The Use of Signing Space in Signed News Broadcasts

Abstract

This study focuses on the use of tokens, that is, empty non-topographical areas in front of the signer, in two different production sets of Swedish news broadcasts in Swedish Sign Language, one for deaf adults and another for deaf upper school-aged children. The sample includes altogether 1,084 tokens in token blends. The presenters refer to an earlier established token frequently, and the most frequent sign types used to indicate a presence of a token are lexical signs, pointing and indicating signs. The tokens are mainly placed either to the left or right side of the presenter and to a lesser degree in the area straight ahead. The introduction and conclusion parts in news have fewer tokens. Interestingly, the signing space in token blends seems to be larger than the signing space in informal settings. We suggest these findings may be characteristic of the media genre. We also take into consideration the use of pictures on the screen and what effect they have on the creation of tokens.