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Creators/Authors contains: "Lepic, Ryan"

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  1. (, Cognitive Linguistics)
    Idioms are phrases like English [hit the sack], meaning ‘go to bed’. For linguists working with sign languages, a question arises: “What do idioms look like in a sign language?” This paper proposes a definition of idiom that can be used to identify idioms across languages. Idioms are affective constructions, they are phrasal units, and they are conventional expressions for members of a language community. This definition is used to identify idioms in ASL such as [keep.quiet hard] ‘just have to accept it’. This approach to idioms motivates a constructionist approach to ASL grammar in general, in which all aspects of linguistic knowledge can be represented as meaning-form pairs that vary in their complexity and schematicity. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available April 2, 2026
  2. (, Sign Language Studies)
    Abstract: In many descriptions of American Sign Language (ASL), signs like [breakfast] are identified as compounds . These signs were once formed with two separate signs but have since fused into a single unit. This article presents an alternative definition of compound that includes both functional and formal properties. Following this updated definition, examples of ASL compounds are constructions like [name sign] and [sign language], which combine two object-concept words to name an object concept, as well as related constructions like [formal room] 'living room,' which also label object concepts. The updated definition of compound allows for terminological consistency and sets the stage for fuller understanding of the variety of multisign units in ASL. 
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