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Free keywords:
sign language typology, absolute frame of reference, deixis, indexicality, language contact, toponyms,
Abstract:
This paper presents an overview of spatial deictic structures in Kata Kolok, a sign language which is
indigenous to a Balinese village community. Sociolinguistic surveys and lexicographic comparisons
have indicated that Kata Kolok is unrelated to the signing varieties in other parts of Bali and should
be considered a sign language isolate as such. Kata Kolok emerged five generations ago and has been
in intimate contact with spoken Balinese from its incipience. The findings from this paper suggest
that this cross-modal contact has led to an absolute construction of the signing space, which is
radically different in comparison to spatial deixis in other sign languages. Furthermore, Kata Kolok
does not seem to have a class of true toponyms, but rather deploys deictic proto-toponyms. The Kata
Kolok system on the whole does not exhibit any related linguistic forms or direct calques from
spoken Balinese, and this suggests that the conceptual overlap between these two languages may have
been facilitated by shared cultural practices as well as gestural communication rather than direct
borrowings. Ultimately, this analysis challenges the very notion of a sign language isolate and
suggests that Kata Kolok and other emergent signing varieties should be considered in light of the
broader semiotic context in which they have evolved.
