Many signs in American Sign Language are “iconic”. “Iconic” signs mean that they visually look like the definition they’re trying to convey: the sign for CAT looks like a cat’s whiskers, the sign for DRINK visually represents a person drinking from a cup.
Iconic words are very rare in English: onomatopoeia* are one of the only cases of iconicity in English. This is an aspect of language that is unique to signs! Sometimes the signs may seem blunt or even rude, but remember that iconicity is not negative. The signs for FAT or SHORT are used in everyday conversation, but don’t typically carry the same connotation that they do in English. Keep “iconicity” in mind while you learn new signs, and don’t be surprised when something looks like just what it means!
*on•o•mat•o•poe•ia
ˌänəˌmadəˈpēə,ˌänəˌmädəˈpēə/
noun
noun: onomatopoeia
-the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle ).
-the use of onomatopoeia for rhetorical effect.
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