scholarly journals The representation of action in Italian Sign Language (LIS)

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Elena Tomasuolo ◽  
Chiara Bonsignori ◽  
Pasquale Rinaldi ◽  
Virginia Volterra
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Meaning Construction ◽  
Linguistic Meaning ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Video Clips ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractThe present study investigates the types of verb and symbolic representational strategies used by 10 deaf signing adults and 13 deaf signing children who described in Italian Sign Language 45 video clips representing nine action types generally communicated by five general verbs in spoken Italian. General verbs, in which the same sign was produced to refer to several different physical action types, were rarely used by either group of participants. Both signing children and adults usually produced specific depicting predicates by incorporating, through a representational strategy, the object and/or the modality of the action into the sign. As for the different types of representational strategies, the adults used the hand-as-object strategy more frequently than the children, who, in turn, preferred to use the hand-as-hand strategy, suggesting that different degrees of cognitive complexity are involved in these two symbolic strategies. Addressing the symbolic iconic strategies underlying sign formation could provide new insight into the perceptual and cognitive processes of linguistic meaning construction. The findings reported here support two main assumptions of cognitive linguistics applied to sign languages: there is a strong continuity between gestures and language; lexical units and depicting constructions derive from the same iconic core mechanism of sign creation.

Implied narratives of medical practice in learning-for-doing texts: a simulation semantics approach to rhetorical analysis

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd Oakley
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Meaning Construction ◽  
Linguistic Meaning ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Semantic Approach ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Print Advertisements ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Simulation Semantics

The functional interdependence of word, image, narration, and reason is recognized as a fundamental condition of modern-day persuasion, yet a substantial gap still exists in our understanding of how static textual elements interact to generate dynamic, persuasive narratives. This article attempts to narrow that gap in understanding through the development of a simulation semantics approach to rhetorical analysis as applied to print advertisements in medical journals. Located within the broader field of cognitive linguistics, simulation semantics is a theory of linguistic meaning based on the hypothesis that language users run mental simulations of perceptual and motor content of experiences which distribute inferences from these simulations during language comprehension and production. Using the perspectives and methods of conceptual blending, a programmatic model of meaning construction developed by Fauconnier and Turner (2002) and elaborated by many associates (e.g. Brandt and Brandt, 2002; Coulson and Oakley, 2000), the article attempts to show how a simulation semantic approach can lead to cognitively plausible explanations of how persuasion works in a genre of print advertisements aimed at physicians and medical practitioners I call learning-for-doing. In addition, I seek to further refine conceptual blending theory as an interpretive framework by arguing for the need to incorporate the notion of a grounding space as well as the need to distinguish between conceptual blending and conceptual integration.

Frequency distribution and spreading behavior of different types of mouth actions in three sign languages

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onno A. Crasborn ◽  
Els van der Kooij ◽  
Dafydd Waters ◽  
Bencie Woll ◽  
Johanna Mesch
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Frequency Distribution ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Spreading Behavior ◽  
British Sign Language ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
British Sign

In this paper, we present a comparative study of mouth actions in three European sign languages: British Sign Language (BSL), Nederlandse Gebarentaal (Sign Language of the Netherlands, NGT), and Swedish Sign Language (SSL). We propose a typology for, and report the frequency distribution of, the different types of mouth actions observed. In accordance with previous studies, we find the three languages remarkably similar — both in the types of mouth actions they use, and in how these mouth actions are distributed. We then describe how mouth actions can extend over more than one manual sign. This spreading of mouth actions is the primary focus of this paper. Based on an analysis of comparable narrative material in the three languages, we demonstrate that the direction as well as the source and goal of spreading may be language-specific.

