Interpreting Averted Gaze As Non-Semiotic

Martin & Zappavigna (2019: 10-11):

The contribution of sonovergent paralanguage to the vlog is interrupted in tone group 15 of Appendix 1, suspended for tone groups 16–19, and resumes for tone group 20 – to allow for a somatic phase during which the vlogger uses her left hand to scratch her right arm. … 

The vlogger stops looking at her followers and begins scratching in the final foot of tone group 15 (Fig. 11). The scratching and absence of gaze continues for two tone groups (Figs. 12 and 13). Gaze resumes in the final foot of tone group 18 (Fig. 14). And the vlogger then resumes gesturing (Fig. 15). 

It is interesting to note that the vlogger does not scratch in sync with the RHYTHM, TONICITY and TONALITY of the text; the scratching lasts for two and a half tone groups, and does not match the timing of salient and tonic syllables. But the paralanguage remains in sync, stopping precisely at the tonic syllable of tone group 15 (/ days ago //), resuming with a smile precisely at the tonic syllable of tone group 18 (/ Target //) and resuming with gesture precisely at the beginning of tone group 19. This indicates that synchronicity with prosodic phonology can function as a demarcating criteria for distinguishing somatic from semiotic behaviour.

Blogger Comments:

[1] To be clear, 'sonovergent paralanguage' is the authors' rebranding of Cléirigh's linguistic body language.

[2] Here the authors interpret the breaking of eye-contact with the addressee as non-semiotic behaviour (somasis). The problem with this is that breaking eye-contact with the addressee is just as meaningful (semiotic) as maintaining eye-contact.  In Cléirigh's original model, these are features of protolinguistic body language, the opposition being a human variant of the type of body language also recognisable in other species.

[3] This is hardly surprising, given that scratching an itch is not linguistic body language. In Peircean semiotics, a scratch might be interpreted as an indexical sign, indicating an itch or nervousness.

[4] To be clear, in Cléirigh's original model, a smile is another example of protolinguistic body language, interpreted as a threat in some social species. 

[5]  To be clear, the claim here is that the mere fact that gestures are speech-timed distinguishes them from non-semiotic behaviour.  The reason this is untrue is that, in Cléirigh's original model, only one of the three types of body language, linguistic body language, is speech-timed.  Consequently, 'synchronicity' merely distinguishes linguistic body language from everything else, whether semiotic (protolinguistic or epilinguistic body language) or non-semiotic ('somasis')

[6] Trivially, the singular form is 'criterion'.