Disappearing iconicity in the evolution of Polish Sign Language

Abstract In this article, I look at the evolution of Polish Sign Language by closely analyzing the sign słodki ‘sweet’ at all of the stages of its development known to us. By closing in on just one sign we can see that the evolution of a sign is a very complex process. The sign słodki ‘sweet’ has gradually lost its iconic character over time. This is primarily due to linguistic factors, while societal factors have also impacted the sign’s transparency. Although at its inception słodki ‘sweet’ might have been considered iconic and its meaning transparent, today the sign’s motivation would be unclear to people seeing it for the first time, including to native Polish Sign Language users. The sign has undergone many different processes, such as assimilation, channel clearing, reduction and analogy. These processes are discussed in the article in depth; along with a change in society, they have resulted in the etymology of the sign being unknown to users of Polish Sign Language.