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Re: Sign Language?

From:wayne chevrier <wachevrier@...>
Date:Thursday, January 16, 2003, 18:01
Peter Clark nevesht:
> >On Wednesday 15 January 2003 01:48 pm, wayne chevrier wrote: > > Peter nevesht: > > >1. Determine what the predominant spoken language is. > > > This is because, at least in this world, no sign language has > > >developed apart > > >from a spoken language. I am aware of Nicaraguan Sign Language, which > > > sorta developed spontaneously, but even so, the students who developed >it > > > were at the school to learn lip-reading. I'd be interested to know how > > > much Spanish was incorporated into it--anyone have any good links on >its > > > linguistic aspects? > > > > Actually, most sign languages are independent(except for some vocabulary > > influence), the grammars are independent. > > I should have been more clear; yes, the grammars are independent, >but (aside >from the instances that you mention below), vocabulary is influenced by the >spoken language. > > > Modern sign languages have finger spelling, but not Mayan, or the >languages > > on that archipelago that belongs to Colombia. > Really? How interesting--do you have more information? Links? I'm >only >familiar with ASL (and Russian sign language, although I've forgotten >almost >everything except for a few signs).
Check the Ethnologue(it is on the Web) for a listing of sign languages of the world, there is also information in The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Language.
> > > >3. Decide on about 100-200 or so "primitives" > > > By "primitives" I mean whatever the signed equivalent of > > > "phoneme" would be. > > > The term is chereme. > > Ah. Good to know. Is that pronounced with a /tS/, /S/, or /k/? I >analyze the >-eme ending as something akin to morphEME or phonEME, but what does the >stem >mean? (Since -eme is French, would cher- then mean "dear? :)
From the Greek for "hand" so /k/. -Wayne Chevrier _________________________________________________________________ Help STOP SPAM: Try the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail