Recurring iconic mapping patterns within and across verb types in German Sign Language

Many sign languages around the world have the same tripartite verb classification system based on agreement properties, and it has previously been observed that this system is at least partially semantically grounded. In this article, the extent to which iconicity plays a mediating role in this relationship between verb type and verb semantics is investigated through the identification of recurring iconic mappings across verb forms in German Sign Language (DGS). The aim is to establish which event properties are commonly iconically represented in DGS verb forms, and which of those can additionally be associated with verbs of a specific type. The results indicate that across types, handshape is associated with semantic transitivity, while the location and movement specifications of a verb form are associated with verb type. The results thus contribute toward our understanding of the role of iconicity in the relation between verb semantics and verb type in DGS and, by extension, other sign languages with similar verb type systems.