Historical relationships between numeral signs in Japanese Sign Language, South Korean Sign Language and Taiwan Sign Language
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Keiko Sagara
Abstract
How do numeral expressions in sign languages change over time? Three sign languages used in East Asia - namely Japanese Sign Language, South Korean Sign Language and Taiwan Sign Language - offer an excellent opportunity to address this question, because of historic links between them. Two dialects of Japanese Sign Language were introduced to Taiwan and South Korea in the first half of the twentieth century, and remnants of these dialects can still be detected in the modern-day sign languages used in these respective countries. Using the literature, historical sources, and data collected from users of each sign language, this chapter examines changes in numeral expressions with a view to studying language change and relationships between sign languages. These expressions are often motivated by iconicity, but frequently contain abstract and systematic elements, providing a window to understand processes of language change more fully. I compare expressions for ‘10’, ‘100’ and ‘1,000’ and the structure of numbers based on them, and find that, while some similar changes can be observed in the sign languages of Taiwan and South Korea, not all changes have occurred in parallel. Additionally, the expression of numerals in Taiwan Sign Language has been influenced by regional differences.
Abstract
How do numeral expressions in sign languages change over time? Three sign languages used in East Asia - namely Japanese Sign Language, South Korean Sign Language and Taiwan Sign Language - offer an excellent opportunity to address this question, because of historic links between them. Two dialects of Japanese Sign Language were introduced to Taiwan and South Korea in the first half of the twentieth century, and remnants of these dialects can still be detected in the modern-day sign languages used in these respective countries. Using the literature, historical sources, and data collected from users of each sign language, this chapter examines changes in numeral expressions with a view to studying language change and relationships between sign languages. These expressions are often motivated by iconicity, but frequently contain abstract and systematic elements, providing a window to understand processes of language change more fully. I compare expressions for ‘10’, ‘100’ and ‘1,000’ and the structure of numbers based on them, and find that, while some similar changes can be observed in the sign languages of Taiwan and South Korea, not all changes have occurred in parallel. Additionally, the expression of numerals in Taiwan Sign Language has been influenced by regional differences.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
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Part 1: Manuals: Numerals, classifiers, modal verbs
- Historical relationships between numeral signs in Japanese Sign Language, South Korean Sign Language and Taiwan Sign Language 5
- Phonological processes in complex word formation in Shanghai Sign Language 37
- Classifiers and gender in Korean Sign Language 71
- Causative alternation in Tianjin Sign Language 101
- Epistemic modal verbs and negation in Japanese Sign Language 137
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Part 2: Non-manuals and space
- The Korean Sign Language (KSL) corpus and its first application on a study about mouth actions 169
- Negative polar questions in Hong Kong Sign Language 203
- Analyzing head nod expressions by L2 learners of Japanese Sign Language: A comparison with native Japanese Sign Language signers 241
- Composite utterances in Taiwan Sign Language 263
- Time and timelines in Tibetan Sign Language (TSL) interactions in Lhasa 311
- Index 347
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1: Manuals: Numerals, classifiers, modal verbs
- Historical relationships between numeral signs in Japanese Sign Language, South Korean Sign Language and Taiwan Sign Language 5
- Phonological processes in complex word formation in Shanghai Sign Language 37
- Classifiers and gender in Korean Sign Language 71
- Causative alternation in Tianjin Sign Language 101
- Epistemic modal verbs and negation in Japanese Sign Language 137
-
Part 2: Non-manuals and space
- The Korean Sign Language (KSL) corpus and its first application on a study about mouth actions 169
- Negative polar questions in Hong Kong Sign Language 203
- Analyzing head nod expressions by L2 learners of Japanese Sign Language: A comparison with native Japanese Sign Language signers 241
- Composite utterances in Taiwan Sign Language 263
- Time and timelines in Tibetan Sign Language (TSL) interactions in Lhasa 311
- Index 347
