Sign language in Burma: Yangon Sign language and its relationship with spoken Burmese

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• Justin Watkins, SOAS
• Thursday 31 October 2013, 17:00-18:30
• GR06/7 English Faculty, Sidgwick Site.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Alison Biggs.

The relationship between sign languages and spoken language is a complex one. The lexicon of signed languages includes items borrowed and adapted from spoken languages, in addition to conventionalised gestures and iconic signs.

Once lexicalised, signs have a tendency to become less iconic over time. Signers are often diglossic, using language forms with more or less reference to a spoken language depending on the context in which the communication is taking place.

This talk looks at the relationship between Yangon Sign Language and spoken Burmese using data from preliminary work for a planned project documenting the lexicon of the sign languages of Burma.

This talk is part of the Cambridge University Linguistic Society (LingSoc) series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• All Talks (aka the CURE list)
• Cambridge Forum of Science and Humanities
• Cambridge Language Sciences
• Cambridge University Linguistic Society (LingSoc)
• Cambridge talks
• Chris Davis' list
• GR06/7 English Faculty, Sidgwick Site
• Guy Emerson's list
• Language Sciences for Graduate Students

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