Italian Sign Language from a Cognitive and Socio-semiotic Perspective: Implications for a general language theory, Virginia Volterra, Maria Roccaforte, Alessio Di Renzo, Sabina Fontana. John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amster- dam/Philadelphia (2022). 220 pp., ISBN 9789027211002 (hardbound), EUR 99.00.

The book ‘Italian Sign Language from a Cognitive and Socio-semiotic Perspective’ is a clear and well-organized description that delves into numerous linguistic phenomena observed in LIS. Throughout the six chapters, the authors consistently adopt a critical perspective toward traditional linguistic analyses of sign languages, challenging well-established concepts in structuralist and formal linguistics. The data and observations included in the book describe linguistic phenomena at the sublexical, lexical, and discourse levels, thus serving as useful guidance in perspective, toward the search for explanatory accounts. The authors do an admirable job in providing a substantial collection of illustrative examples presented in various representational formats, allowing the reader to obtain a clear and realistic representation of the language. Another important strength is the emphasis on the language in use and its connection with the signing community and its culture.