Lexical Nonmanuals in German Sign Language

The book presents an empirical and theoretical investigation of lexical nonmanuals in German Sign Language including torso, head, and facial expressions. Three empirical studies demonstrate the relevance of nonmanuals for the wellformedness of signs, their meaning, and lexical processing. Moreover, implications for the theoretical implementation of lexical nonmanuals concerning, e.g., articulation patterns and phonological status are discussed.

Autorentext
Nina-Kristin Pendzich, Universität Göttingen, Germany.

Zusammenfassung

Over the past decades, the field of sign language linguistics has expanded considerably. Recent research on sign languages includes a wide range of subdomains such as reference grammars, theoretical linguistics, psycho- and neurolinguistics, sociolinguistics, and applied studies on sign languages and Deaf communities. The SLDC series is concerned with the study of sign languages in a comprehensive way, covering various theoretical, experimental, and applied dimensions of sign language research and their relationship to Deaf communities around the world. The series provides a multidisciplinary platform for innovative and outstanding research in sign language linguistics and aims at linking the study of sign languages to current trends in modern linguistics, such as new experimental and theoretical investigations, the importance of language endangerment, the impact of technological developments on data collection and Deaf education, and the broadening geographical scope of typological sign language studies, especially in terms of research on non-Western sign languages and Deaf communities.