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UNIVERSAL CONSTRAINTS ACROSS SIGN LANGUAGES: SINGLE FINGER CONTACT HANDSHAPES James Woodward Introduction Linguists investigating American Sign Language IASL) have expressed interest in a theory of marking for sign language phonology; i.e. the level of sublexical structure in sign language analogous to but not dependent on the phonological level of spoken languages. Battison (1974) and Siple (1978) are notable pioneers in recognizing physiological constraints on manual signs. Lane (et al. 1967) and Poizner and Lane (1978) have attempted to find perceptual bases for similarities in formational aspects and to develop a feature analysis of handshapes and locations by using tests of perceptions of a visually degraded signal, Frishberg (1975) and others (Woodward &Erting 1975, Woodward &De Santis 1977) have shown that signs in ASL and French Sign Language undergo natural language change, comparable to 'unmarking" in spoken languages. Boyes (1973) proposed a four-stage model of handshape acquisition of ASL. McIntire (1974, 1977) retained the notion of four stages but slightly modified the description of the handshapes acquired in each stage. As De Santis (1980) has pointed out, however, much of this hypothesizing about sign language is based on data from White middle class linguistic consultants. Moreover, most studies have used data from the performance of only one or two consultants. De Santis (1980) and Woodward (1978a) attempted to expand studies of marking by looking at certain locations and handshapes across nine different sign languages from five different sign language using groups. In this paper I will examine the phenomenon of single finger sign contact in data from ten different sign languages. Table I summarizes the sources, but it should be noted that only some of the data were collected by trained linguists, notably those from ASL, FSL, India, Providence Island, and Rennell Island. Despite difference in compilers' disciplinary c 1987 by Linstok Press, Inc. 375 ISSN 0302-1475 See note inside front cover. Universal constraints training, all sign languages show the same patterns and similar frequencies for handshape formation. Language Source Lexical entries I American Stokoe et al. 1965 1,692 2 Australian Jeanes et al. nd. 919 3 British B.D.A 1960 325 4 Finnish S.L. Commission 1973 2,974 5 French Oleron 1974 872 6 Japanese Jap. Dict. of Sign 1,078 7 Providence]. Fielddata, 1977 1,035 8 Rennell Is. Kuschel 1974 217 9 Swedish Bjurgate 1968 2,541 10 Indian Vasishta eta]. 1980 896 T[hle I. Sourcesofdao. The hypothesized relationships are shown below: FrenchSign Language I American, Finnish, French, Swedish BritiA'hSign Lawguage I Australian, British AsianSkn Language IJapanese IndigenousSLI I Providence Island IndigenousSL 2 I Rennell Island knownn aliation I Indian (New Delhi) The French Sign Language group is the best researched of these hypothesized SL families. Old French Sign Language (OFSL) was used until about 1880, at which time it was forced underground by oralists' prohibition of deaf instructors in France. Modern SL in France is a highly restricted version of OFSL. ASL is historically related to OFSL, but there is evidence of a heavy language mixture and possible creolization of FSL with indigenous varieties of SL in the United States from about 1817 (Woodward 1978b). Von der Lieth (1967) points out that Swedish and Finnish Sign Languages are related to OFSL, but modern FSL, ASL, and Swedish and Finnish SLs are not mutually intelligible. (See Jordan & Battison 1976, [1987], and Battison &Jordan 1976 for a discussion of intelligibility across sign languages.) Winter 1987 SLS 57 Woodward The British Sign Language group may have a tenuous connection with OFSL, but seems to be a separate group of directly related (by colonization) languages distinct from the FSL group. Stokoe (1965: xxxii) reports much more difficulty in establishing communication with British signers than with French signers. It is important to distinguish between communication of signers and mutual intelligibility of sign languages. The former can and often does occur without the latter (See Battison &Jordan 1976). Japanese Sign Language is not related historically to the French or British groups, although it appears to have some connection with sign languages used in Hong Kong and on Taiwan. Indigenous sign languages are those used in isolated deaf communities with no connection to other sign language users. Providence Island in...

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