Review article: Pronominalization in American Sign Language

Sign-spatiality in Kata Kolok

“…10 Initial studies focussed on pointing in American Sign Language (e.g. Friedman 1975;Kegl 2003Kegl [1976), but the phenomenon has been described for many sign languages since (Ahlgren 1990;Engberg-Pedersen 1993:117-139 Zeshan 2000.…”

“…These types of localisations were first described in pronominal pointing signs in American Sign Language (e.g. Friedman 1975;Kegl 2003Kegl [1976), but the phenomenon has been described for many sign languages since; The pointing strategy adopted by Kata Kolok signers throughout stretches of discourse is different from the option described above. Absolute transpositions have been reported in the co-speech gestures of speakers of Guugu Yimithirr and Kuuk Thayorre, which are both languages with a dominant absolute Frame of Reference (Haviland 1993(Haviland , 1996Gaby 2006).…”

“…In these publications, pointing signs are analysed in parallel to personal pronouns in spoken languages (Friedman 1975;Kegl 2003Kegl [1976). These original studies focussed on pointing in American Sign…”

“…GHOST or sign name, followed by a pointing sign that is directed towards a geographic location frequented by the individual referred to -usually that person's house, work place, or patches of farmland. This contrasts with urban sign languages that canonically project referents onto the neutral signing space (see for example Friedman (1975);Kegl (2003Kegl ( [1976) on American Sign Language; Ahlgren (1990) rather it identifies the location that is subsequently used to refer to this individual.…”

Working Between Languages and Cultures

“…Thus, I was able to communicate directly with my participants without having to include a third-party interpreter in the process. However, unique methodological issues emerged resulting from the fact that ASL is a visual, spatial language that has no written form (Kegl, 2003;Liddell, 2003).…”