TY - JOUR
T1 - Making Referents Seen and Heard Across Signed and Spoken Languages
T2 - Documenting and Interpreting Cross-Modal Differences in the Use of Enactment
AU - Vandenitte, Sebastien
N1 - Funding Information:
SV is a Research Fellow of the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique – FNRS. The publication of this paper was supported by the Namur Institute of Language, Text and Transmediality (NaLTT), the Department of French and Romance Languages and Literatures of the University of Namur, the University Foundation, and the operating credit granted by the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique – FNRS to SV.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Vandenitte.
PY - 2022/7/22
Y1 - 2022/7/22
N2 - Differences in language use and structures between signed and spoken languages have often been attributed to so-called language “modality.” Indeed, this is derived from the conception that spoken languages resort to both the oral-aural channel of speech and the visual-kinesic channel of visible bodily action whereas signed languages only resort to the latter. This paper addresses the use of enactment, a depictive communicative strategy whereby language users imitate referents in signed and spoken languages. Reviewing comparative research on enactment, this paper highlights theoretical and methodological shortcomings in prior works. First, a broader set of causal explanations needs to be taken into account when interpreting differences between signing and speaking communities. A more comprehensive conceptual toolbox ensures that differences are not automatically attributed to modality. In particular, less-studied factors of language diversity, like sociolinguistic and cultural ecologies, and how they interact with other factors should be considered. Second, diversity in enactment across signed and spoken languages is shown to be inadequately and insufficiently documented. It is argued that by comparing enactment across more diverse signing and speaking communities and using large, directly comparable corpora, solid analyses can be carried out, enabling a better understanding of how and why different communities use enactment in similar or different ways.
AB - Differences in language use and structures between signed and spoken languages have often been attributed to so-called language “modality.” Indeed, this is derived from the conception that spoken languages resort to both the oral-aural channel of speech and the visual-kinesic channel of visible bodily action whereas signed languages only resort to the latter. This paper addresses the use of enactment, a depictive communicative strategy whereby language users imitate referents in signed and spoken languages. Reviewing comparative research on enactment, this paper highlights theoretical and methodological shortcomings in prior works. First, a broader set of causal explanations needs to be taken into account when interpreting differences between signing and speaking communities. A more comprehensive conceptual toolbox ensures that differences are not automatically attributed to modality. In particular, less-studied factors of language diversity, like sociolinguistic and cultural ecologies, and how they interact with other factors should be considered. Second, diversity in enactment across signed and spoken languages is shown to be inadequately and insufficiently documented. It is argued that by comparing enactment across more diverse signing and speaking communities and using large, directly comparable corpora, solid analyses can be carried out, enabling a better understanding of how and why different communities use enactment in similar or different ways.
KW - comparative linguistics
KW - comparative semiotics
KW - depiction
KW - enactment
KW - gesture
KW - multimodal
KW - sign language
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85135443082&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.784339
DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.784339
M3 - Article
SN - 1664-1078
VL - 13
JO - Frontiers in psychology
JF - Frontiers in psychology
M1 - 784339
ER -