The Signs of Language
Published on 15. October 1988
Book
Paperback/Softback
432 pages
978-0-674-80796-9 (ISBN)
Description
In a book with far-reaching implications, Edward S. Klima and Ursula Bellugi present a full exploration of a language in another mode-a language of the hands and of the eyes. They discuss the origin and development of American Sign Language, the internal structure of its basic units, the grammatical processes it employs, and its heightened use in poetry and wit. The authors draw on research, much of it by and with deaf people, to answer the crucial question of what is fundamental to language as language and what is determined by the mode (vocal or gestural) in which a language is produced.
Reviews / Votes
A most evocative book... [It] is no guide to the learning of the sign language itself, but it is one to understanding it as an independent flowering of the capacity we call language. That is a treasure richer than speech, sign or ideograph, the springs of both art and science. It is worth mention that for the many sequential drawings and diagrams needed to make the flow of sign understandable on the static page the authors have themselves evolved a small visual language of symbol: an entire set of spiraling, swelling and dwindling arrows bridging their scenes. The two hemispheres of the brain are plainly cooperating in this study! -- Philip Morrison * Scientific American * An excellent book... It can be recommended not only to the specialist, but to readers with no previous knowledge of sign language. -- Peyton Todd * Journal of Communication * A major contribution to our understanding of signs; of particular interest is the chapter dealing with puns or plays on signs... The illustrations are outstanding. * Choice *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
23 halftones, 184 line illustrations, 16 tables
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 159 mm
Weight
626 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-674-80796-9 (9780674807969)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Edward Klima was Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the University of California, San Diego, and Associate Director of the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Ursula Bellugi is Director of the Laboratory for Language Studies at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
Content
Introduction PART I: The Two Faces of Sign 1. Iconicity in Signs and Signing 2. Properties of Symbols in a Silent Language 3. Historical Change: From Iconic to Arbitrary PART II: The Structure of the Sign 4. Remembering without Words: Manual Memory 5. Slips of the Hands 6. A Comparison of Chinese and American Signs 7. A Feature Analysis of Handshapes 8. The Rate of Speaking and Signing PART III: Grammatical Processes 9. On the Creation of New Lexical Items by Compounding 10. Linguistic Expression of Category Levels 11. Aspectual Modulations on Adjectival Predicates 12. The Structured Use of Space and Movement: Morphological Processes PART IV: The Heightened Use of Language 13. Wit and Plays on Signs 14. Poetry and Song in a Language without Sound Appendix A: Notation Appendix B: Conventions Employed in Illustrations Notes References Index