Can constructed action be considered obligatory?

Abstract

A communicative device that a signer can take advantage of in the visual–gestural modality is the use of the signer's body to depict the actions and movements of an object—whether that object be animate or inanimate. This communicative device (referred to within this abstract as becoming the object) is used frequently in signed narratives, but it also appears in other genres of signing. Whether or not becoming the object is dependent on the use of traditional linguistic devices (e.g., signs, so-called “classifier” constructions, word order structures, etc.) is open to question, so its role as a necessary part of ASL or any signed language may be the source of debate. This study seeks to explore the degree to which becoming the object is obligatory. To that end, production and judgment data are discussed, and it is suggested that specific examples of becoming the object appear to be obligatory for the depiction of some actions of animate objects. Further, commonly used alternative strategies to becoming the object are also discussed. The overall findings suggest that some instantiations of becoming the object can be considered obligatory in some contexts—especially for some signers. Implications of these results are discussed, especially as they concern the use of mimetic versus linguistic representations within both modalities—sign and speech.