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Article published In: Thematic issue: Historical Linguistics of Sign Languages
[Diachronica 41:2] 2024
► pp. 203–250

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An approach to path movement in the diachronic study of sign languages

Biomechanics and nonarbitrariness

ORCiD logo with link | Swarthmore College
ORCiD logo with link | University of Toronto
Published online: 11 June 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.23033.nap
Abstract
Sign languages seem not to be amenable to traditional historical reconstruction via the comparative method, making it difficult to replicate the successes achieved in the diachronic study of spoken languages. We propose to alleviate this difficulty with an alternative approach that draws upon nonarbitrariness and biomechanics, especially the drive for reducing articulatory effort. We offer a demonstration of this approach, which can add confirmation to known relationships between sign languages and new evidence in support of suspected relationships, helping to fill in a methodological gap in the diachronic study of sign languages.
Résumé
Les langues des signes ne semblent pas se prêter à la reconstruction historique traditionnelle via la méthode comparative, ce qui rend difficile la reproduction des succès obtenus dans l’étude diachronique des langues parlées. Nous proposons d’atténuer cette difficulté avec une approche alternative qui s’appuie sur le non-arbitraire et la biomécanique, en particulier la volonté de réduire l’effort articulatoire. Nous proposons une démonstration de cette approche, qui peut ajouter une confirmation aux relations connues entre les langues des signes et de nouvelles preuves à l’appui de relations que l’on soupçonne, contribuant ainsi à combler une lacune méthodologique dans l’étude diachronique des langues des signes.
Zussamenfassung
Gebärdensprachen scheinen für die traditionelle historische Rekonstruktion mithilfe der vergleichenden Methode nicht geeignet zu sein, was es schwierig macht, die Erfolge zu reproduzieren, die bei der diachronen Untersuchung gesprochener Sprachen erzielt wurden. Wir schlagen vor, diese Schwierigkeit durch einen alternativen Ansatz zu lindern, der sich auf Nichtwillkürlichkeit und Biomechanik stützt, insbesondere auf das Streben nach Reduzierung des Artikulationsaufwands. Wir liefern eine Demonstration dieses Ansatzes, der bekannte Beziehungen zwischen Gebärdensprachen bestätigen und neue Belege zur Stützung vermuteter Beziehungen liefern kann und so dazu beiträgt, eine methodologische Lücke in der diachronen Untersuchung von Gebärdensprachen zu schließen.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Issues that complicate the historical study of sign languages
    • 2.1Transmission of language
    • 2.2Extent of borrowing
    • 2.3Rate of change
    • 2.4Nonarbitrariness
    • 2.5Availability of data
    • 2.6Dearth of regular phonological change
  • 3.Movement in sign languages
    • 3.1Movement
    • 3.2Motivated possible historical changes to the movement parameter
    • 3.3Utility
  • 4.Examples of this dual approach to analyzing the movement parameter
    • 4.1Data set
    • 4.2Nonarbitrariness
    • 4.3Biomechanics
      • 4.3.1Iteration loss
      • 4.3.2Weak drop
      • 4.3.3Weak Freeze
      • 4.3.4Joint freeze
      • 4.3.5Joint Graft (as part of distalization)
      • 4.3.6Torque reduction
      • 4.3.7Lowering
      • 4.3.8Location Undershoot
      • 4.3.9Midsagittal symmetry
  • 5.Discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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