A cross-linguistic comparison of reference across different signed languages

“A cross-linguistic comparison of reference across five signed languages” (signed/spoken presentation) Do deaf signers of different signed languages do reference the same way? Here we compare how signers of five signed languages coordinate fully conventionalised forms (such as lexical manual signs and fingerspelling and/or mouthings) with more richly improvised semiotics (such as indicating verbs, pointing signs, depicting signs, visible surrogates and/or invisible surrogates) to identify and talk about referents of varying agency. The five languages are Auslan (Australian sign language), norsk tegnspråk (Norwegian sign language), suomalainen viittomakieli (Finnish Sign Language, FinSL), svenskt teckenspråk (Swedish Sign Language) and Irish Sign Language (ISL). Using 10 retellings of Frog, Where Are You? (Mayer, 1969) from native or near-native signers of each language, we analyse tokens of referring expressions with respect to: (a) activation status (new vs. maintained vs. re- introduced); (b) semiotic strategy (e.g. pointing sign, fingerspelling, enactment, etc); and (c) animacy (human vs. animals vs. inanimate objects), and assess how they are similar or different with regard to these parameters. Statistical analysis reveals many similarities and some differences across the languages. For example, signers from these five languages typically used conventionalised forms (lexical manual signs and/or spoken language mouthings) to identify new referents, whereas less conventional indexical and depicting strategies were used to maintain and reintroduced referents. Signers preferred to enact the human referent in the story (i.e., the boy), and manually depict or index inanimate referents (window, boots, jar). Differences were mainly observed in relation to the patterning of referring expressions across animacy and activation categories and in the use of fingerspelled words from ambient spoken languages. We suggest that doing reference in these signed languages involves both cross-linguistic and ecology-specific strategies. The latter may be attributed to the different social and historical trajectories of each language. REFERENCES: Mayer, M. (1969). Frog, where are you? New York: Dial Press.