The silent order
Gestural emblems and symbolic meaning-making in Jordanian street coffee shops
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19225876 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Muna Alalya (University of Jordan), Aseel Zibin (0000-0003-2509-064X, University of Jordan), Abdel Rahman Mitib Altakhaineh (0000-0001-7605-2497, University of Jordan) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Gesture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1568-1475 • E-ISSN: 1569-9773 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/gest.25037.ala |
| OpenAlex | W7164920331 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
This study investigates non-verbal hand gestures used in street drive-thru coffee shops ( gahwet taka:si ) in Amman, Jordan, focusing on their role as stand-alone emblems for quick transactions. Integrating Symbolic Interactionism with theories of conventionalization and embodiment, the paper examines how meaning is negotiated between customers and employees through joint action. The methodology consisted of qualitative identification of the gestural lexicon through interviews and observation of 19 coffee shop employees, followed by quantitative validation with 71 participants. Qualitative analysis reveals pathways of conventionalization, including iconicity, pantomime, and shared cultural knowledge, which codify these movements into a system. Quantitative results indicate a high level of recognition among frequent visitors, suggesting that exposure and interaction frequency drive the acquisition of this gestural competence. This study demonstrates how gestures become codified within a commercial context, offering a real-world application of Symbolic Interactionism in understanding the development of an informal, culturally embedded transactional gesture system
Bazaar · Gesture · Identification (biology) · Interactionism · Lexicon · Meaning (existential) · Order (exchange) · Symbolic interactionism · Transactional leadership · Hearing Impairment and Communication · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition
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How do gestures influence thinking and speaking? The gesture-for-conceptualization hypothesis.
Head metonymies and metaphors in Jordanian and Tunisian Arabic
Hand Movements
Cognitive iconicity
Culture-specific discourse in marketing
Gesture-based customer interactions
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Cold shoulders and napkins handed
An analysis of Arabic tautology in English compounds used in customer-service settings in Jordan
Some Recent Work from Italy on Quotable Gestures (Emblems)
Symbols, meaning, and action
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |