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Negation in San Juan Quiahije Chatino Sign Language : The Integration and Adaptation of Conventional Gestures

Mesh, Kate LU orcid and Hou, Lynn (2018) In Gesture 17(3). p.330-374
Abstract
Sign languages do not arise from thin air: rather, they emerge in communities where conventions are already in place for using gesture. Little research has considered how these conventions are retained and/or adapted as gestures are integrated into emerging sign language lexicons. Here we describe a set of five gestures that are used to convey negative meanings by both speakers and signers in a single community: the San Juan Quiahije municipality in Oaxaca, Mexico. We show that all of the form-meaning mappings present for non-signers are retained by signers as they integrate the gestures into their lexicon. Interestingly, additional meanings are mapped to the gesture forms by signers – a phenomenon that appears to originate with deaf... (More)
Sign languages do not arise from thin air: rather, they emerge in communities where conventions are already in place for using gesture. Little research has considered how these conventions are retained and/or adapted as gestures are integrated into emerging sign language lexicons. Here we describe a set of five gestures that are used to convey negative meanings by both speakers and signers in a single community: the San Juan Quiahije municipality in Oaxaca, Mexico. We show that all of the form-meaning mappings present for non-signers are retained by signers as they integrate the gestures into their lexicon. Interestingly, additional meanings are mapped to the gesture forms by signers – a phenomenon that appears to originate with deaf signers in particular. In light of this evidence, we argue that accounts of ‘wholesale borrowing’ of gestures into emerging sign languages is overly simplistic: signers evidently adapt gestures as they integrate them into their emerging lexicons. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
gesture, emblems, recurrent gestures, conventional gestures, sign language, language emergence, lexicon, conventionalization, Mesoamerica, indigenous, Mexico
in
Gesture
volume
17
issue
3
pages
330 - 374
publisher
John Benjamins Publishing Company
external identifiers
  • scopus:85084610799
ISSN
1568-1475
DOI
10.1075/gest.18017.mes
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7c06dc50-41a9-482b-9c19-961483afed8b
date added to LUP
2020-03-10 10:28:07
date last changed
2022-04-18 21:13:44
@article{7c06dc50-41a9-482b-9c19-961483afed8b,
  abstract     = {{Sign languages do not arise from thin air: rather, they emerge in communities where conventions are already in place for using gesture. Little research has considered how these conventions are retained and/or adapted as gestures are integrated into emerging sign language lexicons. Here we describe a set of five gestures that are used to convey negative meanings by both speakers and signers in a single community: the San Juan Quiahije municipality in Oaxaca, Mexico. We show that all of the form-meaning mappings present for non-signers are retained by signers as they integrate the gestures into their lexicon. Interestingly, additional meanings are mapped to the gesture forms by signers – a phenomenon that appears to originate with deaf signers in particular. In light of this evidence, we argue that accounts of ‘wholesale borrowing’ of gestures into emerging sign languages is overly simplistic: signers evidently adapt gestures as they integrate them into their emerging lexicons.}},
  author       = {{Mesh, Kate and Hou, Lynn}},
  issn         = {{1568-1475}},
  keywords     = {{gesture; emblems; recurrent gestures; conventional gestures; sign language; language emergence; lexicon; conventionalization; Mesoamerica; indigenous; Mexico}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{330--374}},
  publisher    = {{John Benjamins Publishing Company}},
  series       = {{Gesture}},
  title        = {{Negation in San Juan Quiahije Chatino Sign Language : The Integration and Adaptation of Conventional Gestures}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/77042879/20191125_Mesh_Hou_Negation_SJQCSL.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1075/gest.18017.mes}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}