A phonological model for lexical variants in Czech Sign Language

STRACHOŇOVÁ, Hana and Lucia VLÁŠKOVÁ. A phonological model for lexical variants in Czech Sign Language. In OLINCO 2021. 2021.

Basic information

• Original name: A phonological model for lexical variants in Czech Sign Language
• Authors: STRACHOŇOVÁ, Hana and Lucia VLÁŠKOVÁ.
• Edition: OLINCO 2021, 2021.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Field of Study: 60203 Linguistics
• Country of publisher: Czech Republic
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• Organization unit: Faculty of Arts
• Keywords in English: sign language; phonology; variants
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

In the lexicographic project proceeding at Masaryk university, the first Czech sign language online dictionary, a part of the platform Dictio, is developed. A part of the project consists of introducing a systematic way of distinguishing variants from synonyms in Czech sign language. The rule is quite simple: if only one of the main parameters of a sign differs, i.e., hand configuration (handshape), place of articulation or movement, the pair of lexemes is classified as variants. On the other hand, more differences signal synonyms. In this process, a refined phonological Hand-Tier model (Sandler 2006) is used to serve as a phonological basis where mere empirical comparison is not sufficient. The motivation behind this work is threefold: (i) the empirical reason is to help describe an understudied language and move a little closer to its full account; (ii) the practical reason is to develop a part of a Czech sign language dictionary on a linguistic basis by implementing this specific method; (iii) the theoretical reason is to put to the test the refined phonological model of Czech sign language with the future possibility of extending it to other sign languages as well.

Links

• MUNI/A/1163/2020, interní kód MU: Name: Podpora výzkumu studentů oborů obecná jazykověda (mgr., ph.d.), indoevropeistika (ph.d.), narratologie (ph.d.) a baltistika (mgr.)

Investor: Masaryk University