5.2. Size-and-Shape Specifiers (SASS)
The present section concerns a different category of classifiers detected in LIS, namely size and shape specifiers (SASS). Crucially, SASS are distinct from the other categories of classifiers analysed so far in that: i) they do not classify referents, rather they specify information about their size and shape; ii) the movement they display does not describe the path movement of the entity but rather its size and shape; iii) they are not used to trace back reference in a discourse. For these reasons, they appear in nominal domains, functioning as adjectives, either attributive or predicative (see LEXICON 3.4 and SYNTAX 4.5 for details).
However, SASS do share some properties with the other categories of classifiers: i) they can display changes of phonological parameters which correspond to changes in meaning; ii) they are polymorphemic, thus their meaning is compositional; iii) they are visually motivated, and their meaning depends on the discourse context. As a consequence, they belong to the LIS non-core lexicon (LEXICON 1.2).
SASS in LIS can be grouped either phonologically, if we consider their phonological structure, or semantically, if we consider the meaning they convey.
Phonologically, they can be grouped into ‘static’ and ‘tracing’. Static SASS describe the shape and size of the entity without displaying movement, as in (a), while tracing SASS display movement to outline the shape and size of the entity, as in (b).
a. SASS(curved open L): ‘round’(about a table)
‘Round table’
sc pc sc
b. SASS(curved open F): ‘round_thin’ SASS(curved open 5): ‘round_large’ SASS(curved open F): ‘round_thin’ (about a vase)
‘Vase with a thin bottom and neck and rounded body’
Tracing SASS can either describe the three-dimensional shape of the referent as in (b) above, or just its perimeter, as we can see in the following example.
SASS(G): ‘heart_shaped’(about a pillow)
‘Heart-shaped pillow’
If we take into account their semantic function, SASS can be grouped into: SASS for shape, SASS for thickness, and SASS for size. Nevertheless, these features are often combined and conveyed simultaneously in just one sign, as we can see in the example below.
tl
SASS(unspread curved open 5): ‘thick_rectangular’ (about a cuckoo clock)
‘Rectangular and thick cuckoo clock’
In the example above, the SASS conveys different information simultaneously, which are encoded in the different morphemes combined (for this reason they are polymorphemic signs): i) the handshape is selected considering that it is a rectangular and quite thick object, thus conveying shape and thickness of the cuckoo clock, ii) the distance between the fingertips and the thumb tip specifies thickness, whereas iii) the distance between hands and the movement downward define the size (if the object was bigger or smaller, movement and distance would be accordingly). However, these features often overlap and the same parameter, for instance handshape, conveys different information at the same time.
SASS can be one- or two-handed signs, depending on the entity they are describing, and they can display morphological modifications to convey different degree of size and shape. Even though they are visually motivated and highly iconic, the handshapes selected to create SASS all belong to the phonological inventory of LIS. The fact that they are not created on the spot and that they are consistently used among signers support their linguistic rather than gestural nature.
It is important to notice that SASS could be confused with other classifiers denoting referents considering their shape. However, SASS display different syntactic functions. Compare the two examples below (in (a) the sign for the agent woman is not illustrated).
a. mirror CL(L): ‘pick_up_square_mirror’
‘(The woman) picks up the square mirror.’
b. SASS(L): ‘square’ (about a table)
‘Square table’
As we can see from the examples above, in both cases the handshape ‘L’ is selected because the objects in question are square. However, the two examples differ in the kind of root the classifier ‘L’ selects: in (a), it combines with a movement to convey the meaning ‘(to) pick up the square mirror’, thus realising a predicate classifier. On the other hand, in (b) it encodes a descriptive root and describes the shape of the table, thus functioning as an adjective or a non-verbal predicate (SYNTAX 2.1.4). Therefore, it is the syntactic context in which the sign appears that helps disambiguating between SASS and other kinds of classifiers.
Despite some handshapes are present in other categories of classifiers, those selected for SASS constitute a specific subset. Here we provide a table of the handshapes involved followed by a list of examples. It is important to bear in mind that, being highly iconic elements employed to specify information of size and shape of entities, they constitute an open class. It follows that the list of handshapes could be enriched over time.
Table: List of handshapes that can appear in SASS in LIS
As introduced above, all the handshapes can appear in one- or two-handed signs, and all but flat open 4 can be associated to movement to specify shape. Indeed, flat open 4 could be considered the SASS defining size par excellence in that it is employed as a two-handed sign to convey the size of every kind of object. The only modification it can display consists in augmenting or reducing the distance between hands. We will come back to this later in this section.
