Interrogative structures in Croatian Sign Language: Polar and content questions

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 151-167
Author(s):  
Ninoslava Šarac Kuhn ◽  
Ronnie B. Wilbur
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Word Order ◽  
General Question ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Peak Intensity ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Chin Down

In this study, we investigate the interrogative structures in Croatian Sign Language (HZJ) with respect to the word order, manual question words, and nonmanual markers and their scope. Both polar and content questions mainly use specific nonmanual markers to indicate interrogative function. Polar questions use chin down and content questions use chin up as their prominent nonmanual markers. In addition to these markers, brows up occurs in both constructions leading to the suggestion that brows up may be a general question marker in HZJ. Brows down can also occur, particularly in content questions. Other nonmanual markers that appear in polar questions are head forward, and eyes wide open and those in content questions are head forward, headshake, shoulders up, and eyes closed.Both interrogative constructions use manual question words. Polar questions can use an optional manual sign je-li that was probably introduced to HZJ through Signed Croatian. je-li is not connected to the peak intensity of the nonmanual markers and we consider it to be an adjunct to the question structure. Content words are used in most HZJ content interrogatives. Question words can be represented by specific signs or can be formed by the content sign ‘5’ (i.e. handshape 5 or b-th moving side-to-side). This ‘5’ sign is further specified by mouthing the particular question word from spoken Croatian. Content words can appear in sentence initial, sentence final or both positions. In content questions, question words bear the highest peak of nonmanual intensity, thus we consider them to be operating as operators.Recent research shows that HZJ shares some features with Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) because in the 19th century, Croatian deaf students attended Vienna’s Institute for the Deaf (Schalber this volume; Šarac 2003; Šarac et al in press). Upon finishing their education, they would return back to Croatia. Similarities between HZJ and ÖGS are found in their interrogative nonmanual markings but not in their syntactic structures. This can be seen by the fact that these two sign languages do not have the same canonical word order.

Interrogative structures in Croatian Sign Language

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 151-167
Author(s):  
Ninoslava Šarac Kuhn ◽  
Ronnie B. Wilbur
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Word Order ◽  
General Question ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Peak Intensity ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Chin Down

In this study, we investigate the interrogative structures in Croatian Sign Language (HZJ) with respect to the word order, manual question words, and nonmanual markers and their scope. Both polar and content questions mainly use specific nonmanual markers to indicate interrogative function. Polar questions use chin down and content questions use chin up as their prominent nonmanual markers. In addition to these markers, brows up occurs in both constructions leading to the suggestion that brows up may be a general question marker in HZJ. Brows down can also occur, particularly in content questions. Other nonmanual markers that appear in polar questions are head forward, and eyes wide open and those in content questions are head forward, headshake, shoulders up, and eyes closed. Both interrogative constructions use manual question words. Polar questions can use an optional manual sign je-li that was probably introduced to HZJ through Signed Croatian. je-li is not connected to the peak intensity of the nonmanual markers and we consider it to be an adjunct to the question structure. Content words are used in most HZJ content interrogatives. Question words can be represented by specific signs or can be formed by the content sign ‘5’ (i.e. handshape 5 or b-th moving side-to-side). This ‘5’ sign is further specified by mouthing the particular question word from spoken Croatian. Content words can appear in sentence initial, sentence final or both positions. In content questions, question words bear the highest peak of nonmanual intensity, thus we consider them to be operating as operators. Recent research shows that HZJ shares some features with Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) because in the 19th century, Croatian deaf students attended Vienna’s Institute for the Deaf (Schalber this volume; Šarac 2003; Šarac et al in press). Upon finishing their education, they would return back to Croatia. Similarities between HZJ and ÖGS are found in their interrogative nonmanual markings but not in their syntactic structures. This can be seen by the fact that these two sign languages do not have the same canonical word order.

