Editing International Sign (section)

==Grammar==
Very little is known about the grammar of IS.<ref name=":4" /> It tends to use fewer [[mouthing]]s and often has a larger signing space. The use of mouth gestures for adverbials is emphasized.<ref name=":4" />

People communicating in IS tend to make heavy use of:
# role play,
# index and reference locations in the signing space in front of the signer, on the head and trunk, and on the non-dominant hand,
# different movement repetitions, 
# size and shape delineation techniques using handshapes and extensions of movements of the hands (''size and size specifiers'', or ''SASS''), and 
# a feature common to most sign languages: an extensive [[formal system]] of [[classifier handshape|classifier]]s used in verbs/predicates (classifiers are handshapes used to describe things, handle objects, and represent a few semantic classes that are regarded by IS signers to be widespread in sign languages, helping them to overcome linguistic barriers).
It has been noted that signers are generally better at interlingual communication than non-signers, even using a spoken [[lingua franca]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}

A paper presented in 1994 suggested that IS signers "combine a relatively rich and structured grammar with a severely impoverished lexicon".<ref>Allsop, Lorna; Woll, Bencie; Brauti, John Martin (1995). ''International sign: The creation of an international deaf community and sign language.'' In: Bos, Heleen F. and Schermer, Gertrude M. (eds): "Sign Language Research 1994: Proceedings of the Fourth European Congress on Sign Language Research, Munich, September 1–3, 1994." (International Studies on Sign Language and Communication of the Deaf; 29) Hamburg : Signum (1995){{dash}}p. 187</ref> Supalla and Webb (1995) describe IS as a kind of a pidgin, but conclude that it is "more complex than a typical pidgin and indeed is more like that of a full sign language".<ref name=":0">Supalla, T. and Webb, R. (1995). "The grammar of international sign: A new look at pidgin languages." In: Emmorey, Karen / Reilly, Judy S. (eds): ''Language, gesture, and space.'' (International Conference on Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research) Hillsdale, N.J. : Erlbaum (p. 347).</ref>