Simone Raffaele (Ed.). Iconicity in Language

John Benjamins Publishing Company, 1995. — 333 p. — (Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 110).Several current linguistic approaches converge in rejecting the wide-spread idea that language is an autonomous system, i.e. that it is structured independently from the outside world and the natural equipment of language users. Around the world, semiotically biased linguistics (functionalism, naturalism, etc.) takes this position, which differentiates it very clearly from generative linguistics. One of the basic assumptions of such approaches is that language structure includes some non-arbitrary aspects, from the phonological through the textual level, and a great amount of research has occurred in the last decade regarding the “iconic aspects” of language(s). This volume focuses on generally neglected dimensions of language and semiotic activity, featuring contributions by philosophers, linguists, semioticians, and psychologists. After tracing the tradition of iconicity in the history of linguistic thought, the central section is devoted to specific analyses emphasizing the role of non-arbitrary phenomena in language foundation and linguistic structure. Specifically discussed are numeration systems, the gestural systems of communication among deaf people, the genesis of writing in children, and inter-ethnic communication.History of Linguistics
Criticisms of the Arbitrariness of Language in Leibniz and Vico and the ‘Natural’ Philosophy of Language - Stefano GensiniSemiotic Theory
Interactions between Iconicity and Other Semiotic Parameters in Language - Wolfgang U. Dressler
Iconicity and/or Arbitrariness - Rudolf Engler
Isomorphism in the Grammatical Code: Cognitive and Biological Considerations - T. Givón
The Icon as an Abductive Process towards Identity - Roberto AjelloLanguage Description and Linguistic Theory
The Iconic Index: From Sound Change to Rhyming Slang - Raimo Anttila and Sheila Embleton
Iconicity in Grammaticalization Processes - Anna Giacalone Ramat
Iconicity between Indicativity and Predicativity - Hansjakob Seiler
Iconic Aspects of Syntax: A Pragmatic Approach - Raffaele Simone
Figure and Ground in Second Language Narratives: Traces of Iconicity - Franca Orletti
Morphological Markedness in L2 Acquisition - Monica BerrettaSing Systems other than Verbal Language
Terms for Spatio-Temporal Relations in Italian Sign Language - Elena Antinoro Pizzuto, Emanuela Cameracanna, Serena Corazza and Virginia Volterra
Creative Iconic Gestures: some Evidence from Aphasics - Emanuela Magno Caldognetto and Isabella Poggi
Iconicity in Children’s First Written Texts - Clotilde Pontecorvo