Abstract Taboo terms offer a playground for linguistic creativity in language after language, and sign languages form no exception. The present paper offers the first investigation of taboo terms in sign languages from a cognitive linguistic perspective. We analyze the linguistic mechanisms that introduce offense, focusing on the combined effects of cognitive metonymy and iconicity. Using the Think Aloud Protocol, we elicited offensive or crass signs and dysphemisms from nine signers. We find that German Sign Language uses a variety of linguistic means to introduce and enhance offense, many of which rely on iconic properties of the taboo sign. In conjunction with cross-linguistically common metonymic word-formation strategies, the degree of visual explicitness of a sign increases its potential to offend. Semantically similar taboo signs based on the same metonymic anchor but differing in their degree of iconicity also differ in offensiveness. This allows for creating dysphemisms and euphemisms via phonological changes to a sign. We further show that embodiment creates modality-enhanced ‘vicarious embarrassment’ in the viewer that results in the respective signs being judged obscene or offensive. Further, lexical blending and non-manual enhancement play a role in the creation of dysphemisms in DGS. Lastly, we propose that iconicity as a cognitive structuring principle of linguistic expressions constrains the possible semantic extensions of iconic taboo terms.

中文翻译：

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德国手语中禁忌语的犯罪的语言来源

摘要禁忌术语为语言接after而来的语言创造提供了场所，手语也不例外。本文提供了从认知语言学角度对手语禁忌语的首次研究。我们分析了引入冒犯的语言机制，重点是认知转喻和象似性的综合作用。使用“大声思考”协议，我们从9个签名者中引出了令人反感或粗俗的符号和轻描淡写。我们发现，德国手语使用多种语言手段来引入和加强犯罪，其中许多手段都取决于禁忌手语的标志性特性。结合跨语言通用的转喻词形成策略，标志的视觉清晰度会增加其冒犯的可能性。基于相同转喻锚的语义上相似的禁忌符号，但其标志性程度不同，其进攻性也有所不同。这允许通过对符号的语音变化来产生呼吸困难和委婉语。我们进一步表明，实施例在观看者中产生了模态增强的“战乱的尴尬”，导致相应的迹象被判定为淫秽或令人反感。此外，词汇混合和非手动增强功能在DGS中的呼吸困难的产生中也起作用。最后，我们提出象似性作为语言表达的认知结构原理，限制了象形禁忌术语的可能语义扩展。我们进一步表明，实施例在观看者中产生了模态增强的“战乱的尴尬”，导致相应的迹象被判定为淫秽或令人反感。此外，词汇混合和非手动增强功能在DGS中的呼吸困难的产生中也起作用。最后，我们提出象似性作为语言表达的认知结构原理，限制了象形禁忌术语的可能语义扩展。我们进一步表明，实施例在观看者中产生了模态增强的“战乱的尴尬”，导致相应的迹象被判定为淫秽或令人反感。此外，词汇混合和非手动增强功能在DGS中的呼吸困难的产生中也起作用。最后，我们提出象似性作为语言表达的认知结构原理，限制了象形禁忌术语的可能语义扩展。