Are there fractals in sign language?

• Published in: Chaos, solitons and fractals Vol. 187; p. 115420
• Main Authors: Andres, Jan, Benešová, Martina, Fišerová, Eva, Langer, Jiří
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2024
• Subjects: Degree of semanticity; Language units; Menzerath-Altmann law; Pseudofractals; Pseudosyllables; Sign language; Pseudofractals; Sign language; Menzerath-Altmann law; Degree of semanticity; Pseudosyllables; Language units
• ISSN: 0960-0779
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2024.115420

Sign language is analyzed from the perspective of Menzerath-Altmann law (MAL). In reply to a question posed in the title, this study involves a comprehensive fractal analysis of a concrete Czech sign language utterance at multiple linguistic levels. Through this examination, a novel linguistic level, the so-called “pseudosyllables”, is unearthed and subjected to thorough investigation. While the results of this experimental exploration do not conclusively confirm fractal structure in sign language overall via an isomorphism between the fractal dimension formula and MAL, we undeniably detect the existence of pseudofractal objects of sign language in the sense of the modified (whence the prefix “pseudo”) conjecture by Hřebíček on the basis of our arguments, particularly linked to this newly identified linguistic level. •Menzerath-Altmann law examined on three sign language hierarchy levels.•“Pseudosyllables” were discovered as a new language hierarchy level.•“Pseudofractals” exist in a sign language utterance.•“Degree of semanticity” (fractal dimension) measures the complexity of texts.•Performance of the theory verified by a real experiment.