Focus and Intensification in the Semantics of Brow Raise

We argue that in American Sign Language (ASL), Brow Raise has two sorts of functions that can be distinguished by timing: it may serve well-known information-theoretic functions that can, among others, realize focus; but it may also intensify gradable constructions – a far less well-known observation. While Brow Raise on an expression can fulfill both functions, Brow Raise right before an expression preferentially has an information-theoretic function. The main findings are replicated on some examples from LSF (French Sign Language). Strikingly, these two functions mirror those found for 'stress' (= emphasis) by Bergen 2016, who argued for a unified analysis of information-theoretic effects and of intensificational effects. We sketch a unified analysis within Alternative Semantics, and discuss a further possibility within a simplified version of Bergen's own theory of 'noise-reduction' (Bergen 2016). An extension of our ASL data shows that related generalizations hold when Brow Raise is applied to a highly iconic construction (here involving a helicopter path): depending on timing, Brow Raise may serve to evoke alternatives or to intensify part of the construction.

On infinite series of infinite isols

We are interested in regressive isols, recursive functions, and the extensions of recursive functions to the isols. One of the nicest concepts that has been applied to the study of these notions is of an infinite series of isols. J. C. E. Dekker introduced infinite series of isols in [3]. With this concept one may associate with each number theoretic function u and regressive isol B a value in the isols to correspond to the seriesWhen u is chosen as a recursive function, or as a recursive combinatorial function, many of the sums that one associates with familiar finite series may be generalized to infinite series. For example, if B is any regressive isol, thenThe results presented in our paper were motivated by an interest in extending infinite series to a setting where the terms being summed may be infinite isols. In our paper, we do this in a special way, as will be described below. We would first like to briefly comment on some facts about the concept of defining an infinite series in the isols.