This paper reconsiders arguments suggesting that sign language analyses must proceed differently to take into account their gestural, iconic origins. Lillo-Martin & Meier (2011) argue that agreement is ‘person marking’, shown by directionality. Liddell (2003, 2011) argues that directional verbs move between locations associated with referents; given an infinite number of points, the forms of these verbs are unlistable, and therefore just gestural indicating; he claims that this makes sign languages different from spoken languages, a position that I will argue against. In their response, Lillo-Martin & Meier then agree that real-world referent locations are not part of grammar, so language must interface closely with the gestural system. In contrast, Quer (2011) argues that Liddell’s reasoning is flawed. I will present evidence to agree with Quer and argue that the linguistic discussion was prematurely derailed by noting the recent alternate analysis offered by Gökgöz (2013). There may well be a role for visual iconicity in relation to sign language structure, as demonstrated by Schlenker (2013a,b), but unless we pursue linguistic analysis further, we will never get a clear understanding of what that role is.
2020. Space Oddities: The Acquisition of Agreement Verbs by L2 Learners of Sign Language of the Netherlands. The Modern Language Journal 104:4 ► pp. 757 ff.
Couvee, Sascha & Roland Pfau
2018. Structure and Grammaticalization of Serial Verb Constructions in Sign Language of the Netherlands—A Corpus-Based Study. Frontiers in Psychology 9
de Vos, Connie
2015. The Kata Kolok Pointing System: Morphemization and Syntactic Integration. Topics in Cognitive Science 7:1 ► pp. 150 ff.
Hou, Lynn
2022. A Usage-Based Proposal for Argument Structure of Directional Verbs in American Sign Language. Frontiers in Psychology 13
Kita, Sotaro & Karen Emmorey
2023. Gesture links language and cognition for spoken and signed languages. Nature Reviews Psychology 2:7 ► pp. 407 ff.
2019. Pointing and placing: Nominal grounding in Argentine Sign Language. Cognitive Linguistics 30:1 ► pp. 85 ff.
Pfau, Roland, Martin Salzmann & Markus Steinbach
2018. The syntax of sign language agreement: Common ingredients, but unusual recipe. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics 3:1
Pfau, Roland & Markus Steinbach
2016. Modality and meaning: Plurality of relations in German Sign Language. Lingua 170 ► pp. 69 ff.
Schembri, Adam, Kearsy Cormier & Jordan Fenlon
2018. Indicating verbs as typologically unique constructions: Reconsidering verb ‘agreement’ in sign languages. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics 3:1
Wilbur, Ronnie
2017. Internally-headed relative clauses in sign languages. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics 2:1
Wilcox, Sherman & Rocío Martínez
2020. The Conceptualization of Space: Places in Signed Language Discourse. Frontiers in Psychology 11
Wilcox, Sherman & Corrine Occhino
2016. Constructing signs: Place as a symbolic structure in signed languages. Cognitive Linguistics 27:3 ► pp. 371 ff.
Zaini, Khairulnisak Mohamad & Aznan Che Ahmad
2023. A Preliminary Evaluation of Learning Sign Language Through Information and Communications Technology (ICT). In Comparative Research on Diversity in Virtual Learning [Advances in Mobile and Distance Learning, ], ► pp. 215 ff.
Zaini, Khairulnisak Mohamad, Rozniza Zaharudin & Aznan Che Ahmad
2024. The Development of an Educational Mobile Application for Malaysian Sign Language. In Embracing Cutting-Edge Technology in Modern Educational Settings [Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design, ], ► pp. 242 ff.
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