Estimating Cognitive Complexity and the Need for Cognitive Task Analysis

1994 ◽  
Vol 38 (16) ◽  
pp. 1023-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. DeVries ◽  
Sallie E. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Task Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Cognitive Task Analysis ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Multiple Domains ◽  
Specific Project

Because an increasing number of systems are being developed to support complex cognitive functioning, task analysis is commonly being augmented with cognitive task analysis, which identifies cognitive processes, knowledge, and mental models relevant to task performance. Cognitive task analysis tends to be lengthy and time-consuming, so designers frequently ask how they might know if it is actually necessary for a specific project. In this paper, we assume that much of the need for cognitive task analysis depends on the inherent “cognitive complexity” of the task. We present a model of cognitive complexity, and show how it was used to develop a computer-based tool for estimating relative cognitive complexity for a set of tasks. The tool, Cog-C, elicits task and subtask hierarchies, then guides the user in making relatively simple estimates on a number of scales. The tool calculates and displays the relative cognitive complexity scores for each task, along with subscores of cognitive complexity for different types of knowledge. Usability and reliability were evaluated in multiple domains, showing that the tool is relatively easy to use, reliable, and well-accepted.

scholarly journals The Signs of Silence – An Overview of Systems of Sign Languages and Co-Speech Gestures

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-144
Author(s):  
Emilija Mustapić ◽  
Frane Malenica
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Simple Form ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Bona Fide ◽  
Basic Features ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Single Modality ◽  
Spatial Modality

The paper presents an overview of sign languages and co-speech gestures as two means of communication realised through the visuo-spatial modality. We look at previous research to examine the correlation between spoken and sign language phonology, but also provide an insight into the basic features of co-speech gestures. By analysing these features, we are able to see how these means of communication utilise phases of production (in the case of gestures) or parts of individual signs (in the case of sign languages) to convey or complement the meaning. Recent insights into sign languages as bona fide linguistic systems and co-speech gestures as a system which has no linguistic features but accompanies spoken language have shown that communication does not take place within just a single modality but is rather multimodal. By comparing gestures and sign languages to spoken languages, we are able to trace the transition from systems of communication involving simple form-meaning pairings to fully fledged morphological and syntactic complexities in spoken and sign languages, which gives us a new outlook on the emergence of linguistic phenomena.

The interaction of eye blinks and other prosodic cues in German Sign Language

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Herrmann
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Video Data ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Eye Blinks ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Prosodic Cues ◽  
Language Structure ◽  
German Sign Language ◽  
Insight Into

As an interface phenomenon, prosody interacts with all components of grammar, even though it is often subsumed under the broad area of phonology. In sign languages, an equivalent system of prosody reveals interesting results with regard to modality-independent notions of language structure. This paper presents data from a study on German Sign Language (Deutsche Gebärdensprache, DGS) and investigates prosodic cues on the basis of annotated video data. The focus of the study was on eye blinks and their use in prosodic structuring of signed utterances. Systematic methodology, annotation, and statistical evidence provided the basis for a thorough analysis of blinking behavior in DGS. The results suggest a consistent use of certain eye blinks as markers to indicate prosodic phrase boundaries. A constant 70%/30% ratio of prosodic and non-prosodic blinks further indicates the efficient use of this device. Even though some aspects of blinking are subject to inter-signer variation, the prosodic use of blinks is intriguingly similar across signers. However, blinks are not obligatory boundary markers in DGS. I propose an analysis that takes into account various factors such as syntactic constituency, prosodic structuring, and particularly the interplay of various nonmanuals such as eye gaze, head nods, and facial expressions. The fine-grained distinction of blinks resulting from a modified categorization for eye blinks and additional statistical computations give insight into how visual languages realize phrase boundaries and prosodic marking and to what extent they use the system consistently.

Two agreement markers in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS)

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Krebs ◽  
Ronnie B. Wilbur ◽  
Dietmar Roehm
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Syntactic Position ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Native Signers

Abstract For many of the sign languages studied to date, different types of agreement markers have been described which express agreement in transitive constructions involving non-inflecting (plain) verbs and sometimes even inflected agreement verbs. Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) belongs to the group of sign languages employing two different agreement markers (agrm-bc/agrm-mf), which will be described in this paper. In an online questionnaire, we focused on two questions: (i) whether both forms of agreement markers are rated as equally acceptable by Deaf ÖGS-signers and hearing native signers, and (ii) whether there is a preferred syntactic position (pre- vs. postverbal) for these markers. Data analysis confirmed that both agreement markers are accepted by ÖGS-signers and that both agreement markers are slightly preferred in preverbal position. Further, possible origins of both agreement markers are discussed.

