The Meaning of Space in Sign Language

Reference, Specificity and Structure in Catalan Sign Language Discourse

Gemma Barberà Altimira

• Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN:
  9781614518662
• eBook ISBN:
  9781501500558
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Languages
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Bringing together sign language linguistics and the semantics-pragmatics interface, this book focuses on the use of signing space in Catalan Sign Language (LSC). On the basis of small-scale corpus data, it provides an exhaustive description of referential devices dependent on space. The book provides insight into the study of meaning in the visual-spatial modality and into our understanding of the discourse behavior of spatial locations.

Chapter 1
Introduction

What about spoken language? I am still learning it, very slowly. I do not integrate it as naturally as LSC. Spoken language messages are opaque to me, shady. I am lucky to be very fast acquiring a clean, transparent and crystal-clear language to express my feelings, to access knowledge, to discover the world around through conversations with deaf colleagues, to live and definitely to have a place in society.

Háblame a los ojos, Pepita Cedillo (2004: 43)

1.1. Objectives and goals

When we look at a signed conversation for the first time the most striking difference that we may find is that sign languages (SLs) use space for the representation of meaning. While spoken languages use the audio-vocal modality, SLs use the visual-spatial modality. As a consequence of this modality, signing space, which is the three dimensional space in front of the signer’s body, is thoroughly used. Linguistic expressions in SLsrely on signing space and the different components of the grammar show dependence on it. In fact, signing space plays a role at the phonological, morphosyntactic and discourse level of all SLs studied to date. However, the interpretation of the use of signing space is not free of controversy and there are opposing views considering the status of locations with respect to signs that use space, such as pronouns, agreement verbs and classifiers. For instance, it is not clear how spatial locations are associated with meaning, or whether they belong to the grammar of the language or rather to the gesture domain. This book aims at clearly developing a description and analysis of how spatial locations are integrated in the discourse grammar of Catalan Sign Language (henceforth, LSC) concerning the dynamic nature of discourse and taking into account dynamic semantic theories.

The main goals of this book are three-fold:

G1. To show that spatial locations are integrated into the grammar of LSC and, even more, that they denote specificity. The incorporation of spatial locations into the grammar of SLs is a controversial issue. The present book shows how they are associated with meaning and the role they play in specificity marking.

G2. To analyse how spatial locations are set, given the dynamic nature of discourse. The establishment of spatial locations has been mainly studied within the scope of clauses, but their discourse behaviour has not been considered. Using a small-scale LSC corpus, it is shown that spatial locations consist in abstract points established in space independently of the direction towards spatial planes manual signs may take, which are categorically interpreted within the linguistic system.

G3. To apply a dynamic semantic theory, such as classical Discourse Representation Theory (Kamp and Reyle 1993), to a visual-spatial language like LSC. Due to its face-to-face interaction, LSC uses signing space as well as deictic pronominal elements in the development of discourse. Here deictic uses and signing space are incorporated to the semantic representation.

1.2. Sign language research

About 60 years ago it was proven that natural SLs are not mere pantomime and that they are provided with grammatical structure (Stokoe 1965; Teervort 1953). Although the depth of knowledge is not comparable to that of spoken languages, since the 1950’s research in SLs has advanced and reached different levels of linguistic analysis (see Brentari 2010; Pfau, Steinbach and Woll 2012, and Sandler and Lillo-Martin 2006 for an overview). The areas which have received more attention are phonology, including phonetics and prosody (Brentari 1998; Crasborn 2001; van der Kooij 2002; Liddell and Johnson 1989; Sandler 1989 among others), as well as morphosyntax, studied from a theoretical point of view (Aarons 1994; Aronoff et al. 2004; Bahan 1996; Benedicto and Brentari 2004; Branchini and Donati 2009; Cecchetto, Geraci, and Zucchi 2007; Fischer 1975; Friedman 1976; Kegl 1986; Liddell 1990; Lillo-Martin 1986; Meir 2002; Neidle et al. 2000; Padden 1988; Pfau 2002; Pizzuto et al. 1990; Rathmann and Mathur 2008; Quer 2004; Schembri 2003; Suppalla 1986; Steinbach and Pfau 2007; Wilbur 1997; Zeshan 2004; Zwitserlood 2003, only to indicate a very short representative list of references).

Discourse analysis is an area where research has started to reach a basic level of understanding (Baker 1977; Coates and Sutton-Spence 2001; Metzger 1995; Metzger and Bahan 2001; Meurant 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008; Morgan 1996, 1999; Nilsson 2004, 2007; Wilson 1996; Winston 1995, among others), and more research is still needed.

