38th Annual Student Research Conference
Basic Color Terminology in Sign Languages; An Investigation into Productive Forms
Navia D. Ellsworth
Dr. Darrin Hetrick, Faculty Mentor
Signed languages, like their oral counterparts, have strategies for creating and changing words in order to accomplish their linguistic goals. One such example within English is the usage of ‘s’ to indicate the plural form of a given noun. These strategies can be compared with one another to examine their productivity, and the frequency in which a strategy is used to accomplish a goal. This study investigates the productive processes which may be used to create new color terms across signed languages. This research runs counter to the current understanding of color terminology across signed languages. According to prior research, these terms fit within a category of decoding idioms; however, results suggesting that signers are aware of productivity would point toward a necessary reevaluation of the entire color hierarchy.
Keywords: Sign Languge, Productivity, Color Hierarchy
Topic(s):Linguistics
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 305-3
Location: SUB Georgian B
Time: 1:30