The emerging grammar of nouns in a first generation sign language

Gesture ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Haviland
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Hearing Child ◽  
Part Of Speech ◽  
Language Structure ◽  
Generation Family ◽  
Physical Objects ◽  
Theoretical Issues ◽  
Insight Into

A first generation family homesign system, dubbed “Z”, from the Tzotzil-speaking township of Zinacantán, in Chiapas, Mexico, provides insight into how a new sign language can begin to distinguish formally different “part-of-speech” categories. After describing the small signing community, consisting of 3 deaf sibling and their intermediate hearing sister, plus a younger cousin — the entire set of fluent adult signers — plus the hearing child of the oldest deaf signer, and setting out some of the theoretical issues surrounding the nature of “part-of-speech” in sign languages, the paper considers three sorts of mechanisms the language has developed to help distinguish signs that refer to objects from signs that refer to actions. These include a set of size-shape specifiers that co-occur with presumed nominal signs, an iconic contrast between different sign formational elements that somewhat inconsistently signal a noun/verb distinction, and, perhaps most interestingly, a construction involving a clearly grammaticalized locative or copular element that allows Z signers to make clear that they are referring to (physical) objects rather than actions. The paper concludes by considering the overall effect of these quite different formal strategies on the evolving language structure.

scholarly journals Is a metonymy always a metonymy? A speculation on taxonomical aspects of propositional metonymy and situational metonymy

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 00044
Author(s):  
Nikolay Golovko
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
English Language ◽  
Related Concept ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Different Types

Research efforts in cognitive linguistics are frequently focused on the notion of metaphor, while the notion of metonymy, as well as its taxonomical aspects, is not always thoroughly researched. A study of the most recent research papers in the English language has shown that metonymy is often interpreted in a broad fashion, incorporating several different types of cognitive processes and phenomena, so that a scholar becomes unable to distinguish them from each other and \ or is essentially forced to regard them as manifestations of the same phenomenon. A more taxonomically accurate approach is suggested, involving the use of the term “synecdoche” for affinity-related concept shifts and including a review of two subclasses of metonymy that have not yet received a considerable amount of attention – propositional metonymy and situational metonymy.

scholarly journals Aspects of metonymy in language and thought

2010 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 49-70
Author(s):  
Katarina Rasulic
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Figurative Language ◽  
Meaning Construction ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
Prototype Model ◽  
Language And Thought ◽  
Interdisciplinary Perspective ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Insight Into

Based on the theoretical insights from cognitive linguistics, this paper aims to shed fresh light on certain aspects of metonymy as one of the basic mechanisms of conceptualsemantic organization. It is argued that the prototype model of categorization can provide substantial explanatory potential in the linguistic treatment of metonymy, that anthropocentricity is an important aspect of metonymic conceptualization, and that metonymy has multiple roles in the creation of meaning, including meaning extension, meaning construction and meaning imposition. The significance of investigating the multifaceted character of metonymic conceptualization (as well as of figurative language and thought in general) from an interdisciplinary perspective is highlighted as fundamental for a more comprehensive insight into the nature of meaning.

Variation in mouth actions with manual signs in Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT)

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Bank ◽  
Onno A. Crasborn ◽  
Roeland van Hout
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Lexical Item ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Natural Data ◽  
Manual Signs ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
The Way

Mouthings and mouth gestures are omnipresent in Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT). Mouthings in NGT commonly have their origin in spoken Dutch. We conducted a corpus study to explore how frequent mouthings in fact are in NGT, whether there is variation within and between signs in mouthings, and how frequent temporal reduction occurs in mouthings. Answers to these questions can help us classify mouthings as being specified in the sign lexicon or as being instances of code-blending. We investigated a sample of 20 frequently occurring signs. We found that each sign in the sample co-occurs frequently with a mouthing, usually that of a specific Dutch lexical item. On the other hand, signs show variation in the way they co-occur with mouthings and mouth gestures. By using a relatively large amount of natural data, we succeeded in gaining more insight into the way mouth actions are utilized in sign languages.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document