Reference Fluidity as Intersubjective Signification: Pointing (IX) in Mexican Sign Language (LSM)

Abstract

This paper examines the fluid nature of indexical pointing (IX) in Mexican Sign Language (LSM+) and questions the adequacy of traditional grammatical categories, which are anchored in a view of reference as the designation of external entities. We propose a reconceptualization of reference in IX as a process of focused intersubjective signification, where meaning is co-constructed and centered within the interaction itself, rather than "pointing outwards." This reconceptualization is grounded in the Radial Analysis framework (Escobar L.-Dellamary, 2025), a non-representational model that conceives of reference as a form of trajectorial navigation through Collective Convergence Interfaces (CCIs) rather than as static correspondences with external entities. Through a non-dualist approach, the formal and functional variability of IX is analyzed, contrasting its behavior with co-verbal pointing in speech. Empirical evidence reveals that IX exhibits a fluidity that resists rigid categorization into pronouns, determiners, or demonstratives—categories that presuppose referential objectification. This fluidity is not a deficiency but an intrinsic characteristic arising from its intersubjective nature, demanding theoretical frameworks sensitive to the visuo-gestural modality and the co-construction of meaning. We discuss how the over-application of writing-centric categories to sign languages, ignoring that spoken languages are also unavoidably multimodal, incurs a significant "epistemic cost." The implications of this analysis connect with decolonial perspectives that critique the imposition of Eurocentric frameworks in linguistic research.