Segmentation and Structuring of Austrian Sign Language Texts

The present (revised) project aims to investigate segmentation and organizational structuring of Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) texts/discourse by prosodic elements, applying an innovative interactional-functional approach. This approach assumes that language resources - especially prosodic ones - play an important role on the interpretation of `interactional units` (prior `turns`; cf. Selting or Couper-Kuhlen; turn-taking signals and interactional units in ÖGS have already been investigated by Lackner 2007). We will investigate possible prosodic segmentation cues, those which have already been detected in various Sign Languages (SLs) as well as those which have been less treated, focusing on head and body movements/positions. The work will include detecting segmental and/or (organizational) structural function(s) for cues, developing operational definitions of the cues and of `possible prosodic units` and describing the function(s) of these units. Additionally, prosodic cues and units in daily face-to-face communication will be compared to those found in ÖGS-realizations in `special contexts` (like lectures). Methodically, we will first detect potential prosodic cues in ÖGS with the help of a typological comparison of SLs and the use of - already analyzed - turn-taking signals in ÖGS texts as possible hints for segmentation cues. Secondly, less treated segmentation cues - focusing on body and head movements/positions - will be analyzed. Finally, comparable linguistic structures signed with different (prosodic) cues will be investigated. The results will show how prosodic units in the corpus are `constructed`, how close the interplay between different prosodic cues/patterns is and how the detected prosodic cues/patterns are distributed among different text sorts, individual signers etc. We will involve experts of the SL research field as well as native signers. At the national level, a close collaboration/exchange with experts of SL research and Austrian Deaf Clubs/Associations is intended. At the international level, scholarly exchange with international experts on the prosodic and/or textual field in SL research and a workshop focusing on `segmentation and structuring of SL-texts` will take place in order to get feedback on the methodical approach and on the findings, to incorporate revisions and thus develop the results of the analysis, as well as to exchange innovative aspects and results of the project. The project will contribute not only to ÖGS research but also to SL research in general in both the prosodic and the textual field with special regard to discourse.

The project Segmentation and Structuring of Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) Texts aimed at identifying and analyzing manual and non-manual elements which bear a linguistic and/or interactive function and which occur in signed texts, based on corpus data of Deaf Native Signers.Two innovative methodological approaches were implemented: First, ÖGS-signers and non-signers were instructed to identify segmentation units/boundaries as well as manual and non-manual cues for segmenting the signing flow in units. Larger units indicated by longer pauses, more co-occurring, and more salient cues as well as smaller units indicated by less perceptible cues such as blinks, palm-up/short pauses, and holding the position of an articulator (e.g. the head) during a unit were identified due to participants accordance of more than 40%. Non-manual cues were almost entirely named by signers, while manual cues and pauses were listed by both signers and non-signers. These segmentation cues were compared with turn-taking signals. The result is that several segmentation cues (e.g. rest positions of the hands, pause, holding a sign, palm-up, head and body movements, eye blinks, change of gaze direction) also function as turn-taking signals. Second, non-manual elements were identified with regard to both form and function. This task was done by Deaf Native Signers. The results show that several non-manual elements also bear a clause/text structuring function. Classified in three groups due to common characteristics, the first group comprises several head movements and positions which are associated with functions such as negation, assertion, interrogativity, and conditionality. The second group includes non-manual elements which indicate hypothetical thoughts and alternatives. For example, the right and/or left area of the signing space can be indicated by means of tilting the head to the side, leaning the body to the side, looking to the particular areas in the signing space, and/or producing the signs at/towards that particular areas in the signing space. In doing so, alternatives can be listed, contrasted, ex-/included, highlighted, or the temporality or causal relation between alternatives can be shown. The third classified group is a set of non-manual elements used to indicate (epistemic) modality. Thus, fast, small nods were interpreted to indicate that a signer judges a proposition in the way that s/he is convinced of the positive outcome of this proposition, while slow headshakes produced small in size and rather tentative were interpreted to indicate that the conclusion of a proposition would have a negative outcome. Slow body sways, again, were interpreted to indicate that a signer judges in a deliberative or even doubtful way about the possible negative or positive outcome of a proposition.In the project linguists, translators, and ÖGS-experts were involved. This bilingual and bicultural team secured the validity of results and even offered Deaf and hearing students of linguistics and translational studies the possibility to be involved in research on ÖGS. The project findings constitute an important impact on both sign language grammar and typological comparison of spoken and signed discourse. Also, the findings are essential for ÖGS courses in order to improve the educational training. In addition, the findings of the studies were summarized and edited to make them online accessible in ÖGS as well as written German and English (cf. signnonmanuals.aau.at).