Creating and Contesting Signs in Contemporary
Japan: Language Ideologies, Identity, and Community in Flux
Japanese Sign Language (JSL) is currently in a state of transition as various
elements within and outside the Deaf community contest the creation of new
terms. Represented by the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, the older generation
is creating new words in order to compete with the national public television
service while at the same time fending off criticism from younger, culturally
Deaf members. This article examines the language ideologies present in this
complex situation.
Back to the Top
Emergence and Development of Signed
Languages: From a Semiogenetic Point of View
This article first introduces some theoretical considerations concerning the
emergence and evolution of sign languages from the semiogenetic perspective. It
then presents results from a linguistic study of the phenomenon of lexical
stabilization in three emerging sign languages used by Brazilian deaf adults who
live in a hearing environment without contact with a deaf community.
Back to the Top
yes,
#no, Visibility and Variation
in ASL and Tactile ASL
In American Sign Language (ASL), a receiver watches the signer and receives
language visually. In contrast, when using tactile ASL, a variety of ASL, the
deaf-blind receiver receives language by placing a hand on top of the signer�s
hand. In the study described in this article we compared the functions and
frequency of the signs yes and #no
in tactile ASL and visual ASL. We found that
yes and/or #no
were used for twelve functions in both. There was, however, some variation. In
one environment yes occurred in
tactile ASL but not in visual ASL. With regard to frequency, the two signs
occurred far more often in tactile ASL. Unexpectedly, significant variation was
also found within visual ASL, depending on the number of interviewees in a
session. yes and #no
were used more frequently with two or more interviewees and less often when only
one interviewee was present. These findings led us to the concept of a
�visibility continuum� to account for the variation between visual and tactile
ASL, as well as for the variation within visual ASL. The data also reveal
variation in tactile ASL that correlates with role and gender, as well as the
age at which a participant started using tactile ASL (i.e., similar to
age-of-acquisition effects).
Back to the Top
