Communicative functions of depicting gestures accompanying the explanation of how to eat by the Nakai/Okami in Kyo-ryori restaurants

Abstract

This article investigates the communicative functions of depicting gestures accompanying the explanation of how to eat by the Nakai/Okami in Kyo-ryori restaurants. We analyzed video-recorded service-encounter interaction data between Nakai/Okami and customers in Kyo-ryori restaurants from the ethnomethodological perspective. Our findings showed that Nakai/Okami selectively used depicting gestures in the particular interactional environment of serving Kyo-ryori. They use depicting gestures to highlight the importance of their instructions, especially when the value of dishes is reduced if customers do not follow their instructions. The analysis also shows that Nakai/Okami tend to coordinate their body configurations to not disrupt customers’ ongoing activities when performing depicting gestures. A detailed analysis of service-encounter interactions illustrates how Nakai/Okami design their depicting gestures and accompanying embodied behaviors to suit in-situ, contingent interactional environments.