Abstract
Based on the quantitative analyses of 78,532 sign tokens generated in the lexical elicitation tasks conducted with 58 deaf participants throughout Mainland China, the paper addresses the issue of regional lexical variation in Chinese Sign Language (CSL). It aims to explore the extent of lexical variation and geographical distributions of sign varieties within the Chinese Deaf community. It is the first corpus-based quantitative research concerning the CSL lexicon supported by the CSL lexical database. It will be shown that the varieties of CSL used in different cities are dialects of the same sign language rather than different sign languages. It will also be suggested that there are only two major regional dialects of CSL. This is surprising considering the large size of both the deaf population and territory within China. This is compared to previous studies concerning other sign languages, which suggest multiple distinctive regional variants within small geographical areas. Variation also exists within the two major dialects, suggesting the existence of sub-groups of regional dialects.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
