Air Quotes

[Des Power]

Hello all.

Interesting discussion about "air quotes". I havent looked at their use in
Auslan (Trevor, Adam?), but, at least in Australia (and USA and UK and
among Kiwis -- and probably elsewhere? Any comments from speakers of
languages other than English? Is it universal?) such quotes are used
extensively by hearing people, usualy accompanied by "QUOTE - UNQUOTE" and
eyebrow raising. I havent systematically looked at it but my impression is
that its used for emphasis (including "italicisation"), to denote
scepticism or negation of what is being reported as what someone else said
or wrote, (occasionally I think) to put around a phrase from another
language ("Tout ca change ..."), perhaps to lessen the impact of what one
has said oneself (? for this one). Is there a literature on this in spoken
languages?

Some of these seem to be parallel to what some of you have reported for
ASL and BSL, but others may be confined to spoken language use?

Cheers

Des



Emeritus Professor Des Power
Centre for Deafness Studies and Research
Griffith University