Universality in Meanings of Handshapes: Focusing on Hand-Opening Signs in Korean Sign Language

Abstract

Cabeza-Pereiro (2014) identifies the meanings of hand-opening signs in Spanish Sign Language (LSE) and British Sign Language (BSL) as ‘to disappear’ and ‘to appear.’ The purpose of this paper is to observe the same hand-opening signs in Korea Sign Language (KSL) and find out whether they have the same meanings as analyzed in LSE and BSL. The close examination of 294 signs with hand-opening articulation in KSL demonstrates that they similarly have the two meanings, ‘to disappear’ and ‘to appear’ and, in addition, it has the meanings of ‘to spread’ and ‘to deliver.’ The result supports universality in meanings of handshapes in sign languages.