Theories of sign language structure

Theories of sign language structure analyze how signs convey meaning, similar to spoken language. The "linguistic theory" views sign language as a complete language with grammar and syntax, emphasizing how signs combine systematically. The "iconic theory" suggests many signs visually resemble their meanings, making them easier to understand. The "morphological theory" examines how signs are built from smaller units, like prefixes or roots, to create new words. Overall, these theories explore how signs encode language rules, combining visual gestures with linguistic structure to communicate effectively.