Visual-Spatial Grammar vs. Lexical Fixity: Classifier Strategies for Animal Packs in ASL and English
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70036/cltls.v2i3.140Keywords:
comparative linguistic study, collective noun, noun classifiers, cross-modal linguistic structuresAbstract
Aims: This study presents a comparative linguistic analysis of collective noun classifiers in English and American Sign Language (ASL), focusing specifically on references to animal packs. English relies on lexicalized, often metaphorical noun phrases such as a pack of wolves or a murder of crows, conveying group identity and cultural connotation through fixed expressions. In contrast, ASL classifier constructions are morphologically dynamic and spatially grounded, employing handshape, movement, and orientation to represent entities and their relationships in space. Methods: Data were collected from literary corpora, glossaries, and ASL video materials, then categorized according to classifier type, semantic function, and representational strategy. Result: Through side-by-side coding schemes and contrastive analysis, the study reveals how each language encodes collective identity within its unique modality—lexical and auditory in English; visual-spatial and kinetic in ASL. Implication: The findings contribute to understanding cross-modal linguistic structures and the cognitive frameworks that shape classifier systems across languages.
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