Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures
- Acknowledgments
- 1 A Glimpse of the Material
- 2 Motivation and Linguistic Theory
- 3 Iconicity Defined and Demonstrated
- 4 The Analogue-Building Model of Linguistic Iconicity
- 5 Survey of Iconicity in Signed and Spoken Languages
- 6 Metaphor in American Sign Language: The Double Mapping
- 7 Many Metaphors in a Single Sign
- 8 The Vertical Scale as Source Domain
- 9 Verb Agreement Paths in American Sign Language
- 10 Complex Superposition of Metaphors in an American Sign Language Poem
- 11 The Future of Signed-Language Research
- Appendix 1 Glossing Conventions
- Appendix 2 Translation of “The Treasure”
- References
- Index
1 - A Glimpse of the Material
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 October 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures
- Acknowledgments
- 1 A Glimpse of the Material
- 2 Motivation and Linguistic Theory
- 3 Iconicity Defined and Demonstrated
- 4 The Analogue-Building Model of Linguistic Iconicity
- 5 Survey of Iconicity in Signed and Spoken Languages
- 6 Metaphor in American Sign Language: The Double Mapping
- 7 Many Metaphors in a Single Sign
- 8 The Vertical Scale as Source Domain
- 9 Verb Agreement Paths in American Sign Language
- 10 Complex Superposition of Metaphors in an American Sign Language Poem
- 11 The Future of Signed-Language Research
- Appendix 1 Glossing Conventions
- Appendix 2 Translation of “The Treasure”
- References
- Index
Summary
THE ABUNDANCE OF VISUAL IMAGERY IN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
Imagine that you are taking part in a conversation using American Sign Language (ASL), the language of the American Deaf community. You are about to see an integration of visual imagery with linguistic structure on a scale that no spoken language can equal.
The signer is telling you about her kitchen. She sketches the four walls in space, then quickly identifies the appliances and furnishings. As she names each one – refrigerator, sink, cabinets, and so on – she places it within the sketched outline of the kitchen, punctuating each placement with a special head nod. Before long, a virtual map of the room floats in the space between you.
Now the signer is describing a conversation she had with her six-year-old son. She names her son and points to a spot on her right. Her body shifts to face rightward and her signing angles down toward where a six-year-old's face and body would be, as she reports how she asked her son to get her a towel; then her body shifts to face upward to the left as she gives his assent. The relative heights and locations of the signer and her son are clear to your mind's eye.
The woman goes on to describe how her son ran about the house to find the towel. Her index finger is extended upward from her fist, and she traces a complex path through the air with that handshape.
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- Information
- Language from the BodyIconicity and Metaphor in American Sign Language, pp. 1 - 7Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2001