The influence of community on language structure
Evidence from two young sign languages
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4567729 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Irit Meir (University of Haifa, corresponding author), Assaf Israel (University of Haifa), Wendy Sandler (University of Haifa), Carol Padden (0000-0003-3940-8225, University of California San Diego), Carol A Padden, Mark Aronoff (0000-0001-8019-2249) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 247-291 |
| Publication date | 2012-12-31 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Linguistic Variation (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2211-6834 • E-ISSN: 2211-6842 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/lv.12.2.04mei |
| OpenAlex | W2073001075 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 34 |
By comparing two sign languages of approximately the same age but which arose and developed under different social circumstances, we are able to identify possible relationships between social factors and language structure. We argue that two structural properties of these languages are related to the size and the heterogeneity versus homogeneity of their respective communities: use of space in grammatical structure and degree of lexical and sublexical variability. A third characteristic, the tendency toward single-argument clauses appears to be a function of a different social factor: language age. Our study supports the view that language is not just a structure in the brain, nor is it strictly the domain of the individual. It is very much a socio-cultural artifact. Keywords: community and language structure; sign languages; ISL; ABSL; variation; space; argument structure
Community structure · Language structure · Linguistics · Sign language · Computer Science · Hearing Impairment and Communication · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 34 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,62 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2026 (14) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 33 |