Departamento de Libras (LSB/CCE)

We will consider the manual articulators regarding the (universal?) drive for ease of articulation in languages. We begin with a consideration of the joints, then move into variation in signs and how we can see a range of evidence for pressure to reduce effort.  We will then consider the relationship of the manual articulators to the torso, particularly biomechanical matters, and introduce the notion of reactive effort. We will look at evidence from multiple sign languages showing that reactive effort is a factor in shaping the lexicon. All the various mechanisms we note for reducing effort will then be addressed in a search for foundational principles regarding the movement parameter in diachronic language change.