The Relationship Between Community Size and Iconicity in Sign Languages

Dados Bibliográficos

ID7150255
AutoresShiri Lev‐ari (0000-0002-3784-5184, University of London, autor correspondente), Rose Stamp (0000-0002-1993-559X, Department of English Literature and Linguistics Bar‐Ilan University), Connie De Vos (0000-0002-4800-4313, Department of Communication and Cognition Tilburg University), Uiko Yano (Anthropological Studies The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI), Victoria Nyst (0000-0002-4671-5349, Leiden University), Karen Emmorey (0000-0002-5647-0066, San Diego State University)
Ano2025
Volume49
Fascículo6
Páginase70074-e70074
Data de publicação2025-06-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoCognitive Science (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0364-0213 • E-ISSN: 1551-6709
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/cogs.70074
PMID40481821
OpenAlexW4411134337
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas70

Communication is harder in larger communities. Past research shows that this leads larger communities to create languages that are easier to learn and use. In particular, previous research suggests that spoken languages that are used by larger communities are more sound symbolic than spoken languages used by smaller communities, presumably, because sound symbolism facilitates language acquisition and use. This study tests whether the same principle extends to sign languages as the role of iconicity in the acquisition and use of sign languages is debated. Furthermore, sign languages are more iconic than spoken languages and are argued to lose their iconicity over time. Therefore, they might not show the same pattern. The paper also tests whether iconicity depends on semantic domain. Participants from five different countries guessed the meaning and rated the iconicity of signs from 11 different sign languages: five languages with >500,000 signers and six languages with

Age of Acquisition · Cognition · Iconicity · Linguistics · Manually coded language · Sign language · Sociolinguistics of sign languages · Sound symbolism · Computer Science · Hearing Impairment and Communication · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Mathematics · Multisensory perception and integration · Psychology