On How to Do Things with Holds: Manual Movement Phases as Part of Interactional Practices in Signed Conversation
Paul Cibulka
Abstract
Distinction between West Bengal Sign Language, and Indian Sign Language Based on Statistical Assessment
Russell J. Johnson and Jane E. Johnson
Abstract
Zaban Eshareh Irani (ZEI) and Its Fingerspelling System
Ali Sanjabi, Abbas Ali Behmanesh, Ardavan Guity, Sara Siyavoshi, Martin Watkins, and Julie A. Hochgesang
Abstract
The Linguistic Vitality of American Indian Sign Language: Endangered, Yet Not Vanished
Jeffrey E. Davis
Abstract
Special Feature: A Celebration of the Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles: Fifty Years Later
Julie A. Hochgesang and Marvin T. Miller
On How to Do Things with Holds: Manual Movement Phases as Part of Interactional Practices in Signed Conversation
This article discusses the organization of phases of manual movement and nonmovement in sign language conversation, predominantly in, but not limited to, conversational repair. The analysis makes use of video recordings from a Swedish Sign Language corpus (Mesch et al. 2012). It finds that, in signed conversation, different types of holds have diverse interactional implications and that various interactional procedures (e.g., holding a turn or prompting for a response) are associated with the adoption of these holds. Also, aiming for a more fine-grained description, this article proposes novel notions related to phases of manual movement (i.e., the full-hold, the half-hold, and the prolonged stroke). Shifting focus from manual movement purely as a means of conveying lexical meaning, this article proposes an interactional view of movement segments as a locus of situated meaning that emerges during interaction.
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Distinction between West Bengal Sign Language, and Indian Sign Language Based on Statistical Assessment
This article addresses the distinction of West Bengal Sign Language (WBSL), from the Delhi variety of the Indian Sign Language (ISL) within the Indian subcontinent, and the relationship of WBSL to Bangla Sign Language (BsSL) of Bangladesh. Both WBSL and BaSL are the names given by their respective Deaf communities.1 This article is the result of our research on these signed language varieties, made over the course of twelve years (seven of which were spent in Kolkata [formerly Calcutta], West Bengal) while working among Deaf people in India. Data collected in Bangladesh was also used. Our observations of a different signed language in West Bengal and the impact of researcher bias (also known as the Observer’s Paradox), as well as a high level of exposure to wider India’s signed languages among fluent Deaf signers, prompted this research. Sign languages acquired from other Deaf communities in India and previous claims of the existence of only one signed language in India necessitated the inclusion of several language components (lexicon, intelligibility, identity, anecdotal evidence) and statistical analysis in the differentiation of WBSL from ISL, in particular, the Delhi variety. Results of the statistical analysis show that WBSL is different from the Delhi variety of ISL.
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Zaban Eshareh Irani (ZEI) and Its Fingerspelling System
We begin with a brief sketch of the signed language used by the Iranian Deaf community: Zaban Eshareh Irani (ZEI). Then we discuss a system that is frequently employed in signed languages—fingerspelling—which is the representation of characters in written systems by using conventionalized handshapes. Using ZEI naturalistic data, we describe a manual alphabet system (referred to as the Baghcheban phonetic alphabet in this article) that somewhat resembles Cued Speech but has features similar to those of many fingerspelling systems.
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The Linguistic Vitality of American Indian Sign Language: Endangered, Yet Not Vanished
This article examines the linguistic status and potential for revitalization of American Indian Sign Language (AISL), which is considered an endangered language variety. It reports recent findings from the first documentary linguistics fieldwork carried out in over fifty years to focus on the AISL variety, which has been learned and used as a primary or secondary language among members of some American Indian communities since the eighteenth century and possibly earlier. AISL has been maintained over the past several generations chiefly by tribal elders and these efforts have been buoyed by deaf tribal members who have acquired it as a fluent means of communication within their own native communities. While research continues to identify different AISL dialects and the number of remaining native signers, reportedly hundreds of North American Indians still use and understand AISL to varying degrees of proficiency and mutual intelligibility. The AISL variety has been transmitted for many generations and used internationally among dozens of American Indian nations of the United States and Canada; today, representing mainly Algonquian and Siouan language families. Up to now, both deaf and hearing tribal members have served a vital role in the development and transmission of indigenous sign language. Hence, it has been well documented that American indigenous sign language served a wide variety of discourse functions and purposes—ranging from in-group (shared within a single tribe or family) to international communication (shared between different Indian tribes and nations). The article also highlights how documentary linguistics contributes to language preservation and revitalization.
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