Kinesics << kih NEE sihks >> is the scientific study of the body movements involved in communication, especially as they accompany speech. These body movements include gestures, facial expressions, eye behavior, and posture. The movements studied by kinesic scientists are commonly called body language or nonverbal behavior.
Kinesics was developed by the American anthropologist Ray L. Birdwhistell. He used slow-motion films of conversations to analyze speakers’ behavior. He borrowed many terms and techniques from linguistics to identify the basic motions that made up meaningful gestures and other behavior. He reported the results of his findings in the books Introduction to Kinesics (1952) and Kinesics and Context (1970).
See also Body language; Communication (The study of communication).
