Tok Pisin metalanguage: why is Sinasina Sign Language not tok (‘language’)?

IF 1.7 2区 文学 Q2 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Samantha Rarrick
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Linguists recognize that sign languages are highly complex linguistic systems which meet all the criteria used to define a ‘language’. My ongoing language documentation with the Kere community in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and their local languages, Kere, and Sinasina Sign Language (SSSL), suggests that the English word ‘language’ is not a direct correlate of the Tok Pisin words tok or tok ples, as the current literature suggests. Drawing on interviews and collaboration with Kere people, I explore the culturally specific concepts and functions embedded in Tok Pisin metalanguage, focusing on differences between tok, tok ples, aksen, and ‘language’. Unlike spoken Kere, SSSL is aksen, not tok or tok ples because sociocultural functions are core to the meaning of tok, which only refers to spoken languages, unlike ‘language’. Understanding these differences is essential for translation and for further research with sign languages in PNG. This analysis of tok, tok ples, aksen, and ‘language’ also highlights the reality that ‘language’ is not a universal concept and there is a need for more research to unpack what ‘language’ means across languages and cultures.

托克比辛金属语言:为什么 Sinasina 手语不是 tok("语言")?
语言学家认为,手语是高度复杂的语言系统,符合定义 "语言 "的所有标准。我正在对巴布亚新几内亚(PNG)的凯尔社区及其当地语言凯尔语和西纳西纳手语(SSSL)进行语言记录,这表明英语单词 "language "与托克皮辛语单词 "tok "或 "tok ples "并不直接相关,正如目前的文献所表明的那样。通过与凯尔人的访谈和合作,我探讨了托克皮辛金属语言中蕴含的特定文化概念和功能,重点是 tok、tok ples、aksen 和 "语言 "之间的差异。与克里语口语不同,SSSL 是 aksen,而不是 tok 或 tok ples,因为社会文化功能是 tok 的核心含义,而 tok 仅指口语,与 "语言 "不同。了解这些差异对于翻译和巴新手语的进一步研究至关重要。对 tok、tok ples、aksen 和 "语言 "的分析还凸显了一个现实,即 "语言 "并不是一个普遍的概念,需要进行更多的研究来解读 "语言 "在不同语言和文化中的含义。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Language Sciences
Language Sciences Multiple-
CiteScore
2.90
自引率
0.00%
发文量
38
期刊介绍: Language Sciences is a forum for debate, conducted so as to be of interest to the widest possible audience, on conceptual and theoretical issues in the various branches of general linguistics. The journal is also concerned with bringing to linguists attention current thinking about language within disciplines other than linguistics itself; relevant contributions from anthropologists, philosophers, psychologists and sociologists, among others, will be warmly received. In addition, the Editor is particularly keen to encourage the submission of essays on topics in the history and philosophy of language studies, and review articles discussing the import of significant recent works on language and linguistics.
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