Book contents
- Sign Language Phonology
- Key Topics in Phonology
- Sign Language Phonology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Modality Effects
- 3 Iconicity
- 4 Interfaces
- 5 The Emergence of Phonology
- 6 Sign Language Phonological Processing
- 7 Sign Language Acquisition
- 8 Sign Language Phonological Variation and Change
- Glossary
- References
- Index
- References
3 - Iconicity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 November 2019
- Sign Language Phonology
- Key Topics in Phonology
- Sign Language Phonology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Modality Effects
- 3 Iconicity
- 4 Interfaces
- 5 The Emergence of Phonology
- 6 Sign Language Phonological Processing
- 7 Sign Language Acquisition
- 8 Sign Language Phonological Variation and Change
- Glossary
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
In this chapter, the ways that iconicity and phonological constraints work together in sign languages will be described. Different types of iconicity will be delineated, and then a number of examples will be provided of how the phonetic pressures of ease of articulation, ease of perception, and iconicity conspire in sign language phonology. Iconicity is pervasive in sign languages, which makes these languages fertile ground for research on the topic, and it offers a way for work on sign languages to make a contribution to linguistic theory more broadly.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Sign Language Phonology , pp. 75 - 98Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019