' about!
