Bellugi U, Klima E S
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;280:514-38. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb25514.x.
In this paper, we show that the total range of the communication system of the deaf is considerably enriched but at the same time rendered more difficult to analyze, because pantomime and other spontaneous nonsign representations occur in the same mode as regular ASL signs in deaf discourse. We note that the rarification of what was originally nonsign depiction is clearly an important source of regular ASL signs. We show that criteria can be established that would distinguish the clear cases of pantomime from the regular ASL signs. Nonetheless, there remain a sizable number of regular ASL signs which, although they are neither pantomimic nor otherwise freely mimetic, still appear to retain an iconic cast. We show that very few ASL signs are actually transparent; that is, a nonsigner cannot guess the meaning of a sign in the absence of further information. On the other hand, many signs are iconic in the sence that nonsigners, when given the sign and its meaning, show considerable agreement in how the two are related. More important in terms of language and its users is the significance of iconicity for deaf signers themselves. This paper shows that while in special circumstances the deaf do play on iconic elements of certain signs for special effects, iconicity plays no observable role in the coding of signs in short-term memory. The abstract formational parameters definitely dominate. We further note that it is the abstract system and not purely iconic aspects that have determined observed historical changes in the form of ASL signs. We interpret this as indicating the deeper structural significance of the abstract formational level. Finally, we show that very widespread and productive grammatical processes, especially suited for a visual-gestural language, override the iconic aspects of signs also at the synchronic structural level.
在本文中，我们表明聋人交流系统的整体范围得到了极大丰富，但与此同时分析起来也变得更加困难，因为在聋人话语中，哑剧和其他自发的非手语表现形式与常规美国手语手势以相同方式出现。我们注意到，原本非手语描绘的简化显然是常规美国手语手势的一个重要来源。我们表明，可以确立一些标准来区分哑剧的明确案例与常规美国手语手势。尽管如此，仍有相当数量的常规美国手语手势，虽然它们既不是哑剧式的，也不是其他随意模仿的，但似乎仍保留着一种象似性特征。我们表明，实际上很少有美国手语手势是完全透明的；也就是说，一个不懂手语的人在没有更多信息的情况下无法猜出一个手势的意思。另一方面，许多手势具有象似性，即当向不懂手语的人展示一个手势及其含义时，他们对两者之间的关系表现出相当程度的共识。就语言及其使用者而言，更重要的是象似性对聋人手语使用者自身的意义。本文表明，虽然在特殊情况下聋人确实会利用某些手势的象似元素来达到特殊效果，但象似性在短期记忆中对手势的编码没有可观察到的作用。抽象的构形参数绝对占主导地位。我们进一步指出，决定美国手语手势形式中观察到的历史变化的是抽象系统而非纯粹的象似方面。我们将此解释为表明抽象构形层面具有更深层次的结构意义。最后，我们表明非常广泛且富有成效的语法过程，尤其适用于视觉 - 手势语言，在共时结构层面也会超越手势的象似方面。
