"Accent"

Fri Feb 11 00:33:18 UTC 2000

Australians who have studied at Gallaudet and have become fluent (near-native in
several cases) in ASL have told me that ASL-users have said they use ASL with an
"Australian Accent" - but Ive never been able to quite pin down whether its
lexical, "movementish", word order or what. Any thoughts anyone? As Adam would
know, we dont refer to the (slight) differences from state to state in Auslan as
"accents", but as "dialects". (Im not sure that theyre really dialects either
(??) (said to be derived, at least in part from northern and southern varieties
of BSL.) "Accent" to me is to do with voice quality and some suprasegmental
aspects of speech, not lexicon or syntax - not sure what the equivalents would
be in SLs?

Des

Adam Schembri wrote:

> Tessa,
>
> You mention the term "accent" in relation to signed languages. I am
> wondering - is this term used to refer to the different varieties of BSL in
> Britain? I have had a discussion with two BSL/English interpreters living in
> Australia who have told me that people in the UK often talk about having a
> Scottish BSL "accent". They were, however, unable to provide me with any
> systematic examples of how the "accent" is different in Scottish versus
> English BSL. Instead, they provided me with lexical differences. I am
> wondering, do people in Britain use the term "accent" to refer to these
> differences?
>
> Adam Schembri
>
> PS To add my two cents worth, I'm familiar with signs meaning VOICE in
> Auslan produced with both a B and a V handshape, but we don't appear to have
> the sign Bencie refers to.
>
> _____________________________________________________________
>
> Adam Schembri
> Renwick College
> Private Bag 29
> Parramatta NSW
> 2124 AUSTRALIA
> Ph (voice/TTY): (61 2) 9872 0303
> Fax: (61 2) 9873 1614
>
> >From: Tessa <n9553109 at WLV.AC.UK>
> >Reply-To: "For the discussion of linguistics and signed languages."
> >      <SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA>
> >To: SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA
> >Subject: Re: Fw: Nortel Networks commercial
> >Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2000 17:37:59 -0000
> >
> >Sorry to disagree, but I am most familiar with 'Voice' being signed in BSL
> >with a V-hand, not a G hand, although it is not bent.  This is equivalent
> >to the sign for 'accent' relating to speech (there is a different sign for
> >accents in sign language).  Have I just confused the issue completely??
> >
> >Tessa Slaughter
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From:   B.Woll [SMTP:b.woll at CITY.AC.UK]
> >Sent:   04 February 2000 09:59
> >To:     SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA
> >Subject:        Re: Fw: Nortel Networks commercial
> >
> >In BSL, WANT is indeed a downward movement, one handed with
> >B hand in BSL, and DONT-WANT moves upwards with B, then
> >supinating. The closed fist can mean MY, although  where
> >possession is regarded as inalienable, a flat hand is more usual.
> >
> >However, VOICE is emphatically not a bent-V. I've only ever seen it
> >as a G-hand located at the throat, either tapping the throat, or
> >moving in small circles (like SPEAK, but located at the throat)
> >
> >Hope that's of some help.
> >
> >Bencie
> >
> >
> > > Yes, Auslan uses the same sign as Richard described for "want".
> > > "Dontwant" moves in the opposite direction - up the chest with Bhand.
> > > I presume BSL signs are the same or very similar. Bencie?
> > >
> > > Des
> > >
> > > Richard Arnold wrote:
> > >
> > > > Tane is correct in regard to the possessive handshape being an A or
> > > > S hand which is usually directional for the person. However it is a
> > > > stronger form of the possessive than the flat B hand.
> > > >
> > > > A/S hand on chest = MINE/MY-OWN;  A/S hands towards the person
> > > > talked to = YOURS/YOUR-OWN,  and etc... I think you get the drift...
> > > >
> > > > As for Don Grushkin' s gloss for DON'T-WANT;   if the girl is indeed
> > > > using BSL it maybe an ill-formed WANT sign which is :
> > > >
> > > > the right Flat B hand brushing down the middle of the chest and
> > > > forward in an arc until palm is facing down
> > > >
> > > >  The movement is close to ASL's DON'T-WANT  which is held further
> > > >  out with a
> > > > clawed handshape and can be either both hands or one hand.
> > > > BSL and NZSL only uses one hand for WANT.
> > > >
> > > > Thus the gloss could be  ME WANT (my-OWN or MINE) VOICE
> > > >
> > > > Hope this helps you Don !
> > > >
> > > > I am sure the Brits would have more to add or correct me if I got
> > > > any detail wrong.
> > > >
> > > > Richard Arnold
> > >
> > > --
> > > Professor Des Power, Director
> > > Centre for Deafness Studies and Research, and
> > > Language Australia, Centre for Deafness and Communication  Studies
> > > Faculty of Education Griffith University, QLD 4111 Australia
> > >
> > > Tel:  (617) 3875 5654
> > > Fax:  (617) 3875 5924
> > > URL: http://www.edn.gu.edu.au/general/cdsr/home.htm
> > >
> >
> >
> >Bencie Woll
> >b.woll at city.ac.uk
> >Language and Communication Science
> >City University, Northampton Square
> >London EC1V 0HB, UK
> >Tel: +44 (0)171 477 8354 (voice) +44 (0)171 477 8314 (text)
> >Fax: +44 (0)171 477 8577 or 8354
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

--
Professor Des Power, Director
Centre for Deafness Studies and Research, and
Language Australia, Centre for Deafness and Communication  Studies
Faculty of Education
Griffith University, QLD 4111
Australia

Tel:  (617) 3875 5654
Fax:  (617) 3875 5924
URL: http://www.edn.gu.edu.au/general/cdsr/home.htm