The semiotic field of interest is constantly being filled with new scientific directions. Some of them are being singled out as separate scientific directions. One such example is Kinesics.
Kinesics (kinematics) is a term that, naturally, originates from the Greek language. Namely from the word for movement. Ray Birdwhistell introduced the term kinesics in the 1950s. Consequently, Birdwhistell is considered the pioneer of this field. He used the term to name the specific research of poses, gestures, and mimics. Birdwhistell differentiates pose as a “static position of the human body”, and gestures as a “dynamic act, series of poses”. He also coined the term kinema – “elementary entity of movement” and kinemorpheme – “semiotic entity”
Such units were known and researched by multiple philosophers even in ancient times.
Therefore, Kinesics is the study of all meaningful movements of the human body. That includes body movements, gestures, facial expressions, and posture as a form of nonverbal communication. Kinesics plays a key role in understanding how humans convey messages and emotions without using words, often complementing or even replacing verbal communication.
Kinesics is essential for understanding the full spectrum of human communication because nonverbal cues often carry more weight than verbal messages. For instance, someone might say they are fine verbally, but their slumped posture and lack of eye contact may indicate otherwise. Kinesics helps decode these nonverbal signals, providing a deeper understanding of the true message being conveyed.
