ABSTRACT
This chapter presents elements o f the most recent typological work on nominal classification systems o f oral languages published by the author (Grinevald 1999, 2000, 2002, in press), the choice o f these elements being based on their perceived potential relevance to the analysis of the so-called classifier systems of signed languages. The chapter opens with a brief discussion of some of the principles that guide the ongoing elaboration o f this typology, partly in order to articulate in what ways it might diverge somewhat from writings on the same topic by Aikhenvald (2000, chap. 4). The chapter closes with a consideration o f what kind of data from signed languages could facilitate a more systematic comparison o f the phonemenon of nominal classification in oral and visual gestual languages.
