A ‘new’ Village Sign Language: structural properties of LSOR in Puerto Rico?

Abstract

In this preliminary analysis, we describe the use of the signing space in morphosyntactic processes in Orocovis Sign Language (LSOR), a Village Sign Language shared as the medium of communication between Deaf and hearing members of a rural community in Puerto Rico. It has been passed on from generation to generation, and exhibits an extended and absolute use of the signing space, and grammatical features like agreement, aspectual marking, and classifiers. These preliminary results contribute to shape the emerging typological complexity in the area of Village Sign Languages.