ABSTRACT
The analysis presented in this chapter is part of a larger, on-going analysis of space in ASL discourse. In this chapter, the focus is on the results of an analysis of spatial mapping in comparative discourse frames. Spatial mapping is the process used by the signer to reflect mental representations in physical space for reference and subsequent coreference in discourse. 1 Spatial mapping plays a major role in reflecting coherent discourse structures, both at the surface level, through cohesion, and at the pragmatic level, through discourse frames. As a cohesive device, spatial mapping adds surface structure to the text through the repeated use of spatial loci by the signer, to indicate spatially located entities; this cohesive structure reflects the coherent, emerging message through comparative discourse frames.
