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Lexical variation and change in SASL : a case study of a Western Cape school-lect
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA South African Sign Language |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2022
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| _version_ | 1867614123535106048 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Njeyiyana, Susan |
| author2 | Huddlestone, Kate |
| author_browse | Huddlestone, Kate Njeyiyana, Susan |
| author_facet | Huddlestone, Kate Njeyiyana, Susan |
| author_sort | Njeyiyana, Susan |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124951 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA South African Sign Language |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:00.921Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124951 Lexical variation and change in SASL : a case study of a Western Cape school-lect Njeyiyana, Susan Huddlestone, Kate Baker, Anne Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics. South African Sign Language Lexical variation Sign language -- Lexicography Language change UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Lexical variation is common in most sign languages and is often related to regional identity specifically connected to a specific school for the Deaf. This study examined lexical variation and change in South African Sign Language (SASL) within a particular Western Cape “school-lect”. The latter refers to the transmission of particular varieties of sign language in schools for Deaf children and to the extent of their retention by adult native signers in the community. In this study, a picture-based elicitation task, incorporating some English/Afrikaans words, was used to elicit signs for 65 lemmas, extracted from Woodward’s (1993) modified Swadesh list, from four age groups of signers, ranging from 8 to 68 years. The elicited signs for each lemma were described in terms of handshape, palm orientation, location and movement, and were compared with each other. Signs that did not differ were classified as identical, signs that differed in only one parameter were classified as similar, while signs that differed in more than one parameter were classified as different – such signs could in turn have similar variants. Considerable variation occurred within and across groups: The group with the most intra-variation was the 16- to 18-year-olds, while the most inter-group variation was found between the youngest group, 8- to 10- year-olds, and the two adult groups (signers older than 18 years). Focus group interviews were held with the two adult groups (23- to 29-year-olds and 42- to 68-year-olds) to identify participants’ attitudes towards lexical variation in general, and possible reasons for lexical variation within the Deaf community from their school. During the interviews, the adults gave examples of signs that had changed, and compared the new and old signs, speculating about the reasons for the new variants. Some observed that signs are influenced by the other five schools for the Deaf in the Western Cape and by the environment outside the school, from which variants are brought to the current school. Older adults felt strongly that their (older) sign variants were appropriate, and that they communicated more easily with each other. However, some signs have developed new meanings, leaving them confused. According to the older adults, children currently at the school appear to have completely different signs that look strange and/or inappropriate to the older adults. Some observed that young Deaf children and older Deaf adults do not connect with each other and that older adults do not want to learn new variants. In contrast, young adults were willing to learn other new variants from different regions to broaden their SASL and to enable them to communicate with each other better. Young adults are able to switch variants depending on the signing community. The reason for adapting their sign lexicon was that it is important to expand one’s knowledge of all the signs and varieties used in the different South African provinces. The present study is relevant, for understanding lexical variation in SASL and for the documentation of regional varieties that are under pressure to standardize. