1.3.1. Lexicalization processes
Lexicalisation processes include those strategies leading to the creation of new signs starting from existing ones. The crucial point is that the semantic and formal properties of the final sign do not fully retrieve those of the constituent elements, because it has undergone a process of standardisation. These processes include compounding, conversion and derivational affixation. We provide an example for these and other strategies below.
Lexicalisation through compounding (MORPHOLOGY 1) is a process whereby a new sign is created by combining two already existing signs. Crucially, the meaning of the resulting compound is not directly derived from the meaning of the two components, namely it is non-compositional.
electricity^CL(5): ‘type’
‘Computer’ (recreated from Santoro, 2018: 51)
Conversion is a lexicalisation process by which an existing lexical item is assigned to a different grammatical category without displaying changes in form. This is the case with some noun-verb pairs in LIS which are homophonous (or only slightly different). The only way to identify the category of the sign is to rely on the syntactic distribution. The unmarked order in LIS is SOV (SYNTAX 2.3), therefore in the example below we distinguish the noun tailor, in subject position, from the verb sew, which follows the object clothes.
tailor clothes sew create
‘The tailor sews and creates clothes.’
Derivation is a lexicalisation process which allows to derive a new lexical sign from an existing one by addition of an affix. Crucially, affixes in LIS, and in sign languages in general, are mostly simultaneous and consist of dedicated non-manual markers and/or manual modifications rather than manual sequential segments (see MORPHOLOGY 2 for details). A very common process is the derivation of action verbs from object nouns. In LIS, this process can exploit morphological strategies such as the articulation of dedicated non-manual markers combined with the modification of the movement component of the sign. In the examples below, we see that the verb drive (a) displays a longer movement with respect to the noun car (b), whose movement is shorter and restricted. Moreover, the verb occurs with the non-manuals lips protrusion (lp) and puffed cheeks (pc), which are usually found with verbs (see LEXICON 3.1.1 and MORPHOLOGY 2.1.2.1 for further details), whereas the noun occurs with partial mouthing (‘ma’ for ‘macchina’, Eng. ‘car’) .
lp
pc
a. drive
'ma'
b. car
New signs can also be created ad novo. For instance, the sign for netflix (a modern streaming service) was created after a discussion on Facebook among LIS native signers. Several signs were proposed and ultimately the one illustrated below, which resembles the first letter of the word ‘Netflix’, was chosen.
netflix
Numbers also play a role in the formation of signs. For example, the sign week (Ita. settimana), is a two-handed sign combining 5 and L handshapes, which taken together correspond to the number seven (Ita. sette). The combination of these two handshapes results in a new sign with independent meaning, i.e. ‘week’.
week
(based on Bertone, 2011: 86)
The aforementioned processes of lexicalisation can also involve signs belonging to the non-core lexicon.
Very productive is the process of conversion leading classifiers to become fully lexical signs. For instance, the sign for suitcase or bag origins from the correspondent handling classifier displaying the closed 5 handshape. Now this very same handshape is the lexical sign for ‘bag’ or ‘suitcase’. In the example below, the sign is two-handed because it refers to two suitcases.
dom: suitcase
n-dom: suitcase
‘Two suitcases’
The G handshape becomes the lexical sign for some objects with a narrow shape like knife and toothbrush.
toothbrush
The same lexicalisation process of conversion can also affect pointing signs, which gain an independent meaning and become lexical signs. The most common process regards deictic pointing signs which are the lexical signs for nose (a), mouth (b), and eyes (c).
a. nose
b. mouth
c. eye
‘Eyes’
The same happens for time adverbs today (a), yesterday (b), and tomorrow (c).
a. today
b. yesterday
c. tomorrow
The lexicalisation process affecting classifier constructions and pointing signs bring them to conform to the morpho-phonological requirements of the language, and the outcome is usually a monosyllabic sign, with an independent meaning.
Classifiers and pointing signs can also be involved in the formation of compounds. In (a) we show the sign for ‘smart’, which is formed by the sign head (i.e. a lexicalised pointing sign), and the Y classifier handshape conveying the concept of a large amount; in (b) we provide the sign for school, which consists of two meaningful parts: the sign write and the entity classifier denoting a piece of paper. The two compounds are the result of a lexicalisation process in that the two classifier handshapes have lost their independent meaning, resulting in a single lexical item with a stable and specific meaning.
a. head^CL(Y): ‘a_lot’
‘Smart’ (recreated from Battaglia, 2011: 198)
b. write(h1)^CL(unspread 5): ‘paper’(h2)
‘School’
Buoys can undergo lexicalisation as well. Recall that buoys associate different referents with the fingers of the non-dominant hand, thus allowing to make lists (among other functions). This is reflected in the LIS signs how_many (a) and last (b), which most likely represent the lexicalisation of list buoys. These are illustrated below.
a. how_many
b. last
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant Agreement No 693349.