The G handshape is employed as a two-handed SASS to trace the perimeter of every kind of entity, both two-dimensional or three-dimensional, as in (a) below. Furthermore, it can be used to convey the shape of rectangular and thin two-dimensional objects, as in (b). Notice that in example (a) size is specified through the enlarged articulation of the SASS and the occurrence of the non-manual markers typical of augmentative features, namely teeth biting the lower lip (tl) (see MORPHOLOGY 2.2.1 for details).
tl
a. carpet SASS(G): ‘square_big’
‘Square and big carpet’
b. SASS(G): ‘rectangular’ (about a sticker)
‘Rectangular sticker’
The L handshape, as introduced above, is used in two-handed static SASS to convey the meaning ‘rectangular’ or ‘square’ referring to two-dimensional thin objects, such as mirrors, tables, frames, carpets, as in (a) below. Adding movement, it can be employed to trace the perimeter of an object like a pillow, as in (b) below. Again, the distance between hands and specific non-manual markers can further specify size. In (a), we see the non-manuals conveying the meaning ‘normal size’, i.e. lips protrusion (lp).
lp
a. SASS(L): ‘rectangular’ (about a carpet)
‘Rectangular not very big carpet’
b. SASS(L): ‘rectangular’ (about a pillow)
‘Rectangular pillow’
Curved open L is selected to convey the meanings ‘round/oval’ of objects which are not thick, such as clock-faces, tables, hats, plates. In example (a), we see that it is employed to describe the round shape of the table, and it is marked by the typical non-manual markers for diminutive features (MORPHOLOGY 2.2.1), thus conveying the meaning ‘small round table’. This handshape can encode movement to define the shape of objects like vases, thus conveying the meanings ‘cylindrical/rounded and thin’. If marked by the non-manual markers for diminutive or augmentative, it also specifies features of size, as shown in (b) below.
sq
tp
a. SASS(curved open L): ‘round’ (about a table)
‘Round and small table’
tl
b. SASS(curved open L): ‘rounded’ (about a vase)
‘Rounded and big vase’
By augmenting the flexion of the base joint, curved open L can be used for rectangular and narrow two-dimensional objects, such as stickers or stripes (a). When occurring as a one-handed sign, it can function as a SASS for size: in (b), it defines the size of a small cup. The handshape can be more or less open to convey different sizes, vertically or horizontally oriented. Notice that, in both instances, the SASS is marked by the typical non-manual markers for diminutive (MORPHOLOGY 2.2.1).
sq
tp
a. SASS(curved open L): ‘rectangular’ (about a sticker)
‘Small rectangular sticker’
sq
tp
b. SASS(curved open L): ‘small’ (about a cup)
‘Small cup’
Handshapes F, curved open F and curved closed 5 displaying movement are used to convey the shape of three-dimensional cylindrical, long, and thin objects like poles, stems of floor lamps, legs of tables or chairs, pipes. In the example below, thinness of the stem is conveyed by blowing out air.
blow
SASS(F): ‘cylindrical_thin_long’ (about a lamp-stem)
‘Long and thin lamp-stem’
Handshape F can also be employed without movement to describe the shape of small two-dimensional round objects like clock-faces of watches, buttons or coins.
SASS(F): ‘round’ (about a clock-face)
‘Small round clock-face’
Unspread curved open 5 is employed for three-dimensional cylindrical/cone-shaped/round objects, bigger than those mentioned above (big cups, top hats, heavy vases, gutters). It can either display movement to trace the shape of the entity (a) or not (b). It can also be employed to define the size of objects with roundish shape, as in (c). As usual, specific non-manual markers can occur to convey diminutive or augmentative features.
a. SASS(unspread curved open 5): ‘cone_shaped’ (about a lamp-cover)
‘Cone-shaped lamp cover’
tl
b. SASS(unspread curved open 5): ‘round’ (about a cup)
‘Big round cup’
sq
c. SASS(unspread curved open 5): ‘little’ (about a shoe)
‘Little shoe’
Spread curved open 5 is used to describe three-dimensional entities which are round/spherical, big, and wide. It can encode movement to trace shape, as in the example below. The rounded shape is further conveyed through puffed cheeks (pc) simultaneously articulated with the manual sign.
