External phonological change

[Pip Cody]

> From: "Adam Schembri, Deaf Studies" <Adam.Schembri at BRISTOL.AC.UK>

> In BSL (British Sign Language), a small number of signs appeared to
> be experiencing a change in hand configuration due to social factors.
> Traditional variants of signs such as HOLIDAY or MOCK used a
> handshape with only the middle finger extended. Due to the perception
> that this handshape is considered impolite, some signers have
> replaced the hand configuration in these signs with a G handshape.
> This appears to have happened quite recently, and quite consciously
> amongst sign language teachers in particular, perhaps due to contact
> with hearing students. This change has not yet spread to the related
> sign language Auslan (Australian Sign Language), where all signers
> continue to make liberal use of the middle finger extended handshape
> in signs such as HOLIDAY, STUBBORN, SILLY, LAZY, BETRAY, AVAILABLE
> and ROCKET.


I have done no formal research in this particular area, but have observed an
increasing tendency over the last ten years for many Deaf people (at least
in the Melbourne Deaf community) to avoid the use of those signs in Auslan
.......  this process appears to be (as one would expect) at different stages
with different signs, ranging from a complete shift to (as yet) no apparent
shift.  HOLIDAY is usually signed with a 5 hs in all contexts, I have rarely
seen it signed with middle finger hs . There are several signs with meanings
closely related to SILLY, with the middle-finger extended sign having
semantically deteriorated so that it is now the most pejorative of these and
is quite marked, no longer considered appropriate for all contexts. STUBBORN
is hanging in there and is still signed with middle finger hs.  LAZY has
almost been replaced by another sign (B hs contacting hip twice) except when
communicating with Deaf-blind people who use tactile signing or have a
limited field of vision.  AVAILABLE seems to be gradually losing currency,
and some interesting circumlocutions can be observed, particularly in
discourse produced "in public".  Many Deaf people express a preference for
interpreters also to avoid use of these signs in public.

pip