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Language as Description, Indication, and Depiction.

Lindsay Ferrara1, Gabrielle Hodge2

  • 1Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

Frontiers in Psychology
|June 8, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study proposes a unified theory of language, viewing it as coordinated action using diverse communication methods like describing, indicating, and depicting. This approach integrates various semiotic repertoires for face-to-face interactions.

Keywords:
depictionindexicalitylanguagemultimodalsemioticssign language

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Area of Science:

  • Linguistics
  • Semiotics
  • Anthropology
  • Gesture Studies

Background:

  • Face-to-face communication involves coordinating expressive actions using varied semiotic repertoires.
  • Linguistics has overemphasized arbitrary symbolic pairings, neglecting other semiotics crucial for communication.
  • Diverse communicative practices (e.g., deaf, hearing) lack a unifying theoretical framework.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To promote a comprehensive theory of language that integrates diverse human semiotic repertoires in face-to-face communication.
  • To facilitate direct comparison across different communicative ecologies.
  • To expand the understanding of language beyond conventionalized symbols to include all communicative actions.

Main Methods:

  • Building on Clark's (1996) theory of language use as 'actioned'.
  • Analyzing three fundamental signaling methods: describing, indicating, and depicting.
  • Examining the use of these methods within multimodal 'composite utterances' (Enfield, 2009).

Main Results:

  • Diverse semiotic resources are coordinated in situated human interactions.
  • All three signaling methods (describing, indicating, depicting) are essential components of communication.
  • Multimodal composite utterances are jointly created using a combination of signaling methods.

Conclusions:

  • A robust theory of language must account for all signaling methods within composite utterances.
  • Language, viewed as action, encompasses the intentional use of available semiotic resources.
  • This framework unifies diverse communicative practices under a single theoretical model.