In the previous module, we have discussed how deaf signers move agreement verbs and spatial verbs in space to express meaning. In this module, we will take a closer look at how deaf signers associate referents (e.g., human or non-human entities) with locations in the signing space.
Cormier et al. (2015) point out that there are two major types of space in sign languages for referential purposes: ‘motivated’ and ‘arbitrary’. In the motivated use of space, signers map some elements of the real or imagined world onto the signing space. As we have shown in the earlier module, GIVE is an agreement verb and its movement direction can be modified to show the locations of the subject and indirect object. Agreement verbs can move between referents that are present in the signing space.
In Example (1), there are two persons standing next to the signer. She tells one person (i.e., Kenny) that she has given a book to another person (i.e., Sandy). GIVE moves from the signer to another person (i.e., Sandy), showing 1st-person subject agreement and 3rd-person indirect object agreement.
Example (1)
gesture [=attention] (looking at Kenny), IX-1 BOOK 1SGIVE3S (directing the verb to Sandy) FINISH
‘I already gave a book to (her).’
If the two referents (i.e., the two persons) are not present, the signer can imagine they are there, and the agreement verbs move between these imagined referents, as in Example (2).
Example (2)
IX-1 1sTELL3s KENNY IX-1 BOOK 1sGIVE3s FINSIH
‘I told Kenny I have given a book to Sandy.’
These imagined, invisible entities are known as surrogates, which are of more or less the same size of the real referents (Liddell, 1990; 1995). Hence, the height difference between the localized referents can affect the direction of the agreement verbs. In Example (3), the surrogates of ‘the teacher’ and ‘the student’ are placed on the two sides of the signer respectively. The directions of the pointing signs that refer to the two referents, and the movement of the verb GIVE, show that the teacher is taller than the student.
Example (3)
IX[=this] TEACHER BOOK 3sGIVE3s IX[=this] STUDENT. IX[=student] 3sTHANK3s
‘The teacher gave a book to the student. The student said thank-you.’
Example (2) and (3) are instances of motivated use of space, in which signers interact with life-sized people or objects surrounding them. On the other hand, the scale of a motivated use of space can be smaller: the signers use the space in front of them as if it were a map, and represent people or objects with their hands at specific locations within this space (Cormier et al., 2015).
In Example (4), the signer first specifies the location of the car by placing his left hand on the left side of the signing space. He then uses his right hand to introduce the boy and show him walking towards the car. The two hands that represent the car and the boy are called ‘tokens’ in Liddell’s analysis (1990; 1995), and are commonly known as classifiers in most other (see Pfau et al., 2012; Sandler & Lillo-Martin, 2006 for a general discussion of classifier constructions). Example (5) is another illustration of the motivated use of space, on a reduced scale.
Example (4)
CAR CL[=a car be located], BOY SHORT CL[= a boy walks towards the car]
‘A short boy walks towards a car.’
Example (5)
TABLE CL[=a table be located], BOOK TWO CL[=two books on table]
‘There are two books on the table.’
The second type of space involves arbitrary assignment of locations for referents, and these locations make no reference to any locations in the real or imagined world.
In Example (6), the signer wants to compare the vision of hearing and deaf people. When signing DEAF, his head tilts slightly to the left, thus associating the left side of the signing space with the referent ‘deaf people’. He uses a similar method to associate ‘hearing people’ with the right side of the signing space. These locations are assigned arbitrarily just for a referential purpose. Arbitrary use of space is also observed in Example (7), in which the signer assigned two distinctive locations to stand for studying medicine and arts respectively.
Example (6)
DEAFa HEARINGb VISION SIZE-OF-VISUAL-FIELD COMPARE aBETTER-THANb
‘Deaf people have a wider visual field than hearing people.’
Example (7)
STUDY MEDICINE IX[=studying medicine] HARD, STUDY YEAR++ MANY, BUT FUTURE WORK EARN MORE CAN.
STUDY ARTS IX[=studying arts], IX[=me] INTERESTED, BUT FUTURE WORK EARN LITTLE.
IX[=studying medicine] IX[=studying arts] IX[=studying medicine] IX[=studying arts], IX[=me] CONSIDER STILL.
‘Studying medicine is tough, and the duration of study is long. But I can earn a lot in the future. Studying arts is fun for me. But I can’t earn much in the future. I am still considering these two options and haven’t made a decision yet.’
References:
- Liddell, S. K. (1990). Four functions of a locus: Reexamining the structure of space in ASL. In C. Lucas (Ed.), Sign language research: Theoretical issues (pp. 176-198). Gallaudet University Press.
- Liddell, S. K. (1995). Real, surrogate and token space: Grammatical consequences in ASL. In K. Emmorey, & J. S. Reilly (Eds.), Language, gesture and space (pp. 19-41). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- Perniss, P. (2012). Use of sign space. In R. Pfau, M. Steinbach, & B. Woll (Eds.), Sign language: An international handbook (pp. 412-431). De Gruyter Mouton.
- Pfau, R., Steinbach, M., & Woll, B. (2012). Sign Language: An international handbook. De Gruyter Mouton.
- Sandler, W., & Lillo-Martin, D. (2006). Sign language and linguistic universals. Cambridge University Press.
