MSLU representatives took part in the interactive round table “Homo loquens as Homo gestens: why do humans need gestures?” conducted at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts on March 16, 2023. Following experts took part in the event:
- Olga K.Iriskhanova, vice-rector for research at Moscow State Linguistic University, director of ScoDis, head of laboratory for multichannel communication at the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences;
- Ksenia W.Golubina, dean of faculty of the English language at MSLU, developer and curator of educational programmes of Russian sign language;
- Emma W.Kumurzhi, teacher of sign language at MSLU, native signer and researcher of the Russian sign language.
Natalia B.Bukina, teacher at the department for communication technologies at the Institute of International Relations and Social and Political Sciences at MSLU, took on the role of moderator of the discussion.
The experts talked about the differences between spontaneous gestures accompanying our speech, and sign languages; about similarities and differences of gestures in different languages and cultures; about the role of gestures in communication and the role of body language in creating artificial intelligence.
The discussion turned out to be lively and sparked the interest not only of the participants but also of the casual visitors of the museum. Audience members had an opportunity to learn some words in RSL, to communicate with native signers and ask some questions about the peculiarities of gestures in different cultures, about gender differences in gesture languages and many other topics.