Iconicity in sign languages

Experimental Semiotics

“…Students of sign language recently provided support for this hypothesis, demonstrating not only that spontaneously emerged sign languages have deep and vast iconic roots (Fusellier‐Souza 2006) but also that a fairly high degree of iconicity remains one of the defining features of more established sign languages (Aronoff et al. 2008; Demey et al. 2008; Taub 2001).…”

Iconicity and Metaphor in Sign Language Poetry

“…We can extend this notion of "iconic intent" to the idea of "metaphoric intent," which can be defined as the intention of the poet that determines if certain features bear symbolic meaning. Demey et al (2008) also claim that their iconicity model can be applied to both spoken and signed languages. These two modalities, they claim, "do not produce differences in kind, but only in degree" (p. 212).…”

“…Although Demey et al (2008) do not refer to metaphors, such onomatopoeic iconicity can be used metaphorically where it does not represent physical sounds but images of abstract notion. This "sound symbolism" can be found, for example, in Edgar Allan Poe's Annabel Lee:…”

“…Because they are working at the smaller unit level, they can provide more detailed and flexible explanations for iconicity beyond single signs. Demey et al (2008) usefully show that the iconic superstructure is not inherent in the form of the language but is activated by the "iconic intent" of the language users. In other words, iconic and non-iconic signs may have identical forms but are 'seen' differently depending on how they are used by the signer or interpreted by the interlocutor.…”

“…Closer to our approach, Demey, Van Herreweghe, and Vermeerbergen (2008) propose the idea of an "iconic superstructure" to an utterance, which can be defined as the sublexical iconic elements activated at the level of syntax or discourse. They try to capture the notion of iconicity at the sublexical (micro) level and also at the larger syntactic or discourse (macro) levels.…”