Australian Sign Language (Auslan): An introduction to sign language linguistics

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 13
Conventions for sign notation......Page 15
1.1.1 Arbitrary symbols......Page 17
1.1.2 Grammaticality......Page 20
1.1.3 Discreteness and duality of patterning......Page 21
1.1.5 Inter-changeability and reflexiveness......Page 22
1.1.7 Creativity......Page 23
1.2 What is linguistics?......Page 24
1.2.1 Areas of linguistics......Page 26
1.3 Signed languages: Myths and misconceptions......Page 27
1.3.1 Sign language is not universal......Page 28
1.3.2 Signed languages are not based on spoken languages......Page 29
1.3.4 Signed languages are not always iconic......Page 30
1.3.5 Signed languages have the same expressive capacity as spoken languages......Page 32
1.3.6 Signed and spoken languages are processed by the brain in similar ways......Page 33
1.3.7 Children learn spoken and signed languages in similar ways......Page 34
1.3.8 Signed languages were not invented by hearing people......Page 35
1.3.9 Signed languages can be written down......Page 36
1.4 A brief history of the study of signed languages......Page 37
1.5 Signed languages and gesture......Page 38
1.7 Further reading......Page 42
2.1 The deaf population, the deaf community and the Auslan-using population......Page 43
2.2 Auslan and the deaf community......Page 45
2.3 The language of the deaf community......Page 46
2.3.1 Natural sign languages......Page 47
2.3.2 Artificial sign systems......Page 48
2.3.3 Fingerspelling......Page 50
2.3.4.1 Signing in English......Page 54
2.3.4.2 Contact signing......Page 55
2.4 Bilingualism and diglossia......Page 57
2.5 Sociolinguistic variation in the deaf community......Page 59
2.5.1 Variation in grammar......Page 60
2.5.2.1 Region......Page 61
2.5.2.2 School......Page 63
2.5.2.3 Age......Page 64
2.5.2.6 Signed language exposure......Page 65
2.7 Further Reading......Page 66
3.1 Signed languages of Aboriginal Australia......Page 69
3.2 The origins of Auslan......Page 70
3.3 British Sign Language (BSL)......Page 71
3.4 From BSL to Auslan......Page 73
3.5 BSL and Auslan compared......Page 76
3.5.1 Auslan, BSL and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL)......Page 78
3.6 Auslan and Irish Sign Language (ISL)......Page 81
3.7 Auslan and other signed languages with some BSL contact......Page 82
3.7.1 Signed language in the United States and Canada......Page 84
3.8 Auslan and other unrelated signed languages of the world......Page 87
3.8.1 International Sign Language......Page 89
3.9 Emerging signed languages of the developing world......Page 90
3.11 Further Reading......Page 91
4.1.1 Minimal pairs......Page 93
4.2.1 Handshape, location and movement......Page 95
4.2.2 Other aspects of sign structure......Page 96
4.3 Sign parameters and notation systems......Page 97
4.4 Minimal pairs in Auslan......Page 98
4.5 Sign types......Page 99
4.6 Manual signs......Page 100
4.6.1 Handshape in Auslan......Page 102
4.6.1.1 Distribution of handshapes......Page 103
4.6.1.2 Handshape minimal pairs......Page 104
4.6.2.1 Primary locations......Page 106
4.6.2.2 Secondary locations......Page 107
4.6.3.1 Primary movements......Page 108
4.6.4.1 Orientation......Page 110
4.6.4.2 Hand arrangement......Page 111
4.7.1 Non-manual signs......Page 112
4.7.2 Multi-channel signs......Page 114
4.8 Constraints on word and sign structure......Page 115
4.8.1 Linguistic constraints......Page 116
4.8.2 Perceptual constraints......Page 118
4.8.3 Production constraints......Page 120
4.9 Simultaneity and sequentiality in sign structure......Page 124
4.10 Features, segments and syllables......Page 127
4.11 Phonological processes......Page 130
4.13 Further Reading......Page 132
5.1 The morpheme in signed and spoken language......Page 133
5.1.1 Types of morpheme......Page 135
5.1.2 Productivity in Auslan......Page 137
5.2 Morphological processes: Derivation and inflection......Page 139
5.3 Sign formation processes......Page 140
5.3.1 Lexical extension......Page 141
5.3.2 Reduplication (noun-verb pairs)......Page 142
5.3.3 Affixation......Page 143
5.3.4 Compounding......Page 146
5.3.5 Numeral incorporation......Page 150
5.4 Processes of sign modification......Page 152
5.4.1 Noun modification......Page 153
5.4.2 Verb modification......Page 156
5.4.2.1 Person and number agreement in spoken languages......Page 157
5.4.2.2 Person and location......Page 158
5.4.2.3 Number......Page 163
5.4.2.4 Manner......Page 164
5.4.2.5 Aspect......Page 167
5.4.2.6 Intensification......Page 169
