SLLING-L Digest - 5 Feb 1999 to 6 Feb 1999

[Victor Brown]

Victor here again.
I have really enjoyed the discussion to date. Honestly when I wrote my reply
 last
week, I was a bit apprehensive about how it would be received. After all these
 are
"observations" of mine.

I'd like to clarify and be sure that what I seem to have started is what is
 really
going on here.

1) The phenomena is that there are two "overlaid" languages; the signed and the
spoken one. But, not to imply that there is a one-to-one correspondence in each
country. As we know in Canada ASL and LSQ are used, but not necessarily along
 the
same "boundaries" ad English and French.

2) that acronyms occur in both kinds of languages.

3) I'm not saying we should get rid of acronyms. They are part of some
 languages.
But, some languages do not use them.

4) Many of you have made similar comments about the translation from sign to
speech for signs like, SIGN, MANUAL, GESTURE, HAND, etc. and about weather there
is a sign for LANGUAGE or not.

5) I'm NOT suggesting that we linguists here determine that an acronym is valid
 or
not, or that the use of "language" is valid or not for currently, well
 established
usage. This will happen in some Sociolinguistic way, we are not able to control.
But we have to be careful not to too heavily influence. Right?

6) I AM suggesting that we as linguists think before we move ahead with "newer"
languages and use XSL, XGT, LSX, etc without understanding both the spoken and
signed language in an area.

7) I like that we use the acronyms form other languages (signed and spoken) even
if the acronym would be different in English. i.e. we seem to be using LSQ, LSF,
LSM and NGT.

8) I may not remember what the acronym means if I had to say each work, but I
 can
remember that this is the signed language in Canada, France, Mexico and the
Netherlands, respectively.

9) Two people commented one what I said about the use of "language". This was
correct. In English we do not tend to include the word, language after say
English. But in spoken Thai, you do. You have to say the noun; not just the
adjective in the Noun-Phrase.

Anyway, I have been keeping track of what is said of acronyms. If anyone has
 more
examples from specific countries, I am compiling a list. I do have an interest
 in
this, in order to feed it to the Ethnologue.

Have a good day.
Victor