Physiological Constraints in Taiwan Sign Language Handshape-Change

Abstract

This paper examines the role of physiology of the hand relevant to particular handshapechange data from Taiwan Sign Language. The physiology of the hand is shown to be completely responsible for one aspect of handshape-change (that fingers must become unspread when closed). In addition, the physiology provides the explanation for two tendencies in handshape-changes (i) that when fingers extend, they tend to spread, and (ii) that when less than all five fingers perform a handshape change, the fingers that do so are the thumb, index, and middle or a subset.