5.4.3 Non-manual features in Auslan......Page 170
5.6 Further Reading......Page 172
6.1.1 The native and non-native lexicon......Page 173
6.2.1 The core native lexicon......Page 175
6.2.1.1 Characteristics of lexicalised signs......Page 177
6.2.2 The non-core native lexicon......Page 179
6.2.2.1.1 Space and movement......Page 181
6.2.2.1.2 The types and inventory of handshapes......Page 184
6.2.2.1.3 Depicting signs and gesture......Page 187
6.2.2.2 Classifier handshapes: A note on terminology......Page 188
6.2.2.3 Pointing signs......Page 189
6.2.3 Lexicalisation of depicting signs......Page 190
6.3 The non-native lexicon in Auslan......Page 192
6.3.1 Borrowing from English......Page 193
6.3.1.1.1 Lexicalised Fingerspelling......Page 195
6.3.1.1.2 Single manual letter signs......Page 196
6.3.1.1.3 Acronyms and abbreviations......Page 197
6.3.1.1.5 Local lexicalisation of fingerspelled forms......Page 198
6.3.1.2 Loan translations......Page 199
6.3.1.3 Mouthing......Page 200
6.3.2 Borrowing from other signed languages......Page 201
6.4 Summary......Page 203
6.5 Further Reading......Page 204
7.1 Word classes in Auslan......Page 205
7.1.1 Nouns......Page 206
7.1.2 Verbs......Page 207
7.1.3 Adjectives......Page 208
7.1.4 Adverbs......Page 209
7.1.6 Auxiliary verbs......Page 210
7.1.7 Prepositions......Page 211
7.1.9 Pronouns......Page 212
7.2 Sentences and their constituents......Page 213
7.3 Sentence types......Page 215
7.4.1 Verbless clauses......Page 218
7.4.2 Clauses with intransitive plain verbs......Page 219
7.4.3 Clauses with transitive plain verbs......Page 220
7.4.4 Clauses with indicating and depicting verbs......Page 221
7.4.5 Sentence-final tags and doubling......Page 223
7.5 Content questions......Page 224
7.6 Topicalisation......Page 225
7.7 Pseudo-clefts (or ‘rhetorical questions’)......Page 226
7.8 Negation and affirmation......Page 227
7.9 Constituent order in clause complexes......Page 228
7.10.1 Conditionals......Page 229
7.10.2 Relative clauses......Page 230
7.11 Basic word order?......Page 231
7.13 Further Reading......Page 233
8.1.1 Auslan signs, English words and meaning......Page 235
8.1.2 Meaning and dictionaries......Page 236
8.1.3 Meaning and reference......Page 237
8.1.4 Meaning and mental imagery......Page 238
8.1.5 Meaning and truth......Page 239
8.2.1 Descriptive meaning......Page 240
8.2.3 Expressive meaning......Page 241
8.2.4 Denotation and connotation......Page 242
8.4.1 Reference and sense......Page 243
8.4.3 Homonymy......Page 244
8.4.4 Polysemy......Page 245
8.4.5 Synonymy......Page 246
8.4.6 Antonymy......Page 247
8.5 Iconicity and metaphor in Auslan......Page 248
8.5.1 Types of iconicity in Auslan......Page 252
8.5.2 Degree of iconicity......Page 253
8.5.3 Metaphor in Auslan......Page 255
8.5.3.1 Space is time: the time-line metaphor in Auslan......Page 257
8.6.1 Compositional meaning......Page 258
8.6.2 Semantic roles and sentence semantics......Page 259
8.6.3 Non-compositional meaning......Page 261
8.7 Utterance meaning......Page 262
8.7.1 Ambiguity......Page 264
8.7.2 Deixis......Page 265
8.7.3 Non-literal language......Page 266
8.7.4 Indirect illocution......Page 267
8.9 Further reading......Page 268
9.1 Register, style and genre......Page 269
9.1.1 Degrees of formality......Page 270
9.1.2 Register variation in signed languages: An ASL case study......Page 272
9.1.3 Narrative structure......Page 273
9.1.3.1 The carpentry class narrative......Page 274
9.1.4 Narratives in signed and spoken language compared......Page 276
9.1.5.1 Turn-taking in signed and spoken conversations......Page 277
9.1.5.2 Conversational maxims......Page 280
9.2 Information structure......Page 281
9.2.1 Given and new, topic and comment......Page 282
9.2.2 Contrastiveness and comparison......Page 284
9.2.3 Definite, specific and generic reference......Page 285
9.3 Cohesion......Page 286
9.3.1.2 Pronouns and determiners......Page 287
9.3.1.5 Role shift......Page 288
9.3.1.6 List buoys......Page 290
9.3.3 Discourse markers......Page 291
9.3.4 Lexical cohesion......Page 292
9.5 Further Reading......Page 293
10 Issues in the study of signed languages......Page 295
10.1 Issues of theory......Page 296
10.2 Issues in data collection......Page 298
10.3.1 Phonology......Page 300
10.3.2 Morphology......Page 303
10.3.3 Lexicon......Page 305
10.3.4 Syntax......Page 307
10.3.5 Signed languages, creolisation and grammaticalisation......Page 309
10.4 Conclusion: signed languages and linguistics......Page 311
References......Page 313
Index......Page 335