A TYPOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK OF ICONICITY IN LINGUISTIC SIGNS: A PILOT STUDY OF ICONICITY PERCEPTION IN SINGAPORE SIGN LANGUAGE

Abstract

Following Saussure (1959/1985), the arbitrary nature of linguistic signs has been the received view in linguistics, wherein the form of a word has no motivated connection to its meaning. However, recent research across spoken and sign language has revisited the iconic nature of linguistic signs – the non-arbitrary connection in form and meaning – undercovering its role across language change and cognitive processes like language acquisition and processing. Within the paradigm of iconicity research, iconicity often needs to be quantified in terms of degree and type to parse out the differential effects of iconicity on these processes. Drawing from Peirce’s (1932/1985) typology of iconic resemblance and Taub’s (2001) analogue building model of linguistic iconicity, I propose a theoretical framework to systematically study iconicity in relation to its underlying form-meaning mapping. Using the framework, I will conduct a pilot case study on perception of iconicity in Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) and the factors that affect it. Under the premise that perception of iconicity depends on the successful recognition of the underlying form-meaning mapping, I investigate two primary factors, type of iconic relation (iconicity type) and knowledge of SgSL in relation to iconicity perception, as well as two other secondary factors, orthographic and gestural knowledge. The results from the iconicity rating task reveal that the SgSL signs with an image iconicity type was the most iconic, followed by the metaphor iconicity type, and thereafter diagram iconicity type, which corresponds with the ease of perceiving its underlying form-meaning relation. While ratings by signers and non-signers were highly correlated, iconicity seemed to be more saliently perceived by signers, indicating the effect of language-specific knowledge on iconicity perception. Through the case study, I demonstrate that my proposed framework serves as a relatively robust cognitive-based framework to measure and investigate iconicity on a systematic basis.