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3 - Iconicity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2019

Diane Brentari
Diane Brentari
Affiliation:
University of Chicago
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Summary

In this chapter, the ways that iconicity and phonological constraints work together in sign languages will be described. Different types of iconicity will be delineated, and then a number of examples will be provided of how the phonetic pressures of ease of articulation, ease of perception, and iconicity conspire in sign language phonology. Iconicity is pervasive in sign languages, which makes these languages fertile ground for research on the topic, and it offers a way for work on sign languages to make a contribution to linguistic theory more broadly.

Keywords

cultural specificitytransparencyiconicity in grammariconicity in the lexicon
Type
Chapter
Information
Sign Language Phonology , pp. 75 - 98
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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References

3.6 Further Reading

Demey, E. & van der Kooij, E. (2008). Phonological patterns in a dependency model: Allophonic relations grounded in phonetic and iconic motivation. Lingua, 118, 1109–1138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emmorey, K., Grabowski, T., McCullough, S., Damasio, H., Ponto, L., Hichwa, R., & Bellugi, U. (2004). Motor-iconicity of sign language does not alter the neural systems underlying tool and action naming. Brain and Language, 89, 27–37.Google Scholar
Meir, I. (2010). Iconicity and metaphor: Constraints on metaphoric extension of iconic forms. Language, 86. 865–986.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perniss, P., Lu, J. C., Morgan, G., & Vigliocco, G. (2017). Mapping language to the world: The role of iconicity in the sign language input. Developmental Science, 21(2), e12551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taub, S. (2001). Language from the Body: Iconicity and Metaphor in American Sign Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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  • Iconicity
  • Diane Brentari, University of Chicago
  • Book: Sign Language Phonology
  • Online publication: 04 November 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316286401.003
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  • Iconicity
  • Diane Brentari, University of Chicago
  • Book: Sign Language Phonology
  • Online publication: 04 November 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316286401.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Iconicity
  • Diane Brentari, University of Chicago
  • Book: Sign Language Phonology
  • Online publication: 04 November 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316286401.003
Available formats
×