The social meaning of sign language mouthing in multilingual settings
Languages and Lives in Deaf Communities workshop, Center for the Study of Language and Society, University of Bern, 19 November 2022
Sign languages are known to exploit the affordances of the visual-gestural modality, which include the possibility of simultaneous articulation. An example of this is the co-incidence of manual elements with non-manual ones such as mouthing, where signers produce lip patterns based on those of speakers (Pfau & Quer, 2010). The prevalence of mouthing may vary considerably cross-linguistically, and also between individuals and across interactional contexts (Adam & Braithwaite, 2022). Indeed, mouthing is perhaps an example par excellence of how signers do translanguaging, combining semiotic resources to obtain effective communication outcomes (De Meulder et al. 2019, Kusters 2020).
While research has been conducted on the linguistic functions of mouthing (Boyes Braem & Sutton-Spence, 2001; Crasborn et al., 2008; Bank 2014), there is comparatively less work addressing its social functions. Mouthing already entails actively mixing or blending a minimum of two languages, but in settings where speakers are bi- or multilingual, there is potential for code-switching in the mouthing channel, and exactly this is reported for Finland-Swedish Sign Language (Hoyer, 2004) and New Zealand Sign Language (McKee, 2019).
I argue elsewhere that code-switching in the mouthing channel functions as an indexical practice for Indonesian Sign Language (BISINDO) (Palfreyman, 2020), and in this presentation I examine how the Indonesia’s ethno-linguistic diversity may influence mouthing practices. Given the multiple spoken languages of the Swiss Confederation, I conclude by raising questions about mouthing practices in Switzerland and how it might compare with the situation of BISINDO.
Patterns of variation in a corpus of Indonesian Sign Language varieties.
31 July 2018, SignCAFE 1, University of Birmingham
What is now referred to as Indonesian Sign Language (Bahasa Isyarat Indonesia, BISINDO) emerged in Java in the 1950s, if not before, and is used by thousands of deaf people in urban centres across the archipelago (Palfreyman 2015, 2019). Taken as a whole, a series of recent linguistic studies of BISINDO reveal considerable variation within and between these urban centres (Bharoto 2011, Wijaya 2011, Isma 2012, Palfreyman 2013, 2015). Meanwhile, socio-historical research points to factors promoting both convergence and divergence between isolects (Palfreyman 2019).
This presentation focuses on the grammatical domain of negation, which features several examples of complex relations between form and function. Solo BISINDO and Makassar BISINDO have a similar but not identical set of negative particles, clitics and suppletives (Palfreyman 2015). Grammaticalisation can be observed in this domain, but there is evidence to suggest that Solo BISINDO – and particularly its younger signers – sometimes favours variants that are more morphologically complex. My analysis is based on the BISINDO Corpus, expanded 2016-19 to include conversational data from four more cities alongside Solo and Makassar: Ambon (Maluku), Padang (West Sumatra), Pontianak (West Kalimantan) and Singaraja (Bali).
While many similarities appear in negative constructions across all six BISINDO isolects in the corpus, there are striking differences. For example, the new data include negative particles that occur in some isolects but not in others. Remarkably, a similar particle that occurs in Ambon, Pontianak and Singaraja has local origins in each case, and the functional load of this particle also varies across the three cities. These examples shine a light on how BISINDO is developing, and prompt questions that are of relevance to the field as a whole, including the identification of clitics and the spread of gestures.
Deaf equality and human rights: Sign language documentation and the power of deaf-led research
‘Activism in Progress’ series, Language Association of Great Britain, Wednesday 6 November 2024
Deaf people in the Global South continue to face significant barriers to basic human rights, and many are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Meanwhile, lack of access to education is a persistent problem, and it remains difficult for deaf people to challenge the stigma and negative attitudes that they face. How can linguistic activism make a difference? In this presentation I reflect critically on my experiences as a deaf (socio)linguist in the Global North trying to leverage my power and influence to establish research hubs with deaf people in Indonesia and the Caribbean. In particular, I focus on the contributions that sign language documentation can make to the struggles outlined above, and share what I have learned about enabling South-South collaboration.
(English subtitles optional, apologies for the very small presenter window!)
The implications of timelines and reduplication on the grammaticalisation of signs meaning 'still'.
Part of a presentation by Nick Palfreyman, Luigi Lerose, Julius Jakob, Lilith Stein and Susanne Maria Michaelis (2024), Cross-modal perspectives on grammaticalization: Aspect markers in creoles and sign languages, 21 August 2024 at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea
(5 mins 18 seconds)
Nick Palfreyman and Muhammad Isnaini
Documenting the language of the Indonesian Sign Community: The BISINDO Corpus in five clips.
An online presentation to SOAS
Nick Palfreyman
Pentingnya berkomunikasi dalam bahasa isyarat
(The importance of communication in sign language)
A presentation in BISINDO with Indonesian and English subtitles.
Expressing numerals in BISINDO (Indonesian Sign Language)
A remote presentation for the Annual Linguistics Conference (KOLITA), Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia