3.2.2. Syllable reduction
Syllable reduction concerns the reduction or deletion of a movement. For instance, when a sign with repeated movement is used in a compound, it may lose one or more of its movements. This reduction is often triggered by fast signing speed. An example is the sign vegetables^farmer ‘greengrocer’, which is a compound. The two parts of this sign are shown individually in Figure 2.67, and the plus-symbol indicates the repeated movement in vegetables:
a. vegetables b. farmer
Figure 2.67. The signs vegetables (a) and farmer (b), as signed in isolation.
In the compound greengrocer, however, the repeated movement of vegetables is reduced.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant Agreement No 693349.