Facepalm Evolution: from Protogesture to Idiom
O. Luntcova, N.Pukhova
Introduction
Facepalm, that first appeared as a 4chan Internet meme, then broke the barriers of the Internet
community and entered both non-verbal and verbal lexicon beyond cyberspace communication, poses a
great interest as social and linguistic phenomena for research in cognitive anthropology and cognitive
linguistics alike.
The survey aims to trace the evolution of facepalm phenomenon in human cognition from a
protogesture to linguistic unit. The claim is that facepalm visual imagery and conceptualization in the
natural language are based on the same mental processes.
Survey
1. The physical gesture of
placing one’s hand flat across
one’s face or lowering one’s
face into one’s hands is not
of recent origin and can be
found in many cultures. This
protogesture
is
an
involuntary manifestation of
frustration, disappointment
or embarrassment.
2.
As a result of gestural semiosis the
symptom gesture turned into an emblem
that is not culturally universal. Unlike
the
protogesture,
it
always
communicates an intended meaning that
can display frustration, disappointment,
embarrassment, shock, surprise or even
sarcasm. Besides, facepalm is a social
dialectal gesture, conventional and
culture-specific (used mainly in cyber
communication).
3.
The imagery evolution results in three
kinds of the meme.
Facepalm
4.
Popular as it is, the emblem codified in
English found its expression in a number
of new compound words and word
combinations.
Double facepalm
Epic facepalm
facepalmdeskfloor, facepalm Sunday, #facepalmsunday, facepalm of
justice, facepalm index, facepalm famous, facepalm relationship,
facepalmer, facepalmery.
Conclusion
We can witness two stages of cognition transition from gesture symbol to a linguistic unit. Gesture-referent is
reflected in our minds as a notion thus forming a two-sided configuration (symbol-meaning). Linguistic units of
facepalm type traditionally presented as semantic triangles (referent-meaning-name), result from overlapping twoand three-sided configurations, automatically filling the third vacant name apex of the triangle with gesture verbal
description. Thus gesture acquires linguistic status and brings together two sides of cognitive process. The codified
English emblem found its expression in new compound words and phrases. Similar cognitive processes account for
meaning development in gesture symbols and linguistic units.