| Handedness | One-Handed |
|---|
| Handshape | The index, middle, ring and little fingers are fully extended and together. |
| Handshape | The thumb is either tucked or relaxed alongside the hand. |
| Movement | Horizontal side-to-side motion. |
| Orientation | Fingers oriented toward the speaker's neck. |
| Orientation | Palm is vertical. |
| Position | At the neck level. |
| Timing | Context-dependent. |
| Discourse-functional property | Turn management |
| Pragmatic property | Directive, request, warning, or, framing. |
| Semantic property | Putting an end to something |
| Element of (en) | Had it up to here with (+ throat cut gesture) | Spoken American English |
| Research Question | How can multimodal phenomena be modelled in Construction Grammar? |
|---|---|
| Findings | The meso construction is a semi-schematic multimodal construction: the verbal form is fixed, while the gestural component is a schematic slot. This slot accepts specific gesture types, primarily those indicating height or cutting motions. The meanings of these gestures are metaphorically extended to the domain of emotions conceptualized as a liquid. |
| Date Created | 2026-07-07 |
|---|---|
| Annotator | Yassine Iabdounane |