Addressee points in conflictual interactions: A reductionist analysis of action

Pointing gestures are ubiquitous in human social interactions. Among pointing gestures are those in which a speaker points at the person being addressed: addressee points. Research has shown that addressee points are frequently used to signal common ground or express agreement. In this article, by contrast, we explore previously unresearched uses of addressee points in conflictual interactions. Through a fine-grained, reductionist analysis of conduct—one involving a reconceptualization of “action” in interaction—we show that addressee points attribute a transgression to the addressee, upgrade the perceptual intensity of the speaker’s conduct, and escalate an argument or conflict. We examine the use of addressee points in terminal escalations: close (vs. far) addressee points in extreme conflicts and lax (vs. tense) addressee points in “nonserious” conduct. The findings contribute to research on the kinematic organization of gesture, interactional and gestural space, and the conceptualization of social action. Data are in English.