Gesture-speech construction from a Cognitive Grammar perspective: the case of the sweeping away gesture

Abstract This study examines the polysemy of the sweeping away gesture and its integration with speech using a Cognitive Grammar framework. While previous research has documented the embodied origins and multiple senses of this kind of gesture, two gaps remain: a unified model of its cognitive mechanisms and a detailed Cognitive Grammar analysis of its symbolic integration patterns. Analyzing instances from debates, we identify three multimodal constructions: Extension, Completion, and Negation. We demonstrate that the semantic expansion across these constructions is not arbitrary but motivated by specific cognitive operations: the shift from Extension to Completion constructions stems from trajector prominence shifts within the same profiled relationship, while Negation emerges through metaphorical mapping. Furthermore, each construction exhibits distinct integration patterns: elaboration (Extension), extension (Completion), and complementation (Negation). By detailing these specific form-meaning pairings, this study demonstrates Cognitive Grammar’s robust capacity for modeling gestural polysemy within a unified framework. The analysis further reveals a functional continuum from compositional to pragmatic uses, motivating the development of more dynamic analytical models. Ultimately, by explaining the systematic cognitive mechanisms of gesture-speech integration, this work advances a granular understanding of language as an embodied, multimodal phenomenon.