International Journal of Language & Linguistics

The Effect of Emblematic Gestures on the Memorization of Greek Expressions by Immigrants
Antoniou-Kritikou Ioanna

Abstract
A number of studies have shown that accompanying lexical items of a foreign language with gestures leads to better results when it comes to memorizing them. This article examines the effect of emblematic gestures on second language memorization by learners immersed in the target culture. Fifteen immigrants took part in an experiment aiming to assess active knowledge on new vocabulary. They had to learn 27 Greek multi-word expressions and two different teaching methods were applied. The control group was taught multi-word expressions included in everyday communicative situations by reading and listening, while the gesture group was taught the same expressions in the same way, in addition to being exposed to the use of relevant gestures. Results have shown that gestures indeed influence the memorization of L2 lexical items and leave a richer trace in the memory of students.

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