Iconic thumbs, pinkies and pointers
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William J. Herlofsky
Abstract
Sign language research has shown that all sign languages have verbs of motion in which the movement expressed by the verb is combined with an animateentity handshape. These handshapes iconically represent certain salient characteristics of their referents, and are therefore referred to as ‘classifiers’. The objective of this paper is to describe and illustrate the nature of iconic handshapes (especially the thumb, pinky, and pointer) of classifier-like constructions in Japan Sign Language (JSL), and show how their functions and patterns of grammaticalization are in some ways similar to and in other ways different from those identified for classifiers in spoken languages
Abstract
Sign language research has shown that all sign languages have verbs of motion in which the movement expressed by the verb is combined with an animateentity handshape. These handshapes iconically represent certain salient characteristics of their referents, and are therefore referred to as ‘classifiers’. The objective of this paper is to describe and illustrate the nature of iconic handshapes (especially the thumb, pinky, and pointer) of classifier-like constructions in Japan Sign Language (JSL), and show how their functions and patterns of grammaticalization are in some ways similar to and in other ways different from those identified for classifiers in spoken languages
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface and acknowledgements vii
- List of Contributors ix
- Introduction: Insistent Images 1
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PART I. Iconicity and grammaticalization
- Putting grammaticalization to the iconicity test 17
- Iconic thumbs, pinkies and pointers 37
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PART II. Iconicity and the aural
- The physical basis for phonological iconicity 57
- Reading aloud and Charles Dickens’ aural iconic prose style 73
- Iconicity and the divine in the fin de siècle poetry of W.B. Yeats 91
- Is lámatyáve a linguistic heresy? 103
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PART III. Iconicity and the visual
- The beauty of life and the variety of signs 113
- Forms of restricted iconicity in modern avant-garde poetry 129
- Eco-Iconicity in the poetry and poem-groups of E.E. Cummings 155
- The language of film is a matrix of icons 173
- Liberature 191
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PART IV. Iconicity and conceptualization
- Meaning on the one and on the other hand 211
- Iconic text strategies 229
- ‘Damn mad’ 247
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PART V. Iconicity and structure
- Iconicity and the grammar–lexis interface 269
- Iconicity in the coding of pragmatic functions 289
- Double negation and iconicity 301
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PART VI. Iconicity and multimedia / intertextuality
- Iconicity in multimedia performance 323
- Author index 347
- Subject index 353
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface and acknowledgements vii
- List of Contributors ix
- Introduction: Insistent Images 1
-
PART I. Iconicity and grammaticalization
- Putting grammaticalization to the iconicity test 17
- Iconic thumbs, pinkies and pointers 37
-
PART II. Iconicity and the aural
- The physical basis for phonological iconicity 57
- Reading aloud and Charles Dickens’ aural iconic prose style 73
- Iconicity and the divine in the fin de siècle poetry of W.B. Yeats 91
- Is lámatyáve a linguistic heresy? 103
-
PART III. Iconicity and the visual
- The beauty of life and the variety of signs 113
- Forms of restricted iconicity in modern avant-garde poetry 129
- Eco-Iconicity in the poetry and poem-groups of E.E. Cummings 155
- The language of film is a matrix of icons 173
- Liberature 191
-
PART IV. Iconicity and conceptualization
- Meaning on the one and on the other hand 211
- Iconic text strategies 229
- ‘Damn mad’ 247
-
PART V. Iconicity and structure
- Iconicity and the grammar–lexis interface 269
- Iconicity in the coding of pragmatic functions 289
- Double negation and iconicity 301
-
PART VI. Iconicity and multimedia / intertextuality
- Iconicity in multimedia performance 323
- Author index 347
- Subject index 353
