A comparison between nouns and verbs when using gestures in L2 comprehension

Abstract

The globalization has increased the interactions between people from different language backgrounds and learning a second language (L2) is becoming important in the international business world. When learning a language, gestures can enhance the learning process. This study investigated the effect of gestures on L2 vocabulary learning comparing nouns and verbs. Participants who learned 14 new Slovak words were divided in three groups: no gestures, viewing gestures and repeating gestures. The three conditions were performed significantly different in terms of word comprehension. Participants learned new L2 verbs better in the viewing gestures condition. Moreover, verbs were found to be better learned than nouns only in the viewing gestures condition. Thus, this suggests that gestures might help learning verbs better than nouns but further research is needed.