Hey!

Top Cogn Sci. 2015 Jan;7(1):124-49. doi: 10.1111/tops.12126. Epub 2015 Jan 9.

Abstract

Zinacantec Family Homesign (Z) is a new sign language emerging spontaneously over the past three decades in a single family in a remote Mayan Indian village. Three deaf siblings, their Tzotzil-speaking age-mates, and now their children, who have had contact with no other deaf people, represent the first generation of Z signers. I postulate an augmented grammaticalization path, beginning with the adoption of a Tzotzil cospeech holophrastic gesture-meaning "come!"-into Z, and then its apparent stylization as an attention-getting sign, followed by grammatical regimentation and pragmatic generalization as an utterance initial change of speaker or turn marker.

Keywords: Adjacency pair; Emerging grammar; Gesture; Grammaticalization; Home sign; Pragmatics; Sign language; Turn-taking.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Child
  • Family Characteristics
  • Female
  • Gestures*
  • Humans
  • Language Development*
  • Linguistics
  • Male
  • Mexico
  • Middle Aged
  • Pedigree
  • Persons With Hearing Impairments
  • Sign Language*
  • Young Adult