From gestures to grammatical non-manuals in sign language: A case study of polar questions and negation in Hong Kong Sign Language

Abstract

Previous studies propose that eyebrow raise in polar questions and headshakes in negations in sign languages arose from the incorporation of hearing speakers’ gestures in similar contexts into sign language grammar via grammaticalization. This paper reviews these proposals in light of Wilcox’s theory on gesture grammaticalization. According to Wilcox, there are two routes for gestures to enter sign language grammar: Route I, via lexicalization, and Route II, via prosody/intonation. Based on Cantonese and Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) data, we argue that eyebrow raise in polar questions in HKSL evolved from a paralinguistic gestural element into a grammatical marker via a language-internal process because eyebrow raise in question contexts is universal. Negative headshakes in Cantonese, though prevalent, are not incorporated into HKSL grammar. Instead, HKSL adopts backward head movements as optional negation markers. These findings support previous claims that headshakes are culture-specific. Both eyebrow raise in polar questions and backward head movements in negations in HKSL can be subsumed under Route II in Wilcox’s theory, along a language-internal evolutionary path. For sign languages that employ headshakes as negation markers, the headshakes are likely to have been borrowed from the hearing communities. This grammaticalization path fits neither Route I nor Route II of Wilcox’s theory because cross-modal borrowing is involved without an intermediate lexical stage.