Differentiating ‘dialect’ and ‘language’ in sign languages

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Sze ◽  
Silva Isma ◽  
Adhika Irlang Suwiryo ◽  
Laura Lesmana Wijaya ◽  
Adhi Kusumo Bharato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Language Varieties ◽  
The Past ◽  
Linguistic Evidence ◽  
The World ◽  
Language Promotion

The distinction between languages and dialects has remained a controversial issue in literature. When such a distinction is made, it often has far-reaching implications in top-down language promotion and preservation policies that tend to favor only those varieties that are labelled as ‘languages’. This issue is of critical importance for the survival of most sign language varieties in the world from a socio-political point of view. Against this background, this paper discusses how the notions of ‘dialect’ and ‘language’ have been applied in classifying sign languages in the past few decades. In particular, the paper reports on two recent studies which provide linguistic evidence that the signing varieties used by Deaf signers in Jakarta and Yogyakarta in Indonesia should be regarded as distinct sign languages rather than mutually intelligible dialects of Indonesian Sign Language. The evidence comes from significant differences in the lexicon, preferred word order for encoding transitive events, and use of mouth actions. Our result suggests that signing varieties within a country can be significantly different from each other, thus calling for more concerted efforts in documenting and recognizing these differences if the linguistic needs of the signing communities are to be met.

Constituent order in Flemish Sign Language (VGT) and South African Sign Language (SASL)

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam Vermeerbergen ◽  
Mieke Van Herreweghe ◽  
Philemon Akach ◽  
Emily Matabane
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
South African ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Constituent Order ◽  
Degree Of Similarity

This paper reports on a comparison of word order issues, and more specifically on the order of the verb and its arguments, in two unrelated sign languages: South African Sign Language and Flemish Sign Language. The study comprises the first part of a larger project in which a number of grammatical mechanisms and structures are compared across the two sign languages, using a corpus consisting of similar VGT and SASL-data of a various nature. The overall goal of the project is to contribute to a further understanding of the issue of the degree of similarity across unrelated sign languages. However, the different studies also mean a further exploration of the grammars of the two languages involved. In this paper the focus is on the analysis of isolated declarative sentences elicited by means of pictures. The results yield some interesting similarities across all signers but also indicate that — especially with regard to constituent order — there are important differences between the two languages.

What is the chin doing?: An analysis of interrogatives in Austrian sign language

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 133-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Schalber
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Syntactic Position ◽  
Common Foundation ◽  
Wh Questions ◽  
Manual Signs ◽  
Chin Down

The aim of this paper is to investigate the structure of polar (yes/no questions) and content questions (wh-questions) in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS), analyzing the different nonmanual signals, the occurrence of question signs and their syntactic position. As I will show, the marking strategies used in ÖGS are no exception to the crosslinguistic observations that interrogative constructions in sign languages employ a variety of nonmanual signals and manual signs (Zeshan 2004). In ÖGS polar questions are marked with ‘chin down’, whereas content questions are indicated with ‘chin up’ or ‘head forward’ and content question signs. These same nonmanual markers are reported for Croatian sign language, indicating common foundation due to historical relations and intense language contact.

scholarly journals Pautas orientativas para la asistencia a la diversidad y la inclusión de personas sordas

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 6441-6452
Author(s):  
Roberto García Sánchez ◽  
Justo Pedro Hernández González
Keyword(s):  
Continuing Education ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Deaf People ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Sign Language Interpreters ◽  
The World ◽  
The University

