Symbiotic symbolization by hand and mouth in sign language

Abstract

Current conceptions of human language include a gestural component in the communicative event. However, determining how the linguistic and gestural signals are distinguished, how each is structured, and how they interact still poses a challenge for the construction of a comprehensive model of language. This study attempts to advance our understanding of these issues with evidence from sign language. The study adopts McNeill's criteria for distinguishing gestures from the linguistically organized signal, and provides a brief description of the linguistic organization of sign languages. Focusing on the subcategory of iconic gestures, the paper shows that signers create iconic gestures with the mouth, an articulator that acts symbiotically with the hands to complement the linguistic description of objects and events. A new distinction between the mimetic replica and the iconic symbol accounts for the nature and distribution of iconic mouth gestures and distinguishes them from mimetic uses of the mouth. Symbiotic symbolization by hand and mouth is a salient feature of human language, regardless of whether the primary linguistic modality is oral or manual. Speakers gesture with their hands, and signers gesture with their mouths.

Figure 1

The ISL minimal pair (a) INTERESTING, and (b) DANGEROUS, distinguished only by features of hand configuration.

Figure 2

Handshapes minimally distinguishing ISL signs.

Figure 3

ISL SHOW inflected for verb agreement (clockwise from top left): I-SHOW-YOU; YOU-SHOW-ME; S/HE-SHOWS-YOU; I-SHOW-YOU (exhaustive); I-SHOW-YOU (multiple).

Figure 4

Intonational phrase boundary between two parts of the counterfactual sentence, GOALKEEPER CATCH-BALL, WIN — “If the goalkeeper had caught the ball, they would have won the game.” (a) CATCH-BALL, (b) WIN.

Figure 5

Iconic co-speech gesture for the sentence, “You braid it, so it’s higher in the middle and tapered at the ends.” (a) coincided with “higher in the middle” and (b) with “tapered at the ends.”

Figure 6

(a) and (b) are a sequence consisting of an iconic gesture (“round object”) and a pantomime of cracking an egg and throwing away the shell. (c) is the conventionalized ASL sign, EGG. Illustrations reproduced with permission from Ursula Bellugi.

Figure 7

Non-linguistic uses of the mouth: (a) mimetic affect — surprise; and (b) mimetic character attribute — monkey.

Figure 8

Mouth gestures in Canary Row bowling ball scene. (a) tight fit in narrow space (cat in pipe). (b) zig-zag shape (pipe). (c) tight fit in narrow space (cat in pipe). (d) full/ round shape (ball).

Figure 9

Gradience. One cheek is puffed for the ball, and two for the image of the cat after swallowing the ball.

Figure 10

Context sensitivity: Same mouth gesture conglomerate for “narrow” and “whoosh” (action units 8c, 14b, 17b, 18b, and 25).

Figure 11

Individual variation in form of mouth gestures.

Figure 12

Two ISL classifier constructions. (a) “two cars (VEHICLES) drove past each other,” (b) “cup (CYLINDRICAL-OBJECT) next to piece of paper (FLAT-OBJECT).”

Figure 13

Mouth gestures accompanying DRAWBRIDGE in ASL.

Figure 14

Mouth gesture in Al Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language indicating vibration caused by water being released through a hose tap.

Figure 15

Linguistic use of the mouth: conventionalized adverbial mouth shape in ISL for “protracted motion.”