Sign Language in Indo-Pakistan: A description of a signed language - Hardcover

Zeshan, Ulrike

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 902722563X ISBN 13: 9789027225634

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Co, 2000

Synopsis

To find a suitable framework for the description of a previously undocumented language is all the more challenging in the case of a signed language. In this book, for the first time, an indigenous Asian sign language used in deaf communities in India and Pakistan is described on all linguistically relevant levels. This grammatical sketch aims at providing a concise yet comprehensive picture of the language. It covers a substantial part of Indopakistani Sign Language grammar. Topics discussed range from properties of individual signs to principles of discourse organization. Important aspects of morphological structure and syntactic regularities are summarized. Finally, sign language specific grammatical mechanisms such as spatially realized syntax and the use of facial expressions also figure prominently in this book. A 300-word dictionary with graphic representations of signs and a transcribed sample text complement the grammatical description.
The cross-linguistic study of signed languages is only just beginning. Descriptive materials such as the ones presented in this book provide the necessary starting point for further empirical and theoretical research in this direction.

About this title

Synopsis

This title is based on research collected in Karachi focusing on Indo-Pakistani sign language. It examines topics from basic, central, and problematic handshpaes, to sign families, extraneous influences on the sign language, morphology such as word classes, directionaility, aspectual modulation and numeral incorporation, as well as syntax including word order, localization, and nonmanual syntax. This extensive corpus of research should be of interest to all researchers in the field of linguistics, with particular emphasis on sign language.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Co
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 902722563X
• ISBN 13: 9789027225634
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 190