Re: Sign Language?

Peter nevesht:
>
>         If I were crazy^Wsmart enough to design a sign language, here's
>what I would
>do:
>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.

>2. Develop a finger alphabet from the spoken language.
>         The spoken language will effect the signed language. Take, for
>instance, the
>ASL sign for "planet": the right "P" hand moves in a vertical circle around
>the left fist. Or "I" is signed with the right "I" hand held thumbwards to
>the chest. Of course, not every sign has such clear links to the spoken
>language, but a finger alphabet will help in the development of the full
>language. For instance, "hurt" is signed with both "D" hands, index fingers
>pointing at each other, rotating in an elliptical fashion (simultaneously
>but
>in opposite directions) before the chest.
Modern sign languages have finger spelling, but not Mayan, or the languages
on that archipelago that belongs to Colombia.
>
>3. Decide on about 100-200 or so "primitives"
>         By "primitives" I mean whatever the signed equivalent of "phoneme"
>would be.
>That is, for "planet" I count three "primitives": the right "P" hand, the
>left fist, the vertical circular motion. These can be arranged in different
>ways: for instance, the fist could circle the "P" hand. Primitives include
>not only hand formations and motion, but also direction and location within
>the signing space. And then there's also facial expression and body
>posture.
The term is chereme.
>
>4. Design signs and dictate the grammar.
>         ASL has a very interesting grammar--alas, there's no readily
>available
>summary of it. (If anyone knows a link, speak up.) I'll let someone else
>sum
>it up. But signing can be so freeing in terms of grammar: "just a few
>minutes
>ago" can be a tiny wave over the right shoulder; "years ago" can be a large
>wave over the right shoulder. Voila! Tense and aspect! You can emphasize
>one
>aspect of the sign to make a point: slow down for something big or heavy,
>speed it up for light and fast; you could sign an entire story without
>using
>a single adjective and still convey the same sense.
Those are adjectival/adverbial inflections.

>
>5. Don't draw.
>         Drawing is for incredibly talented people who have lots of time on
>their
>hand. If that's you, godspeed. Otherwise, come up either with something
>like
>signwriting (www.signwriting.org) or a notational system like what most
>signing dictionaries use in addition to the pictures.
>
>         Side note: I once developed a very primitive sign language with my
>best
>friend when I was a kid--mainly so that his pesky little sisters couldn't
>understand us. I've forgotten it, but that sparked my interest in sign
>language. Have you heard about teaching infants sign language? Apparently,
>some claim that it helps improve communication when the baby has good motor
>skills, but still hasn't learned the vocal skills necessary. My sister is
>trying it with her son--we'll see how it goes.




-Wayne Chevrier







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