The Preference for Pointing With the Hand Is Not Universal

Abstract

Pointing is a cornerstone of human communication, but does it take the same form in all cultures? Manual pointing with the index finger appears to be used universally, and it is often assumed to be universally preferred over other forms. Non-manual pointing with the head and face has also been widely attested, but it is usually considered of marginal significance, both empirically and theoretically. Here, we challenge this assumed marginality. Using a novel communication task, we investigated pointing preferences in the Yupno of Papua New Guinea and in U.S. undergraduates. Speakers in both groups pointed at similar rates, but form preferences differed starkly: The Yupno participants used non-manual pointing (nose- and head-pointing) numerically more often than manual pointing, whereas the U.S. participants stuck unwaveringly to index-finger pointing. The findings raise questions about why groups differ in their pointing preferences and, more broadly, about why humans communicate in the ways they do.

Comparing sign language and gesture: Insights from pointing

“…The index-finger handshape is also the most common form in pointing gestures, at least in Anglophone and European cultures (Cochet & Vauclair 2014;Cooperrider et al 2018;Flack et al 2018). Interestingly, however, this form preference is most often attributed to biomechanics in gesture (Povinelli & Davis 1994;Liszkowski et al 2012), rather than to convention or linguistic function, the causes most often cited in sign languages.…”

Indicating verbs as typologically unique constructions: Reconsidering verb ‘agreement’ in sign languages

“…Similarly, Kita (2003a) discusses claims that some communities, such as the Barai and Yimas, traditionally used lip-pointing with no recorded use of pointing with the fingers. Also, Cooperrider et al (2018) systematically compared the responses by American undergraduates to a novel communication task with those produced by Yupno people from Papua New Guinea. Speakers in both groups pointed at similar rates, but Yupno participants used nose and head pointing more often than manual pointing, whereas the Americans only used finger pointing.…”

Fifteen ways of looking at a pointing gesture

“…Wherever you go, people point; the gesture is, by all accounts, a human universal (Cooperrider et al, 2018;Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1989). And wherever you go, people point at least sometimes with the extended forefinger 2 .…”

“…But only recently have preferences for manual versus non-manual pointing been directly assessed (Cooperrider et al, 2019;Li & Cao, 2019). Using a referential communication task, Cooperrider et al (2018) quantified pointing preferences in the Yupno, a group that uses nose-pointing; in contrast to Americans, who strongly favored the index finger, the Yupno were equally like to point non-manually and manually. Beyond fingers, hands, and heads, there are still other options for pointing-a laser pointer, in modern lecture halls 5 , or a machete in the Brazilian hinterland (Floyd, 2016).…”

“…How might we define it? On a bland description, a pointing gesture is a movement one person makes to direct the attention of another (e.g., Clark, 2003;Cooperrider, Slotta, & Núñez, 2018;Eco, 1976;Kendon, 2004). It's a gestural jutting out-a "movement toward" (Eco, 1976, p. 119)-that embodies a command to look in a particular direction.…”