LL-L "Morphology" 2005.10.07 (02) [E]

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07 October 2005 * Volume 02
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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at scotstext.org>
Subject: "Morphology" [E]

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Morphology
>
> As for those "classifiers," Sandy, I'm getting the impression that those
> sign classes are a bit like a blend of Chinese character radicals (basic
> elements that indicate semantic category) and Bantu classifiers; e.g.,
> Swahili:
>
> root  --  singular  --  plural  [class]   {meaning}
> -toto  --  mtoto --  watoto  [human]  {child}
> -moja  --  mmoja  --  ==  [human]  {one}
> -wili  --  ==  --  wawili  [human]  {two}
> -nasoma  -- anasoma  -- wanasoma  [human] {read}
>
> Mtoto mmoja anasoma. 'One child is reading'
> Watoto wawili wanasoma. 'Two children are reading'

Hmmm... I'm thinking not.

With BSL classifiers I think we're up against a fundamental difference 
between signed and spoken languages, due to the difference between the 
media.

Firstly, note that this concept of a classifier seems to occur in all sign 
languages - though there may be exceptions for all I know. I'm inclined to 
think that the medium simply makes the use of classifiers very convenient, 
and so they do arise. It's not like in spoken languages where something that 
we label as "classifiers" may or may not be used.

In sign languages you might use a handshape to represent something that 
exists physically (eg two fingers representing legs) or can be imagined to 
exist physically (eg two fingers representing eyebeams). You form this 
handshape in the space you're using so that it represents the physical 
object, then move it through whatever action you want to express. It's an 
obvious thing to do, once you get used to it. The hand configuration is then 
called the "classifier".

So imagine holding your index finger and middle finger pointing down in a V 
formation, then you wiggle your fingers as you move your hand forward. This 
means "walk forward". It should now be obvious how to sign (at least 
approximately) "walk backward", "walk upstairs", "kneel down" and so on. You 
see why I feel "generator" would be a better term than classifier.

It doesn't seem to me to correspond to anything other than a "qualified 
action" in oral languages, eg "walk upstairs" is the verb "walk" qualified 
by the er... word "upstairs". So we have these two words, one following the 
other to make a qualified action. In BSL things are more on the feature 
level than the lexical level - the handshape and the movement combine 
simultaneously to make a single lexeme expressing the qualified action.

It all just goes to show the pitfalls in trying to label the grammatical 
components of sign languages as if there must be a definite correspondence 
with oral languages, without considering how different the media of 
expression are.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/ 

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