pc
SASS(spread curved open 5): ‘rounded’ (about a lamp cover)
‘Rounded lamp cover’
Unspread 5 (either with the thumb extended or not) is employed to describe the shape of rectangular/square and thick objects such as books (a), boxes, cuckoo clocks. When it functions as SASS for size, it is a two-handed sign articulated on the horizontal or vertical plane with the palms of the hands facing each other, and the fingertips oriented toward the same direction. Moreover, it displays a short movement toward the plane of articulation as to define the segment of space corresponding to the size of the entity (b). In both cases, it can be marked by the dedicated non-manual markers for augmentative or diminutive features.
fe
tl
a. SASS(unspread 5): ‘rectangular’ (about a book)
‘Big rectangular book’
tl
b. SASS(unspread 5): ‘big’ (about a carpet)
‘Big carpet’
Flat open 4, as mentioned at the beginning of this section, can be considered the SASS for size par excellence. Indeed, it is used to specify the size of entities, both animate and inanimate, no matter what their shape is. It is a two-handed sign articulated on the vertical plane, as in (a), or on the horizontal plane, as in (b), depending on the entity considered. The palm of the non-dominant hand can either face the palm of the dominant hand or not, and it can be articulated as unspread 5 for ease of articulation. In both instances, the fingertips of the two hands are oriented towards opposite directions.
tl
a. SASS(flat open 4): ‘big’ (about a vase)
‘Big vase’
tl
b. SASS(flat open 4): ‘big’ (about a shoe)
‘Big shoe’
Size is encoded through the distance between the hands, together with the non-manual markers for diminutive or augmentative features. In the three examples below, we see three SASS referring to three vases of different size: big (a), normal (b), and little (c).
tl
a. SASS(flat open 4): ‘big’ (about a vase)
‘Big vase’
lp
b. SASS(flat open 4): ‘normal’ (about a vase)
‘Normal-size vase’
tp
c. SASS(flat open 4): ‘little’ (about a vase)
‘Little vase’
Some handshapes are employed as SASS defining thickness.
F can be employed with very thin objects. In the example below, it describes a very thin book. Notice that the signer blows out air to further specify that the object is thin and light.
blow
SASS(F): ‘thin’ (about a book)
‘Thin book’
Flat open 5 is used for not very thick objects like books, tables, stool tops. In the example below, we see that it can incorporate tracing movement to describe the shape of the referent.
SASS(flat open 5): ‘thick_round’ (about a table)
‘Not thick and round table’
Unspread curved open 5 is used to define thickness of three-dimensional objects such as big books, bricks. By modifying the distance between the thumb and fingers tips, namely by changing the flexion of the base joints, it encodes different degrees of thickness. As we can see in the examples below, it can occur with the non-manual markers for augmentative features (a), or be articulated as a two-handed SASS (b) in order to specify the big size of the entity.
fe
tl
a. SASS(unspread curved open 5): ‘thick’ (about a book)
‘Very thick book’
fe
tl
b. SASS(unspread curved open 5): ‘thick’ (about a book)
‘Very thick book’
Unspread 5 is used as a SASS defining thickness for three-dimensional very big objects such as boxes, as illustrated below. The distance between the hands can be modified in order to convey different degrees of thickness.
SASS(unspread 5): ‘thick’ (about a box)
‘Very thick box’
This section has provided an overview of the most common SASS detected in LIS to describe the size and shape of entities. However, it is important to keep in mind that this list could be incomplete, for two main reasons: first, being visually motivated signs, the form and function of SASS can change considering the entity involved; second, their use is strictly connected to the perception of the signer, therefore there is variability in their occurrence. What is interesting, though, is that the configurations they select all belong to the phonological inventory of LIS, thus they are not invented or created on the spot. Moreover, despite being highly iconic, SASS do not necessarily convey the absolute size of the entity in a 1:1 scale, rather they depict it proportionally. Their linguistic nature is further confirmed by the fact that they can occur among other adjectives in attributive constructions, or function as predicative adjectives (see SYNTAX 4.5 for further information).
The list of SASS is also meant to help in discriminating SASS from lexical signs. As we show in (LEXICON 1.3.1), many signs in LIS are derived from classifiers that have lost their function of classifiers and have become lexical signs. This lexicalisation process can also involve SASS, which can lose their adjectival function to become nouns, as in the examples provided below.
a. box
tp tl tp tl tp
b. dom: stripe stripe stripe stripe stripe
n-dom: stripe
‘Alternating thick and thin stripes’
Therefore, it is possible that also other SASS will undergo the same process and become lexical signs over time.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant Agreement No 693349.