Question:
Sign languages have long been used by the deaf communities to communicate amongst themselves. Which of the following is correct?
Sign languages have long been used by the deaf communities to communicate amongst themselves. Which of the following is correct?
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Sign languages are linguistically equal to spoken languages and share core properties like grammar, recursion, and duality of patterning.
Updated On: Dec 20, 2025
- Sign language shows duality of patterning with meaningless gestures combining to create single signs.
- Signs in sign languages are dominantly iconic and transparent with respect to the meaning they encode.
- Children who are hearing-impaired do not converge on a language without instruction in signing and/or speaking.
- Sign languages are pidgin-like, rudimentary communication systems.
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understand linguistic properties of sign languages.
Modern linguistic research establishes that sign languages are full-fledged natural languages with systematic grammatical structure.
Step 2: Evaluate option (A).
Sign languages display duality of patterning, where meaningless units such as handshape, movement, and location combine to form meaningful signs. This makes option (A) correct.
Step 3: Eliminate incorrect options.
(B) While some signs may be iconic, most are arbitrary.
(C) Deaf children can spontaneously develop structured sign systems even without formal instruction.
(D) Sign languages are not pidgins but fully developed languages.
Step 4: Conclusion.
Thus, the correct answer is option (A).
Modern linguistic research establishes that sign languages are full-fledged natural languages with systematic grammatical structure.
Step 2: Evaluate option (A).
Sign languages display duality of patterning, where meaningless units such as handshape, movement, and location combine to form meaningful signs. This makes option (A) correct.
Step 3: Eliminate incorrect options.
(B) While some signs may be iconic, most are arbitrary.
(C) Deaf children can spontaneously develop structured sign systems even without formal instruction.
(D) Sign languages are not pidgins but fully developed languages.
Step 4: Conclusion.
Thus, the correct answer is option (A).
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