However, formal semantics and pragmatics is the interface that is still at a very incipient state (however, see Caponigro and Davidson 2011; Cecchetto and Zucchi 2006; Davidson 2012, 2013, 2014; Kuhn 2014; Quer 2005a, 2005b, 2011a, 2011b, 2012; Schlenker 2011a, 2011b, 2011c; Schlenker and Lamberton 2012; Schlenker, Lamberton and Santoro 2013; Wilbur 2011; Zucchi 2004, 2011, 2012). Hence, this book aims at contributing to the analysis of SL, and more specifically to LSC discourse from a semantic-pragmatic perspective.

1.3. Catalan Sign Language

Catalan Sign Language (LSC, llengua de signes catalana)1 is the natural language used by the signing deaf and deaf-blind community in Catalonia, the northeastern autonomy in Spain. Together with Spanish Sign Language (LSE), they are the two sign languages recognised in Spain. Interestingly, although in the hearing community the bilingualism between spoken Spanish and spoken Catalan is present, no bilingualism between LSC and LSE exists in Catalonia. Signers living in Catalonia use only LSC, apart from spoken/ written Catalan and Spanish. Hence the two sign languages do not co-exist in Catalonia.

Although there is no official count of deaf people, the Catalan Federation for the Deaf estimates that there are around 25,000 signers around the Catalan territory, including both deaf and hearing people. Both LSE and LSC were legally recognised by a law that was passed in 2007 in the Spanish Parliament (Ley 27/2007, October 23rd 2007). The Catalan Autonomy Law of 2006 already includes the right to use LSC and on May 26th 2010 a bill was approved by the Catalan Parliament to regulate the LSC use in the areas of public life (Llei 17/2010, June 3rd 2010) (see Quer, Mazzoni, and Sapountzaki 2010).

Teaching and learning materials about LSC are still limited, but a small amount of materials is available to study and practice the language (Codorniu, Segimon, and Fernández-Viader 2005; Domad 2002a, 2002b; García and Codorniu 2007; Illescat 2002a, 2002b; Segimon and Fernández-Viader 2000). Some dictionaries have also been designed (Ferrerons 2011; Illescat 2004; Martín and Alvarado 2004; Perelló and Frigola 1998), as well as a basic descriptive grammar with its corresponding exercises (Quer et al. 2005; Frigola et al. 2011).

LSC does not have a standardised variety yet, although an indirect planning is taking place with the use of Webvisual,2 an important media on internet, and with LSC being taught at different institutions.3 The dialect from the capital, Barcelona, is the most standardised one, since it is where the Federation for the Deaf is located and also where all the largest population of deaf people lives, with the corresponding deaf schools and deaf clubs.

Although LSC is still an understudied language, some published works and master thesis are already available in different linguistic areas, namely phonology (Bosch i Baliarda 2005; Massone, Bosch i Baliarda, and Fernández-Viader 2003), morphosyntax, including lexicalization (Jarque et al. 2012), word order (Jarque et al. 2007), agreement (Morales et al. 2005; Quadros and Quer 2008; Quer 2009, 2011b), negation (Pfau and Quer 2007; Quer and Boldú 2006), possessives (Quer and GRIN 2008), classifier constructions (Barberà and Quer, in press; Benedicto, Cvejanov, and Quer 2007; Benedicto, Cvejanov, and Quer 2008; Jarque 2011), Wh-questions (Alba 2010); relative clauses (Mosella 2012); metaphor (Jarque 2005), role shift (Frigola and Quer 2006; Quer 2005b, 2011a); discourse cohesion (Barberà 2007); machine translation (Massó and Badia 2010); lexical access in production (Baus et al. 2008); lexicography (Barberà and Ribera 2010; Ribera 2007), and sociolinguistics and language planning (Gras 2006; Jarque 2012; Morales-López et al. 2002, Quer 2010b), among others.

1.4. Methodology

1.4.1. Sign language corpora

The main aim of this book is to analyse what it takes to have a spatial location established in LSC discourse with respect to the referential domain. The referential meaning of nouns in natural languages, and in LSC in particular, is an intricate topic that is extremely ha...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of figures
• List of tables
• Abbreviations
• Notational conventions
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Space in sign languages: background
• 3. A morpheme on spatial planes
• 4. Spatial locations and discourse referents
• 5. Deixis and familiarity
• 6. Specificity
• 7. Discourse structure and prominence
• 8. Final remarks
• Appendix
• Notes
• References
• Index