Ideogram-based lexical borrowing in Japanese Sign Language

Abstract

Linguistic borrowing has been studied as source of new lexicon for languages since the end of 19th century. At the present day it continues to be investigated also because is a way to clarify the relationships established between languages, especially in current societies, where cultures are tightly connected by technology. Sign languages borrow freely from oral languages in the attempt to ease the unavoidable communication between deaf and hearing people. The most relevant examples of this phenomenon are the use of manual alphabets and of initialized signs. When there is no need to communicate with hearing people, most deaf people reduce use of such techniques, preferring “purer” signs. In this dissertation, lexical borrowing in core vocabulary from the graphic form of Japanese ideographic characters by Japanese Sign Language (JSL) was analysed. This specific kind of borrowing is a peculiar phenomenon, which is possible only in few country nowadays, and which could be an evidence of a particular relationship between hearing and Deaf culture in Japan. Lexical borrowing was tested by compiling a tentative list of characters suitable for borrowing because of their graphic characteristics with the signs corresponding to the meanings. Later, the existence of semantic and syntactic relationship between the loans were tested.