Exploring Phonological Aspects of Australian Indigenous Sign Languages

Bibliographic Data

ID5901280
AuthorsEric Jorgensen (0000-0001-6703-094X, The University of Melbourne, corresponding author), Jennifer Green (0000-0002-3541-4989, The University of Melbourne), Anastasia Bauer (0000-0002-4630-4590, University of Cologne)
Year2021
Volume6
Issue2
Pages81
Publication date2021-04-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguages (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2226-471X • E-ISSN: 2226-471X
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/languages6020081
OpenAlexW3157157539
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited38

Spoken languages make up only one aspect of the communicative landscape of Indigenous Australia-sign languages are also an important part of their rich and diverse language ecologies. Australian Indigenous sign languages are predominantly used by hearing people as a replacement for speech in certain cultural contexts. Deaf or hard-of-hearing people are also known to make use of these sign languages. In some circumstances, sign may be used alongside speech, and in others it may replace speech altogether. Alternate sign languages such as those found in Australia occupy a particular place in the diversity of the world's sign languages. However, the focus of research on sign language phonology has almost exclusively been on sign languages used in deaf communities. This paper takes steps towards deepening understandings of signed language phonology by examining the articulatory features of handshape and body locations in the signing practices of three communities in Central and Northern Australia. We demonstrate that, while Australian Indigenous sign languages have some typologically unusual features, they exhibit the same 'fundamental' structural characteristics as other sign languages

Cued speech · Indigenous · Linguistics · Manually coded language · Phonology · Sign (mathematics · Sign language · Sign system · Sociolinguistics of sign languages · Computer Science · Hand Gesture Recognition Systems · Hearing Impairment and Communication · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Mathematics

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