Affiliation:
1. University of British Columbia, 2613 West Mall, V6T 1Z4 Vancouver
2. Haifa University
Abstract
This paper investigates how structure emerges in a young language, focusing on compounding in two young sign languages, Israeli Sign Language (ISL) and Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language (ABSL). We focus on novel compounds (tokens invented on the spot) to ensure that we are studying a productive process and to avoid issues contingent with lexicalization. We found that both languages make use both of compounding and size-and-shape classifier constructions (SASS-constructions), but ISL and ABSL have conventionalized different structures and the structures they do use are conventionalized to different degrees. We discuss the similarities and differences of those constructions in ISL and ABSL in the context of structure emergence and language evolution.
Publisher
Open Library of the Humanities
Subject
Linguistics and Language,Language and Linguistics
Reference81 articles.
1. Potential words, actual words, productivity and frequency;Aronoff, Mark,1983
2. The roots of linguistic organization in a new language;Aronoff, MarkIrit MeirCarol PaddenWendy Sandler;Interaction Studies,2008
Cited by
6 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献