Iconicity in Language Processing and Acquisition: What Signed Languages Reveal

That linguistic form should be arbitrarily linked to meaning is generally taken as a fundamental feature of language. However, this paper explores the role of iconicity, or non-arbitrary form-meaning mappings for both language processing and language acquisition. Evidence from signed language research is presented showing that sign language users exploit iconicity in language processing. Further, iconicity may be at work in language acquisition serving to bridge the gap between conceptual representations and linguistic form. Signed languages are taken as a starting point since they tend to encode a higher degree of iconic form-meaning mappings than is found for spoken languages, but the findings are more broadly applicable. Specifically, the emerging evidence argues against the dominant view that connections between linguistic form and meaning need be primarily arbitrary. Instead both arbitrariness and iconicity have a role to play in language.