Department of English Literature and Linguistics, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.
Department of Computer Science, University of Haifa, Israel.
Lang Speech. 2024 Mar;67(1):255-276. doi: 10.1177/00238309231169502. Epub 2023 Jun 14.
Just as vocalization proceeds in a continuous stream in speech, so too do movements of the hands, face, and body in sign languages. Here, we use motion-capture technology to distinguish lexical signs in sign language from other common types of expression in the signing stream. One type of expression is , the enactment of (aspects of) referents and events by (parts of) the body. Another is , the manual representation of analogue and gradient motions and locations simultaneously with specified referent morphemes. The term is commonly used for all of these, but we show that not all visual signals in sign languages are of the same type. In this study of Israeli Sign Language, we use motion capture to show that the motion of lexical signs differs significantly along several kinematic parameters from that of the two other modes of expression: constructed action and the classifier forms. In so doing, we show how motion-capture technology can help to define the universal linguistic category "word," and to distinguish it from the expressive gestural elements that are commonly found across sign languages.
正如言语中的发声是连续的一样，手语中的手势、面部和身体的动作也是连续的。在这里，我们使用运动捕捉技术来区分手语中的词汇符号和手语流中的其他常见表达类型。一种表达类型是构式动作，即通过（身体的）部分来表现（指称物和事件的）方面。另一种是手指出现，即同时用指定的指称词素对手势进行模拟和渐变运动和位置的表示。这个术语通常用于所有这些，但我们表明并非所有手语中的视觉信号都属于同一类型。在这项对以色列手语的研究中，我们使用运动捕捉来表明词汇符号的运动在几个运动学参数上与其他两种表达模式：构式动作和分类器形式有显著差异。通过这样做，我们展示了运动捕捉技术如何帮助定义“词”这一普遍的语言类别，并将其与在各种手语中常见的表达性手势元素区分开来。
