Question about typical conversational practice

[Renate Fischer]

Hi
late Paul Jouison (he died in 1991) frequently mentioned this phenomenon
among sign language learners to "stare" at a signer´s hands. It was an
important point for him in his understanding how sign languages work. I
don't have the published sources at hand; Brigitte Garcia edited some of
his work recently.
see:

Garcia, Brigitte: Contribution à l'histoire des débuts de la recherche
linguistique sur la Langue des Signes Française (LSF) : Les travaux de Paul
Jouison. Vol. I. 2000 - 439 S. Dissertation

Garcia, Brigitte: Contribution à l'histoire des débuts de la recherche
linguistique sur la Langue des Signes Française (LSF) : Les travaux de Paul
Jouison. Vol. II. 2000 - 348 S. Dissertation

writings by Jouison in English translation:
Jouison, Paul: The role of the body in the organization of signed
expressive discourse. In: Tervoort, Bernard T. (ed): Signs of life.
Proceedings of the Second European Congress on Sign Language Research,
Amsterdam July 14-18, 1985. Amsterdam : Univ. of Amsterdam (1986) - S.
95-110

Jouison, Paul: Analysis and linear transcription of sign language
discourse. In: Prillwitz, Siegmund / Vollhaber, Tomas (eds): Current trends
in European Sign Language Research. Proceedings of the 3rd European
Congress on Sign Language Research. Hamburg July 26-29, 1989.
(International Studies on Sign Language and Communication of the Deaf; 9)
Hamburg : Signum (1990) - S. 337-354

Renate Fischer


>
>Is there any published reference validating this statement below
>about eye contact during
conversations between signers?   Can anyone
>give me a reference?
>
>Participants in a signed conversation tend to fixate upon each
>other's faces rather than track the movement of the hands.  (I
>presume this practice is done, in part, as cultural etiquette and in
>order to glean information about facial expressions.  And,
>presumably, this is true of highly fluent/native signers; non-native
>signers or novices, on the other hand, may track the hands.)
>
>Appreciate it,
>Rain
>
>
>
>
>--
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Prof. Dr. Renate Fischer
Institut für Deutsche Gebärdensprache
Universität Hamburg
Binderstr. 34
D - 20146 Hamburg
tel+fax: ++49-40-58 40 32