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Physiological Constraints in Taiwan Sign Language Handshape-Change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2008

Jean Ann
Jean Ann
Affiliation:
1353 Heavilon Hall, Department of Audiology and Speech Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906, USA. e-mail: ANNJ@PURCCVM.bitnet
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Abstract

This paper examines the role of physiology of the hand relevant to particular handshapechange data from Taiwan Sign Language. The physiology of the hand is shown to be completely responsible for one aspect of handshape-change (that fingers must become unspread when closed). In addition, the physiology provides the explanation for two tendencies in handshape-changes (i) that when fingers extend, they tend to spread, and (ii) that when less than all five fingers perform a handshape change, the fingers that do so are the thumb, index, and middle or a subset.

Type
Research Article
Information
Nordic Journal of Linguistics , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , December 1992 , pp. 143 - 157
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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