Linguistic units as traditionally conceived by linguists favor structural features and referential meanings. In this paper, we propose a new way of understanding the nature of linguistic units by analyzing the interaction of multiple semiotic resources (gestures, bodily movement, eye gaze and speech) in social interaction. We focus on the discursive activity of “categorizing” in different situations and in two languages, English and Mandarin Chinese. Categorizing is broadly defined as any activity that involves explicitly or implicitly classifying people or objects into types. We show that the meanings of linguistic units (including the referential) may be distorted or incomplete when forms are extracted from their contexts and analyzed in isolation. Instead, we argue that an interactional, activity-based view, focusing on the deployment of linguistic elements as part of a coordinated system of semiotic resources, will enable us to understand the nature of linguistic units in a more productive way.

中文翻译：

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分类活动中的引用表达式

传统上由语言学家构想的语言单位偏爱结构特征和指称意义。在本文中，我们通过分析社会互动中多种符号资源（手势、身体动作、眼睛注视和言语）的相互作用，提出了一种理解语言单位性质的新方法。我们专注于英语和普通话两种语言在不同情况下“分类”的话语活动。分类被广义地定义为涉及明确或隐含地将人或物体分类为类型的任何活动。我们表明，当从上下文中提取形式并单独分析时，语言单位（包括指称）的含义可能会被扭曲或不完整。相反，我们认为基于互动的、基于活动的观点，