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Free keywords:
sign language linguistics, deaf community, social dynamics, morphosyntax
Abstract:
Since the 1990s, the field of sign language typology has shown that
sign languages exhibit typological variation at all relevant levels of linguistic
description. These initial typological comparisons were heavily
skewed toward the urban sign languages of developed countries,
mostly in the Western world. This review reports on the recent contributions
made by rural signing varieties, that is, sign languages that
have evolved in village communities, often in developing countries,
due to a high incidence of deafness. With respect to a number of structural
properties, rural sign languages fit into previously established
typological classifications. However, they also exhibit unique and
typologically marked features that challenge received views on possible
sign languages. At the same time, the shared features of geographically
dispersed rural signing varieties provide a unique window into
the social dynamics that may shape the structures of modern human
languages.
