The relation between space and grammar in ASL verb morphology
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Detalles
One of the more traditional approaches to analysis of signed languages has been to examine the ways in which modality interacts with language structure. Perhaps the most compelling freature of signed languages, certainly one that has attrached much discussion, is their ability to exploit the visuo-spatial dimension. Unlike oral languages where space is referred to, in sign languages, space is physically available for representation. The space around and on the signer's body is exploited at all levels: formationally similar signs may contrast only inlocation; verb agreement is marked using spatial position; and discourse topics are distinguished from one another by where the signs are articulated.
En. C. Lucas (Ed.). Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research.