| From: | David J. Peterson <dedalvs@...> |
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| Date: | Sunday, July 2, 2006, 18:37 |
Eldin wrote: << Do Sign Languages constist of phones? Are Sign Languages natlangs? >> Yes and most definitely yes. There's been lots of work done (fairly) recently on the phonology of sign languages. As an analog, the place of a sign (its location in space and/or in relation to the body) is similar to a consonant in spoken language; the movement of a sign is similar to a vowel; and the handshape one uses is similar to a tone (according to at least one theory). I wrote an IPA for signed languages which may be a useful introduction: http://dedalvs.free.fr/slipa.html -David ******************************************************************* "A male love inevivi i'ala'i oku i ue pokulu'ume o heki a." "No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn." -Jim Morrison http://dedalvs.free.fr/