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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. 119–150

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Variation in the numeral system of Japanese Sign Language and Taiwan Sign Language

A comparative sociolinguistics study

 | National Museum Ethnology, Japan
 | University of Central Lancashire
Published online: 29 July 2020
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https://doi.org/10.1075/aplv.00009.sag
Abstract
The numerals 10, 100 and 1,000 are expressed variably in Japanese Sign Language (JSL) and Taiwan Sign Language (TSL), two languages that also have historic links. JSL was used in deaf schools that were established in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era, leaving a lasting impression on TSL, but complex sociolinguistic situations have led to different outcomes in each case (Fischer, Susan (2014). Sign languages in their historical context. In Claire Bowern & Bethwyn Evans (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of historical linguistics (pp. 442–465). London: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Sagara, Keiko (2014). The numeral system of Japanese Sign Language from a cross-linguistic perspective. MPhil dissertation, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). This comparative sociolinguistic analysis is based on two datasets comprising a total of 1,100 tokens produced by 72 signers from the Kanto and Kansai regions (for JSL) and the cities of Tainan and Taipei (for TSL). Mixed effects modelling reveals that social factors such as the age and region of the signer have a significant influence on how the variable is realised. This investigation shows how careful cross-linguistic comparison can shed light on variation within and between sign languages that have been in contact, and how regional variation in one language may influence regional variation in another.
Abstract (Japanese Sign Language)
Abstract (Japanese)
日本手話および台湾手話における数詞「10」「100」「1000」には様々な表現があり、これら両言語は、歴史的に関連性のある言語である。日本統治時代において、日本手話は台湾手話に広く接触し、現在においてもその影響が保たれているが、複雑な社会言語学的な状況のもと、各場面で異なった実情が生じている（Fischer, Susan (2014). Sign languages in their historical context. In Claire Bowern & Bethwyn Evans (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of historical linguistics (pp. 442–465). London: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Sagara, Keiko (2014). The numeral system of Japanese Sign Language from a cross-linguistic perspective. MPhil dissertation, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar)。本稿での比較・社会言語学的な分析は、日本手話では関西と関東、台湾手話では台南と台北における、計72名の話者によって表出された1100例からなる２つのデータセットに基づくものである。混合効果モデルによって、話者の年齢や地域のような社会的因子が、その変異幅がどのように生み出されるのかについて大きな影響を持つということを明らかにした。本研究では、注意深く通言語学的な比較を行うことによって、言語接触のある手話間および言語内における変異を明らかにし、ある言語の地域変種が別の言語の地域変種にどのように影響するのかを示している。 日本手話、台湾手話、バリエーション、数詞、類型論
Article outline
  • 1.JSL and TSL: Two sign languages in East Asia
  • 2.Numeral variables in JSL and TSL
    • 2.1The NI variant
    • 2.2The Z variant
    • 2.3Previous research on variation in JSL
    • 2.4Switching between variants within a production
  • 3.Numeral variation in JSL
    • 3.1Method
    • 3.2Findings
    • 3.3Patterns of variation in JSL
  • 4.Numeral variation in TSL
    • 4.1Method
    • 4.2Findings
  • 5.A comparative sociolinguistic account
    • 5.1Cross-linguistic comparison of findings
    • 5.2Linguistic differences between NI and Z variants
    • 5.3A social meaning for variants?
  • 6.Summary
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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