Iconicity: Empirical Data

Theory-neutral observations about iconic meaning in sign language, focusing on classifier predicates and their spatial interpretation.

Key Observations

1. Sign language classifiers have iconic content: their position, orientation, and movement in signing space are interpreted relative to a viewpoint.

2. Classifiers denoting static objects can move in signing space to represent relative motion — the object appears to move from the perspective of a moving character (the "traveling shot" effect).

3. The direction of classifier movement determines the inferred path of the character, not absolute object motion.

inductive Phenomena.Iconicity.ClassifierDirection : Type

Direction of a classifier's movement in signing space.

• passingLeft : ClassifierDirection
• passingRight : ClassifierDirection
• approaching : ClassifierDirection
• receding : ClassifierDirection
• stationary : ClassifierDirection

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Phenomena.Iconicity.instDecidableEqClassifierDirection : DecidableEq ClassifierDirection

Equations

• Phenomena.Iconicity.instDecidableEqClassifierDirection x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

def Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprClassifierDirection.repr : ClassifierDirection → Nat → Std.Format

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprClassifierDirection : Repr ClassifierDirection

Equations

• Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprClassifierDirection = { reprPrec := Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprClassifierDirection.repr }

def Phenomena.Iconicity.ClassifierDirection.isDynamic : ClassifierDirection → Bool

Whether classifier movement is dynamic (involves motion).

Equations

• Phenomena.Iconicity.ClassifierDirection.stationary.isDynamic = false
• x✝.isDynamic = true

inductive Phenomena.Iconicity.MotionType : Type

The type of motion interpretation triggered by a classifier.

• absolute : MotionType
• relative : MotionType

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Phenomena.Iconicity.instDecidableEqMotionType : DecidableEq MotionType

Equations

• Phenomena.Iconicity.instDecidableEqMotionType x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

def Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprMotionType.repr : MotionType → Nat → Std.Format

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprMotionType : Repr MotionType

Equations

• Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprMotionType = { reprPrec := Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprMotionType.repr }

structure Phenomena.Iconicity.RelativeMotionReading : Type

A relative motion reading: the object class and how it appears to move from the character's perspective.

• objectClass : String

  The class of object (tree, pole, house, etc.)

• apparentDirection : ClassifierDirection

  The apparent direction of the object's motion

• objectIsStatic : Bool

  Whether the object is actually static in the world

structure Phenomena.Iconicity.TravelingShotEffect : Type

The traveling shot generalization: when a classifier denoting a static object moves in signing space, the movement is interpreted as relative motion from a moving viewpoint, not as absolute motion of the object.

• objectClass : String

  The static object class

• classifierDirection : ClassifierDirection

  The classifier's direction in signing space

• motionType : MotionType

  The motion type is relative, not absolute

• classifierDirection_isDynamic : self.classifierDirection.isDynamic = true

  The classifier direction determines the character's inferred path

• motionType_isRelative : self.motionType = MotionType.relative

inductive Phenomena.Iconicity.RoleShiftStatus : Type

Role Shift status of a classifier construction.

• strict : RoleShiftStatus
• broad : RoleShiftStatus
• absent : RoleShiftStatus

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Phenomena.Iconicity.instDecidableEqRoleShiftStatus : DecidableEq RoleShiftStatus

Equations

• Phenomena.Iconicity.instDecidableEqRoleShiftStatus x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

def Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprRoleShiftStatus.repr : RoleShiftStatus → Nat → Std.Format

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprRoleShiftStatus : Repr RoleShiftStatus

Equations

• Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprRoleShiftStatus = { reprPrec := Phenomena.Iconicity.instReprRoleShiftStatus.repr }