Chapter 13
Language contact and change

Assignment 4

In Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL), some signs have changed over several generations (see videos on website). Describe the precise changes that have taken place in the sign fish (from stage 1 to stage 4). At what linguistic level has the sign changed?

HKSL ‘fish’ variant 1 (Source: CUHK Gladys Tang)
HKSL ‘fish’ variant 2 (Source: CUHK Gladys Tang)
HKSL ‘fish’ variant 3 (Source: CUHK Gladys Tang)
HKSL ‘fish’ variant 4 (Source: CUHK Gladys Tang)

The sign has changed at the phonological level. It has changed in terms of handedness between Stages 1 and 2 (simplification motivated by ease of articulation). Subsequently, the location feature has changed from Stages 2 to 3, and then again from Stages 3 to 4. The shift is towards a lower and more central location on the face, that is the chin. At stage 4, articulation is easier, as the hand no longer crosses the midline. In the course of this shift, the orientation of the fingertips necessarily changes slightly. The change also exemplifies loss of iconicity (compare Frishberg’s (1975) findings for ASL).