Iconicity and Arbitrariness in Italian Sign Language
Résumé
I present the results of a quantitative analysis that evaluates the incidence of iconicity of a sign language, LIS, in its lexicon. This analys shows that iconicity is highly incident. On the one hand, I interpret this high incidence of iconicity as a response to a need for economy. On the other hand, I argue that the high incidence of iconicity does not rule out the possibility that a profound arbitrariness governs the lexical organization of the language in view of the fact that arbitrariness is a necessary response to a need for economy. In order to justify the coexistence of iconicity and arbitrariness in the LIS lexicon, I suggest that we revisit the notion of arbitrariness, echoing Saussure's original formulation of arbitrariness.