Comunidad  Sorda es aquella que participa de unos valores culturales y lingüísticos construidos en torno a la lengua de signos y a una concepción visual del mundo. Entre las personas sordas usuarias de la lengua de signos algunas aprendieron a signar en su infancia y otras siendo ya adultas; hay quienes son usuarias de audífonos o implantes cocleares y, entre ellas, hay quienes usan la lengua de signos y quienes no. También debemos mencionar a aquellas personas sordas que, a causa de un sistema educativo no inclusivo, tienen problemas de expresión y comprensión de textos escritos. Al igual que en el resto de la población, entre las personas sordas encontraremos niños, jóvenes, mayores, personas sordas con otra(s) discapacidad(es)... Todas y cada una de ellas con sus necesidades y demandas concretas. Es importante saber que, aun tratándose de un colectivo heterogéneo, todas las personas sordas, cualquiera que sea su tipo o grado de sordera, situación individual e independientemente de que sean o no usuarias de las lenguas de signos, comparten la necesidad de acceder a la comunicación e información del entorno sin barreras de ningún tipo. Por ese motivo es necesario desarrollar un servicio de orientación, asesoramiento y acción tutorial específico para el alumnado sordo que tenga en cuenta sus necesidades y dificultades y que evite cualquier tipo de discriminación o falta de accesibilidad al contenido universitario del tipo que sea. Por lo tanto, es necesario proporcionar este servicio con los recursos audiovisuales necesarios, intérpretes de lengua de signos española y formación continua a la comunidad universitaria. Es fundamental coordinarse con las asociaciones de personas sordas para cumplir los requisitos básicos que garanticen su inclusión, puesto que éstas son las que conocen mejor sus necesidades por la lucha de sus derechos, y orientar a la universidad para la consecución de dicha finalidad.   A Deaf Community is one that participates in cultural and linguistic values built around sign language and a visual conception of the world. Among the deaf people who used sign language, some learned to sign in their childhood and others when they were adults; there are those who use hearing aids or cochlear implants and, among them, there are those who use sign language and those who do not. We will also find deaf people who, because of a non-inclusive educational system, have problems of expression and comprehension of written texts. As in the rest of the population, among the deaf people we will find children, young people, elderly, deaf people with other disability(ies). . . Each and every one of them with their specific needs and demands. It is important to know that, even if it is a heterogeneous collective, all deaf people, whatever their type or degree of deafness, individual situation and regardless of whether or not they are users of sign languages, share the need to access the communication and information of the environment without barriers of any kind. For this reason it is necessary to develop a service of guidance, advice and specific tutorial action for deaf students that takes into account their needs and difficulties and avoids any type of discrimination or lack of accessibility to university content of any kind. Therefore, it is necessary to provide this service with the necessary audiovisual resources, Spanish sign language interpreters and continuing education to the university community. It is essential to coordinate with associations of deaf people to meet the basic requirements to ensure their inclusion, since they are the ones who best know their needs by fighting for their rights, and guide the university to achieve that goal.

scholarly journals Age of sign language acquisition has lifelong effect on syntactic preferences in sign language users

2020 ◽  
pp. 016502542095819
Author(s):  
Julia Krebs ◽  
Dietmar Roehm ◽  
Ronnie B. Wilbur ◽  
Evie A. Malaia
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Word Order ◽  
First Language ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Simple Sentences ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Effect Of Age ◽  
Deaf Signers

Acquisition of natural language has been shown to fundamentally impact both one’s ability to use the first language and the ability to learn subsequent languages later in life. Sign languages offer a unique perspective on this issue because Deaf signers receive access to signed input at varying ages. The majority acquires sign language in (early) childhood, but some learn sign language later—a situation that is drastically different from that of spoken language acquisition. To investigate the effect of age of sign language acquisition and its potential interplay with age in signers, we examined grammatical acceptability ratings and reaction time measures in a group of Deaf signers (age range = 28–58 years) with early (0–3 years) or later (4–7 years) acquisition of sign language in childhood. Behavioral responses to grammatical word order variations (subject–object–verb [SOV] vs. object–subject–verb [OSV]) were examined in sentences that included (1) simple sentences, (2) topicalized sentences, and (3) sentences involving manual classifier constructions, uniquely characteristic of sign languages. Overall, older participants responded more slowly. Age of acquisition had subtle effects on acceptability ratings, whereby the direction of the effect depended on the specific linguistic structure.

scholarly journals Early Development of Chinese Sign Language in Shanghai Schools for the Deaf

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Lin
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Early Development ◽  
Deaf Education ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Schools For The Deaf ◽  
Deaf Teachers ◽  
Deaf School

