Which term is defined as an affixed sign used to indicate certain semantic/grammatical categories?

Which term is defined as an affixed sign used to indicate certain semantic/grammatical categories?

• A. Classifiers
• B. Fingerspelling
• C. Loan signs
• D. Predicates

Answer: (A)

Classifiers are signs that function like affixes, signaling the category and properties of the referent. They use specific handshapes and movements to convey information about size, shape, location, and motion, effectively tagging the noun or action with its semantic/grammatical category. This makes them the best choice for indicating, for example, what kind of object is being talked about or how it’s moving, without needing a separate noun. Fingerspelling is simply spelling out words with letters, loan signs are borrowed from another language, and predicates are signs that express actions or states but don’t carry that category-marking function in the same way classifiers do.

Classifiers are signs that function like affixes, signaling the category and properties of the referent. They use specific handshapes and movements to convey information about size, shape, location, and motion, effectively tagging the noun or action with its semantic/grammatical category. This makes them the best choice for indicating, for example, what kind of object is being talked about or how it’s moving, without needing a separate noun. Fingerspelling is simply spelling out words with letters, loan signs are borrowed from another language, and predicates are signs that express actions or states but don’t carry that category-marking function in the same way classifiers do.