Ritið : tímarit Hugvísindastofnunar - 01.10.2022, Síða 76

TáKnMáL OG RaDDMáL
75
a B S T R a C T
Signed and spoken languages
Two branches of the same tree
although sign languages are transmitted in a totally different way from spoken lan-
guages, i.e. with hand movements and various non-manuals, it can be shown that
sign languges have a grammatical structure that is fundamentally the same as in
spoken languages. Still, it was only some 60 years ago that this was done for the
first time but until then various myths had prevailed among scholar as they had no
research to build on. The common base for signed and spoken languages can only
be revealed through research and theoretical analysis that takes into account various
abstract properties of languages that are independent of modality.
This paper discusses various common properties of signed and spoken languages
that relate to the grammatical system itself, including the system of meaningless
units (phonology), but also language use and language acquisition. It will also be
shown that signed and spoken languages obey various constraints, e.g. those con-
cerning the interface between different parts of the grammar. Wherever a systemat-
ic difference appears in the grammatical system of signed and spoken languages it is
often due to different modalities.
Keywords: phonology, language use, language acquisition, modality, morphology,
spoken languages, syntax, sign languages
Jóhannes Gísli Jónsson
prófessor í íslenskri málfræði
Íslensku- og menningardeild
Hugvísindasvið
ÍS-102, Reykjavík, Ísland
jj@hi.is