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Article published In: Macro and micro-social variation in Asia-Pacific sign languages
Edited by Nick Palfreyman
[Asia-Pacific Language Variation 6:1] 2020
► pp. 89–118

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Social meanings of linguistic variation in BISINDO (Indonesian Sign Language)

 | University of Central Lancashire
Published online: 29 July 2020
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https://doi.org/10.1075/aplv.00008.pal
Abstract
In contrast to sociolinguistic research on spoken languages, little attention has been paid to how signers employ variation as a resource to fashion social meaning. This study focuses on an extremely understudied social practice, that of sign language usage in Indonesia, and asks where one might look to find socially meaningful variables. Using spontaneous data from a corpus of BISINDO (Indonesian Sign Language), it blends methodologies from Labovian variationism and analytic practices from the ‘third wave’ with a discursive approach to investigate how four variable linguistic features are used to express social identities. These features occur at different levels of linguistic organisation, from the phonological to the lexical and the morphosyntactic, and point to identities along regional and ethnic lines, as well as hearing status. In applying third wave practices to sign languages, constructed action and mouthings in particular emerge as potent resources for signers to make social meaning.
Abstract (International Sign)
Abstract (Bahasa Indonesia)
Dibandingkan penelitian sosiolinguistik pada bahasa lisan, kurang ada riset terhadap bagaimana pengguna bahasa isyarat memakai variasi sebagai sumber untuk mencipta makna sosial. Studi ini berfokus pada praktik sosial yang sangat tidak diperhatikan, yaitu penggunaan bahasa isyarat di Indonesia, dan menanyakan di mana bisa kita temukan variabel yang bermakna secara sosial. Menggunakan data spontan dari korpus BISINDO (Bahasa Isyarat Indonesia), makalah ini terapkan campuran metodologis dari variasi Labovian dan analisis ‘third wave’ bersamaan dengan pendekatan diskursif, untuk mempertimbangkan apakah dan sejauh mana empat fitur linguistik variabel digunakan untuk mengekspresikan identitas sosial. Fitur tersebut muncul pada tingkat organisasi linguistik yang berbeda, dari fonologis ke leksikal dan morfosintaktis, dan menunjuk pada identitas regional dan etnis, serta status pendengaran. Dalam menerapkan praktik third wave pada bahasa isyarat, menjadi jelas bahwa Constructed Action dan mouthing merupakan strategi yang sangat efektif untuk mencipta makna sosial.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Variation and social meaning in spoken and signed languages
  • 3.Research context and method
  • 4.Phonological variation and social meaning
  • 5.Social meaning and variation in constructed action
  • 6.Creating social meanings from mouthings
  • 7.Conclusions and challenges
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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