The Shanghai variant of Chinese Sign Language (SCSL) is one of the main variants of Chinese sign languages, greatly influencing other sign languages, such as Hong Kong Sign Language and Singapore Sign Language. This paper is a first attempt to trace its origins and early history and deaf education in Shanghai until 1949. The data are collected in two ways: first, by delving into the archives, i.e., written records of deaf history and education in China during that time; second, by interviewing surviving deaf students who went to school before or around 1949. Our findings are as follows: (a) SCSL began in the 1920s and emerged as a distinct sign language in the 1940s. Two deaf schools were the power shaping its progress among several deaf schools established in Shanghai: Fryer deaf school and Group learning deaf school. The sign variants of these two schools form the backbone of SCSL. (b) Deaf teachers are one of the key factors that affect the early development of a sign language. Chinese deaf played a vital role in the rise and spread of SCSL in the 1930s and 1940s, as some deaf teachers opened deaf schools in Shanghai and other cities, even other countries or areas, thus helping SCSL to spread. (c) Arising in an international and multilingual environment, SCSL is characterized by traces of foreign sign languages, especially ASL, due to language contacts linked to deaf education at that time, e.g., some proper names, like XUJIAHUI, SHANGHAI-1 and some high-frequency words like water. (d) However, foreign sign languages' direct influence is negligible due to the lack of participation of deaf foreigners in deaf education in Shanghai and oralism advocated by foreign educators in relevant deaf schools. To sum up, deaf teachers for deaf schools are key to the early development and spread of SCSL.

Competences in Polish sign language and the ability to understand read text in G students / deaf students

2020 ◽  
Vol LXXXI (3) ◽  
pp. 165-174
Author(s):  
Justyna Kotowicz
Keyword(s):  
American Sign Language ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Scientific Analysis ◽  
Level Of Understanding ◽  
The Relationship

Research to date indicates a relationship between reading skills and sign language competences in G people / deaf people. These data, however, only apply to sign languages that have undergone extensive scientific analysis (e.g. American Sign Language). Currently, there are no scientific reports in Poland regarding competences in sign language and in reading in G students / deaf students. For this reason, the present study analyses the relationship between Polish Sign Language (PSL) and understanding of the text read in written Polish. The study involved 52 G students / deaf students with prelingual hearing loss in severe or profound grades I-VI in special primary schools for deaf children and adolescents. Competences at PSL were measured using the Polish Sign Language Grammar Comprehension Test, and comprehension of the text read was tested using the Reading test by Maria Grzywak-Kaczyńska. Hierarchical analysis of multivariate regression showed that competences in PSL are a variable explaining the level of understanding of the read text (in the model the first explanatory the variable was age). Therefore, it has been demonstrated that competences in PSL are relevant to learning to read in Polish among G students / deaf students. The results obtained are important for surdopedagogical practice: they draw attention to the need to improve competences in sign language and to use sign language in the process of learning to read and develop this skill.

Universal 20 and Taiwan Sign Language

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niina Ning Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Hierarchical Structure ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Hierarchical Structures ◽  
Sign Languages

Word order flexibility in sign languages has led some scholars to conclude that sign languages do not have any hierarchical structure. This paper shows that the word order patterns within Taiwan Sign Language nominals precisely follow Greenberg’s (1963:87) Universal 20. The manifestation of the universal in this sign language indicates that like oral languages, sign languages have hierarchical structures. Moreover, this paper also discusses the relation between syntactic hierarchy and linearization from the perspective of Taiwan Sign Language. The fact that the word order possibilities stated in Universal 20 are attested in a single language challenges the very notion of language parameter.

Argument structure and the role of the body and space in Kenyan Sign Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 38-72
Author(s):  
Hope E. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Argument Structure ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Verb Agreement

Abstract This paper investigates how systematically a young macro-community sign language, Kenyan Sign Language, uses two different means to communicate about events: (i) word order, and (ii) verb agreement using spatial co-reference. The study finds that KSL signers rely primarily on word order and using the body as a referent, rather than verb agreement, when representing transitive events. Yet, by looking separately at how KSL signers use the sub-components of verb agreement, a pattern emerges that indicates a possible path toward ‘canonical verb agreement’. These sub-components are evaluated using Meir’s stages/types of grammaticalization of verb agreement (Meir 2011, 2016), and compared with other young and emerging sign languages.

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