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Leksikale variasie is algemeen in die meeste gebaretale en hou dikwels verband met streeksidentiteit gekoppel spesifiek aan die ligging van skole vir Dowes. Hierdie studie het ondersoek ingestel na leksikale variasie en verandering in Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal (SASL) binne 'n bepaalde Wes-Kaapse “skoollek”. Laasgenoemde verwys na die oordrag van bepaalde gebaretaalvariëteite in skole vir Dowe kinders, en die omvang van hul behoud deur volwasse SASL-gebruikers in die gemeenskap. In hierdie studie is 'n prentgebaseerde ontlokkingstaak, wat enkele Engelse/Afrikaanse woorde insluit, gebruik om gebare vir 65 lemmas, onttrek uit Woodward (1993) se gewysigde Swadesh-lys, by vier groepe SASL-gebruikers, van 8 tot 68 jaar, te ontlok. Die gebare vir elke lemma is vervolgens beskryf in terme van handvorm, oriëntasie, ligging en beweging, en is met mekaar vergelyk. Gebare wat nie van mekaar verskil het nie, is as identies geklassifiseer; gebare wat in slegs een parameter verskil, is as soortgelyk geklassifiseer; terwyl gebare wat in terme van meer as een parameter verskil, as verskillend geklassifiseer is – sulke gebare kon op hul beurt soortgelyke variante hê. Daar was aansienlike variasie binne en oor groepe heen in die gebruik van spesifieke gebare. Die groep met die meeste intragroepvariasie was die 16- tot 18-jariges terwyl die meeste intergroepvariasie tussen die jongste groep, 8- tot 10- jariges, en die twee volwasse groepe (gebaretaalgebruikers ouer as 18 jaar) was. Fokusgroeponderhoude is met die twee volwasse groepe (23- tot 29-jariges en 42- tot 68-jariges) gevoer om deelnemers se houdings teenoor leksikale variasie oor die algemeen en moontlike redes vir leksikale variasie binne die Dowe gemeenskap gekoppel aan hulle skool, te identifiseer. Tydens die onderhoude het die volwassenes voorbeelde gegee van gebare wat verander het, die nuwe en ou gebare vergelyk, en gespekuleer oor redes vir die nuwe variante. Sommige van hulle het waargeneem dat gebare beïnvloed word deur die ander vyf skole vir Dowes in die Wes-Kaap en deur die omgewing buite die skool, vanwaar variante na die huidige skool gebring word. Ouer volwassenes het sterk gevoel dat hulle (ouer) gebaarvariante gepas is en dat hulle makliker met mekaar kommunikeer. Sommige gebare het egter nuwe betekenisse ontwikkel, wat hulle verward laat. Volgens die ouer volwassenes blyk dit dat kinders wat tans die skool bywoon, heeltemal ander gebare het wat vreemd en/of onvanpas vir die ouer volwassenes lyk. Sommige van hulle het berig dat jong kinders en ouer volwassenes nie met mekaar konnekteer nie en dat ouer volwassenes nie nuwe variante wil aanleer nie. Daarenteen was jong volwassenes bereid om ander nuwe variante uit verskillende streke aan te leer om hulle SASL te verbreed en om hulle in staat te stel om beter met mekaar te kommunikeer. Jong volwassenes kon van variant verander na gelang van die gebaretaalgemeenskap. Hulle redes vir die aanpassing van hulle gebaarleksikon was dat dit belangrik is om 'n mens se kennis uit te brei van al die gebare en variëteite wat in die verskillende provinsies in Suid-Afrika gebruik word. Die huidige studie is relevant vir die verstaan van leksikale variasie in SASL asook vir die dokumentering van streeksvariëteite wat onder druk is om te standaardiseer. Masters 2022-03-11T07:50:14Z 2022-04-29T09:43:07Z 2022-03-11T07:50:14Z 2022-04-29T09:43:07Z 2022-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124951 en_ZA South African Sign Language Stellenbosch University 132 pages : illustrations video/mp4v-es application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | South African Sign Language Lexical variation Sign language -- Lexicography Language change UCTD Njeyiyana, Susan Lexical variation and change in SASL : a case study of a Western Cape school-lect |
| title | Lexical variation and change in SASL : a case study of a Western Cape school-lect |
| title_full | Lexical variation and change in SASL : a case study of a Western Cape school-lect |
| title_fullStr | Lexical variation and change in SASL : a case study of a Western Cape school-lect |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lexical variation and change in SASL : a case study of a Western Cape school-lect |
| title_short | Lexical variation and change in SASL : a case study of a Western Cape school-lect |
| title_sort | lexical variation and change in sasl a case study of a western cape school lect |
| topic | South African Sign Language Lexical variation Sign language -- Lexicography Language change UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124951 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT njeyiyanasusan lexicalvariationandchangeinsaslacasestudyofawesterncapeschoollect |