Semantic field of falling in Russian sign language

This paper presents an analysis of the semantic fi eld of falling in Russian Sign Language (RSL). In this domain, RSL makes use of a particular group of signs usually referred to as ‘classifi er predicates’ [Zwitserlood 2012]. These signs are highly iconic and do not have correlates in spoken languages. Separate structural components of classifi er predicates, i.e. the handshape, the hand orientation, the trajectory and the direction of movement etc., describe diff erent aspects of falling. For example, the handshape determines the type of the trajector, and the direction of movement indicates the start versus end-point locations of the trajector. While some of these aspects are typically marked in both sign and spoken languages, others are unique for the languages of the visual modality. The paper gives a detailed description of the internal structure of the classifier predicates occurring in this semantic fi eld and discusses the implications these data provide for the theory of lexical typology. In particular, we explain the differences in lexicalization strategies between RSL and the spoken languages by two conceptualization modes RSL uses in this domain, i.e. the cognitive and the (purely) visual conceptualization. While the former is guided by cognitive processes and, therefore, is shared by sign and spoken languages, the latter is unique for the languages of the visual modality; it is responsible for the aspects of lexicalization based exclusively on the visual characteristics of the object/situation.