grammaticalization of (geometrical) shape

[Mark Mandel]

>From LINGUIST List #11-1005

**** Please reply to the poster, NOT to me. ****

     ==============================
Date: Tue, 2 May 2000 08:49:18 -0400
From: Xenia Guiliarova <xenia at LOGIC.AT>
Subject: grammaticalization of (geometrical)shape

Dear Colleages,

 I am a PhD student at the Department for Theoretical and
 Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Philology, Moscow State University.
 My dissertation is devoted to the categorization and
 conceptualization of shape of physical objects in world languages.

 I am interested in all sorts of grammaticalization of shape
 (numeral classifiers, noun classes, classificatory verbs, derivational
 elements, ets.) in the following languages:

 Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese,  Na-Dene
 languages, Bantu

 I would be grateful for any references, comments and especially
 for the data from the other little-known languages.

 Xenia Guiliarova

     ==============================
I wrote to  Ms. Guiliarova as follows:

Are you aware of the very strong use of geometrical shape in the grammars of
sign languages? If you are interested, I can give you a few references for
starters (mostly for ASL, American SL), and can crosspost your request to
SLLING-L, the sign language linguistics list.

     ==============================
She replied:

Thank you very much for your help.

I read a couple of articles on the use of shape classifiers in ASL, and I would
be
very grateful, if you could send me more references on the subject and crosspost
my request to SLLING-L. I am interested also in acquisition of sign languages
by children.