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Article published In:
Asia-Pacific Language Variation
Vol. 2:1 (2016) ► pp.4–47

Location variation in Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL)

| Victoria University of Wellington

This paper presents results from a study of sociolinguistic variation in Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL). Specifically, it reports findings about location variation in a class of signs like know that are produced at/above the signer’s forehead in their citation form, but are sometimes articulated at a lower location in everyday conversation. Eight hundred tokens of target signs from 40 signers were analyzed. As also found in studies of location ‘dropping’ in similar signs in American Sign Language, Australian Sign Language, and New Zealand Sign Language, variation in HKSL correlates with linguistic and social factors in a systematic way (Lucas, Bayley, & Valli, 2001; Schembri, McKee, McKee, Pivac, Johnston, & Goswell, 2009). A comparison of findings across these four languages is presented and discussed. The results of the present study suggest that a set of forehead-located signs that express the names of deaf schools may have affected results due to their salience. The work environment (i.e., sign language related work roles) of participants may also affect ‘careful’ versus lowered production of forehead signs.

Keywords: sociolinguistic variation, phonological variation, language change, location variable, Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL)
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Location variation in ASL, Auslan, and NZSL
    • 2.1The ASL study
    • 2.2The Auslan study and the NZSL study
  • 3.Sociohistorical context for HKSL variation
  • 4.Methodology
    • 4.1Participants
    • 4.2Data collection
    • 4.3Data coding
    • 4.4Data analysis
    • 4.5Multicollinearity
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Linguistic factors
    • 5.2Social factors
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1Comparison with ASL, Auslan, and NZSL results
    • 6.2Language change in progress?
    • 6.3The deaf school name signs
    • 6.4Deaf-related work environment
  • 7.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 29 September 2016
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aplv.2.1.01siu
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