Abstract A renewed interest in understanding the role of iconicity in the structure and processing of signed languages is hampered by the conflation of iconicity and transparency in the definition and operationalization of iconicity as a variable. We hypothesize that iconicity is fundamentally different than transparency since it arises from individuals’ experience with the world and their language, and is subjectively mediated by the signers’ construal of form and meaning. We test this hypothesis by asking American Sign Language (ASL) signers and German Sign Language (DGS) signers to rate iconicity of ASL and DGS signs. Native signers consistently rate signs in their own language as more iconic than foreign language signs. The results demonstrate that the perception of iconicity is intimately related to language-specific experience. Discovering the full ramifications of iconicity for the structure and processing of signed languages requires operationalizing this construct in a manner that is sensitive to language experience.

中文翻译：

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标志性在旁观者的眼中

摘要 在理解象似性在手语的结构和加工中的作用方面重新燃起的兴趣受到了象似性和透明度在作为变量的定义和操作化过程中的混淆。我们假设象似性与透明性有着根本的不同，因为它产生于个人对世界及其语言的体验，并由签名者对形式和意义的解释主观调节。我们通过询问美国手语 (ASL) 手语 (ASL) 手语和德国手语 (DGS) 手语者对 ASL 和 DGS 手语的象似性进行评分来检验这一假设。母语手语者一贯认为自己语言的手语比外语手语更具标志性。结果表明，象似性的感知与特定语言的体验密切相关。