Directional Verbs

[Mike Morgan]

In response to Karen H's answer "Because most linguists who study spoken
languages have not studied sign language linguistics." to the question "OK,
{Susan}, if what you said is true, why don't they compare spoken languages
to sign languages rather than vice versa?"

I would actually argue that the reason why is the reverse. MANY linguists
somewhere in their carreer come over to Sign Lingusitics from Spoken
language linguistics (or in my case, Dead Language Linguistics ;-)), but
very FEW linguists start out as Sign Language Linguists and then make the
switch in the opposite direction. (Mayeb because Sign Language Linguistics
is so FUN!)

As linguists we TRY to understand what is going on in whatever language(s)
we are anaylzing. And IF we are smart, we use WHATEVER tools we have.
Someone with a background in Indo-European languages like myself, who starts
doing Sign Language linguistics (JSL in my case and nome I(P)SL), would be a
FOOL not to use what they know about the langauges they already know -- TO
THE EXTENT that it heps their understanding.

So, I would HOPE that more Sign Linguists, ESPECIALLY DEAF Sign Lingusitics,
would take THEIR WEALTH of acquired knwoledge and understanding into the
other areas of linguistics. Their are plenty of hearing sign language
linguists, but I have yet to meet a Deaf Indo-Europeanist... Can I be the
only one who finds this sad?

(And, I am not so sure that applications of Sign Lingusitics to the rather
nebulous and questionable field of "Universal Langauge" will be all that
informative -- apologies to those of you who are "into" that sort of thing.
We need more in depth use of real world sign language data to elucidate
problems in real world spoken languages. I myself am not quite ready to hop
BACK across that fence, but I KNOW that there are quiet a number of things I
have realised from studying JSL and I(P)SL, etc, that speak to the issues
that plagued me back when I was studying Kirmanji and Hornjoserbski. NOT the
least of which now I THINK i have a better understanding of the complex
boundary between the purely linguistic semiotic and a more general the
communicative semiotic ... gained by examining the VERY hazy border in
Signed discourse between language and gesture...)

To paraphrase Gertrude Stein (and Susan Fischer?) "A language is a language
is a language", ... and we MIGHT improve the field of lingusitics (on BOTH
sides of the fence) IF there were a bit MORE cross-polination ... in BOTH
directions!

mike || U C > || мика  || माईक || マイク
    (( Michael W Morgan, PhD ))
linguist at large somewhere in B'bay
+++++++++++++++++
Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem - Remember when life's path is
steep to keep your mind even. (Horace)
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