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The non-linguistic status of the symmetry condition in signed languages : evidence from a comparison of signs and speech-accompanying representational gestures
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Kita, Sotaro, Gijn, Ingeborg van and Hulst, Harry van der (2014) The non-linguistic status of the symmetry condition in signed languages : evidence from a comparison of signs and speech-accompanying representational gestures. Sign language & linguistics, Volume 17 (Number 2). pp. 215-238. doi:10.1075/sll.17.2.04kit
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/sll.17.2.04kit
Abstract
Since Battison (1978), it has been noted in many signed languages that the Symmetry Condition constrains the form of two-handed signs in which two hands move independently. The Condition states that the form features (e.g., the handshapes and movements) of the two hands are ‘symmetrical’. The Symmetry Condition has been regarded in the literature as a part of signed language phonology. In this study, we examine the linguistic status of the Symmetry Condition by comparing the degree of symmetry in signs from Sign Language of the Netherlands and speech-accompanying representational gestures produced by Dutch speakers. Like signed language, such gestures use hand movements to express concepts, but they do not constitute a linguistic system in their own right. We found that the Symmetry Condition holds equally well for signs and spontaneous gestures. This indicates that this condition is a general cognitive constraint, rather than a constraint specific to language. We suggest that the Symmetry Condition is a manifestation of the mind having one active ‘mental articulator’ when expressing a concept with hand movements.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics | ||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science > Psychology | ||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Phonology, Sign language, Gesture | ||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Sign language & linguistics | ||||
| Publisher: | John Benjamins Publishing Co. | ||||
| ISSN: | 1387-9316 | ||||
| Official Date: | 2014 | ||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | Volume 17 | ||||
| Number: | Number 2 | ||||
| Page Range: | pp. 215-238 | ||||
| DOI: | 10.1075/sll.17.2.04kit | ||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||
| Funder: | Max Planck Institut für Psycholinguistik (Nijmegen, Netherlands) |
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