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Annual Review of Linguistics

Volume 11, 2025

International Sign: Nature and Nomenclature

  • Annelies Kusters1
  • Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; email: [email protected]
  • Vol. 11:53-71 (Volume publication date February 2025)
  • First published as a Review in Advance on September 16, 2024
  • Copyright © 2025 by the author(s).
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See credit lines of images or other third-party material in this article for license information.

Abstract

This article explores the nature of International Sign (IS), a linguistic phenomenon emerging from international deaf interactions. It examines various terms such as Gestuno, cross-signing, International Sign, and International Sign Language, revealing differing perspectives on IS as a lexicon, a language, or a dynamic process. The debate on IS's classification draws parallels with contact languages, lingua francas, and national sign languages. The discussion extends to methodological approaches in IS research, contrasting studies focused on IS as a product with those exploring IS as a process and considering how the combination of experimental and ethnographic studies enriches the understanding of IS's nature. I conclude that despite ongoing debates regarding its linguistic status, the role of IS as a lingua franca indicates a future in which it may gain broader recognition and wider influence.

Keyword(s): American Sign Language, contact languages, cross-signing, English, International Sign, lingua franca
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2025-02-03
2025-06-17
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International Sign: Nature and Nomenclature
Annual Review of Linguistics 11, 53 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011724-121636
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011724-121636
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011724-121636
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