Jennifer Hinnell

Papers

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About

Jennifer Hinnell is a leading voice in the cognitive and linguistic study of gesture, with a primary focus on how the body creates meaning through iconicity, schematicity, and representation. Her work bridges gesture studies, cognitive linguistics, and multimodal communication, offering a rigorous framework for understanding how hand movements and postures function as dynamic, viewpointed icons in real-time discourse. Her most-cited paper, “Iconicity, Schematicity, and Representation in Gesture” (2024), has already garnered 62 citations, reflecting its immediate impact in rethinking how iconic gestures are structured and interpreted. Hinnell’s contributions are notable for integrating Peircean semiotics with contemporary cognitive science, advancing theory on how speakers use their bodies to depict actions, objects, and perspectives. Her research is essential for scholars working in gesture, signed languages, and embodied cognition, and her work continues to shape how we analyze the schematic and iconic dimensions of human communication.