The Sign Language: A Comprehensive Guide to its Structure and Variations

Posted on Oct 12, 2024 in Language

The Sign Language: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Introduction

Sign language is an inseparable unit with two levels: the signifier (expression) and the signified (meaning or concept). It is characterized by:

  • Arbitrariness: The relationship between signifier and signified is unmotivated, a product of human will.
  • Conventionality: Language users must accept the agreed-upon signs.
  • Orality: Languages are primarily spoken.
  • Linearity: Sign language develops over time, forming a chain.
  • Synchronic Immutability: No speaker can voluntarily change a sign’s value.
  • Diachronic Mutability: Over time, signs may change in form and content.
  • Segmentation: Divisible into units (text, paragraphs, sentences).
  • Double Articulation: Messages can be broken into smaller units (phonemes and monemes).

2. The Phonic Level

Phonetics analyzes sounds, while phonology deals with phonemes. Fundamental units include:

  • Sound: The minimal articulatory unit (e.g., [b]).
  • Phoneme: The smallest distinctive unit, differentiating meanings (e.g., /b/).
  • Relevant Features: Characteristics that differentiate phonemes.
  • Neutralization and Archiphoneme: Loss of relevant features in the final syllable position, resulting in an archiphoneme.

The Spanish phonological system consists of 24 phonemes, forming two subsystems: vowel and consonant.

a. Vowel Subsystem

Vowels are sounds produced by vibrating vocal cords without obstruction. Five vowel phonemes are classified by:

  • Degree of Opening: Maximum (/a/), medium (/e/, /o/), and lowest (/i/, /u/).
  • Place of Articulation: Posterior (/u/, /o/), central (/a/), and anterior (/i/, /u/).

b. Consonant Subsystem

Spanish has nineteen consonant phonemes. Relevant features for classification include:

  • Place of Articulation: Bilabial, labiodental, interdental, dental, alveolar, palatal, and velar.
  • Manner of Articulation: Occlusive, fricative, affricate, vibrant, lateral, and nasal.
  • Sonority: Vibration or immobility of vocal cords.

3. Suprasegmental Units

  • Pause: Interruption of the phonic chain.
  • Accent: Distinguishes words.
  • Intonation: Declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory.

4. Phonic Features of the Andalusian Dialect

Vowels

  • Variety of shades with wide articulatory dialect.
  • Eastern Andalusian: Double vowel system (standard and open).
  • Western Andalusian: Aspirated -s and vowel openings.

Consonants

  • Ceceo: Pronouncing “s” like “θ”.
  • Seseo: Pronouncing “c” (before “e”, “i”) and “z” as /s/.
  • Aspiration of initial “h” from Latin “f-“.
  • Yeísmo: Equalizing /ʎ/ and /ʝ/.
  • Spirantization of /c/: “ch” sound close to English “sh”.
  • Weakening of Implosive Liquids: Matching /l/ and /d/ in final syllables.
  • Loss of Intervocalic Voiced Stops.
  • Aspiration of final “-s”.
  • Apocope of Other Final Consonants.

5. Morphosyntactic Level

This level analyzes word forms and their functions in sentences. Morphology deals with morphemes and words, while syntax deals with phrases and sentences.

Units

  • Text: The largest communicative unit.
  • Paragraph: Contains a complete idea.
  • Utterance: Set of words between two silences with complete sense.
  • Sentence: Syntactically autonomous structure (subject and predicate).
  • Phrase: Set of words with a role in the sentence.
  • Word: Phonic group with grammatical categories.
  • Moneme: Unit with lexical or grammatical meaning.

Monemes

  • Lexeme: Moneme with lexical meaning (nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs).
  • Morpheme: Moneme with grammatical meaning (gender, number, person, tense).

Morphosyntax of Andalusian

  • Aspiration and loss of final “-s”.
  • Tendency to omit “usted” and replace it with “tú”.
  • Changes in verb conjugations.
  • Conservation of rustic speech.

6. Semantic Level

Lexicology and Semantics

  • Lexicology: Studies the lexical meaning of words.
  • Semantics: Studies meaning relationships between words.

Organization of the Spanish Lexicon

According to Form:

  • Unitary Words: Simple, derived, compound, and parasyntetic.
  • Utterances: Combination of two or more lexicalized words.

According to Source:

  • Native Words: Existed since the language’s inception.
  • Cultisms: Words derived from Latin or Greek.
  • Semicultisms: Words from Latin or Greek with little change.
  • Loanwords: Words from other languages.
  • Acronyms.
  • Shortenings.
  • Onomatopoeias.

Semantic Phenomena

  • Synonymy: Words with similar meanings.
  • Hyponymy: Semantic inclusion (e.g., vehicle > car).
  • Antonymy: Words with opposite meanings.
  • Homonymy: Phonetic coincidence of different words.
  • Polysemy: One word with multiple meanings.

Semantic Change

Denotation and Connotation:

  • Denotation: Literal meaning.
  • Connotation: Associated meaning (generalized, group, individual).

Lexical-Semantic Change:

  • Semantic Change: Permanent shift in meaning.
  • Lexical Change: Alteration of the signifier.
  • Taboo: Socially unacceptable words.
  • Euphemism: Substitute for taboo words.
  • Popular Etymology: Misunderstanding of word origins.

7. The Andalusian Lexicon

  • Innovative Trend: Creation of neologisms.
  • Conservation of Archaisms.
  • Conservation of Arabisms, Mozarabic, and Gypsy Words.