Sign Names in Yucatec Maya Sign Language
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| Title: | Sign Names in Yucatec Maya Sign Language |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Olivier Le Guen, Rossy Kinil Canche, Merli Collí Hau, Geli Collí Collí |
| Source: | Sign Language Studies. 2023 24(1):128-167. |
| Availability: | Gallaudet University Press. 800 Florida Avenue NE, Denison House, Washington, DC 20002-3695. Tel: 202-651-5488; Fax: 202-651-5489; Web site: http://gupress.gallaudet.edu/SLS.html |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 40 |
| Publication Date: | 2023 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Sign Language, Mayan Languages, Foreign Countries, Self Concept, Language Classification, Nonverbal Communication, Language Acquisition, Cultural Influences, Skill Development, Deafness, Native Language |
| Geographic Terms: | Mexico |
| DOI: | 10.1353/sls.2023.a912332 |
| ISSN: | 0302-1475 1533-6263 |
| Abstract: | This article analyzes the construction of sign names in an emerging sign language from Mexico, the Yucatec Maya Sign Language (YMSL). Data comes from elicited interviews as well as natural interactions collected by the authors and signers from two different villages, Chicán and Nohkop. Despite YMSL being an isolate language, sign name construction displays tendencies common in other sign languages, such as being based on descriptions of people's appearance and/or behavior. YMSL sign names also exhibit less common features, such as the extensive use of generic names, names by (kinship) association, and nonmanual sign names. Crucially, name construction in YMSL seems to follow the cultural naming rules of the surrounding Yucatec Maya community. A total of ninety-seven sign names were collected in the two communities: forty-two signs in Nohkop and fifty-five in Chicán. This article explores how the cultural setting can shape the development of sign names in an emerging sign language. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1412992 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | This article analyzes the construction of sign names in an emerging sign language from Mexico, the Yucatec Maya Sign Language (YMSL). Data comes from elicited interviews as well as natural interactions collected by the authors and signers from two different villages, Chicán and Nohkop. Despite YMSL being an isolate language, sign name construction displays tendencies common in other sign languages, such as being based on descriptions of people's appearance and/or behavior. YMSL sign names also exhibit less common features, such as the extensive use of generic names, names by (kinship) association, and nonmanual sign names. Crucially, name construction in YMSL seems to follow the cultural naming rules of the surrounding Yucatec Maya community. A total of ninety-seven sign names were collected in the two communities: forty-two signs in Nohkop and fifty-five in Chicán. This article explores how the cultural setting can shape the development of sign names in an emerging sign language. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0302-1475 1533-6263 |
| DOI: | 10.1353/sls.2023.a912332 |
