Phonological categories in Sign Language of the Netherlands: the role of phonetic implementation and iconicity
Temas
Detalles
This thesis provides a phonological analysis of the lexicon of Sign Language of the Netherlands (SLN). It aims at a phonological representation that is constrained in its structure and limited in the number of phonological distinctions. The economy of this model contrasts with earlier models, mostly based on American Sign Language, which proposed an abundance of phonological features. The reduction is achieved in two ways. First, fewer phonological contrasts are needed by removing the form elements that are predictable on phonetic grounds, on the basis of perception and articulation. Phonetic Implementation Rules account for these predictable elements. The second strategy, called Semantic Prespecification, is novel, and does justice to the iconic character of many signs and to the idiosyncratic nature of their phonetic components. The phonetic elements that bear meaning due to their iconic motivation are prespecified in the lexicon.