Warlmanpa Sign Language is a highly developed Australian Aboriginal sign language used by the Warlmanpa people of northern Australia

Documentation

The first recorded documentation of Warlmanpa Sign Language was carried out by British linguist Adam Kendon. In 1978, Kendon began his initial work on gathering Aboriginal sign language material.Kendon 1988, p. 94-95 During this time, he travelled to many areas within the North Central Territory, documenting the sign languages of the Warlpiri, Waramungu, Mudbura,

Anmatyerre The Anmatyerr, also spelt Anmatyerre, Anmatjera, Anmatjirra, Amatjere and other variations) are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory, who speak one of the Upper Arrernte languages. Language Anmatyerr is divided into Easte ...

, Kaytej, and Djingili, including trips to

Tennant Creek Tennant Creek ( wrm, Jurnkkurakurr) is town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the seventh largest town in the Northern Territory, and is located on the Stuart Highway, just south of the intersection with the western termin ...

, an area where Warlmanpa is located. On his second visit to Tennant Creek, Kendon, along with fellow researchers, gathered a vocabulary of about 900 Warlmanpa signs. Simultaneous use of sign and speech have been observed in daily situations among Warlmanpa speakers.

Geographic distribution

Banka Banka Station Banka Banka Station is a location in the Northern Territory of Australia, 100 kilometres north of Tennant Creek along the Stuart Highway. The historic cattle station was the first operational pastoral lease in this region, and a supply camp dur ...

, which lies to the west of their original traditional area, has been a center for Warlmanpa people for several generations.

Sign Structure

Out of the 41

emic In anthropology, folkloristics, and the social and behavioral sciences, emic () and etic () refer to two kinds of field research done and viewpoints obtained. The "emic" approach is an insider's perspective, which looks at the beliefs, values, ...

handshapes recorded in Central Northern sign languages, 29 are used in Warlmanpa Sign Language. In contrast to American Sign Language (ASL) and

British Sign Language British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK), and is the first or preferred language among the Deaf community in the UK. Based on the percentage of people who reported 'using British Sign Language at home' on ...

(BSL), Warlmanpa (and sign languages in the North Central Territory) makes almost no use of facial action and/or cues in sign formation. In addition, the majority of signs are performed with only one hand and the range of handshapes and body locations used are significantly different.Kendon 1988, pp. 100-101.

Parameters

In documentation of Warlmanpa signs, Kendon and researchers followed the approach originally developed by

William Stokoe William C. Stokoe Jr. ( ; July 21, 1919 – April 4, 2000) was an American linguist and a long-time professor at Gallaudet University. His research on American Sign Language (ASL) revolutionized the understanding of ASL in the United States and s ...

for the description of signs in ASL. In this sense, signs are regarded as actions which can be viewed in terms of three aspects: ''what'' is performing the action, the ''action'' taken and ''where'' the action is done. These aspects are named Sign Actor, Sign Action, and Sign Location, respectively.

Sign Actor, Action, and Location

Sign Actor

The body parts manipulated in the production of the sign and how they are organized during production.

Sign Action

The pattern of action that is employed to produce the sign.

Sign Location

Where the utilized body parts are placed as they carry out the action performed.

Formula

The

Stokoe notation Stokoe notation () is the first phonemic script used for sign languages. It was created by William Stokoe for American Sign Language (ASL), with Latin letters and numerals used for the shapes they have in fingerspelling, and iconic glyphs to trans ...

, a phonemic script used for writing down sign languages, was adapted by Kendon for use in recording Australian Aboriginal signs. The formula is arranged in a special order where L is Sign Location; ap, HS, and OR are the three components of the Sign Actor, arm position, hand shape, and orientation, respectively; AC is the Sign Action.

Grammar

Many verbs in spoken Warlmanpa are compounds of a root verb and a

preverb Although not widely accepted in linguistics, the term preverb is used in Caucasian (including all three families: Northwest Caucasian, Northeast Caucasian and Kartvelian), Caddoan, Athabaskan, and Algonquian linguistics to describe certain elem ...

. This compound

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

is reflected in Warlmanpa Sign Language.

Use

The use of sign language across Australia is less common amongst men and is typically associated with women. Its use within the Warlmanpa is limited to traditional ceremonies and situations where speech is considered

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

Speech taboo

Traditional practices in Warlmanpa society, such as initiation ceremonies or mourning, often place limitations on (or even restrict) the use of speech.

Initiation ceremonies

For young males in Aboriginal society, an initiation ceremony signifies their transition into manhood. Restrictions are placed on communication and behavior as a male undergoes this process and a state of "semi-death" is observed (since the dead cannot speak). In some societies, such as the Lardiil, these restrictions may last up to 6 months.Kendon 1988, p. 64.

Mourning

The death of a family member is strongly observed in Aboriginal society. Relatives of the deceased are often subject to speech bans. These bans are especially strict on female relatives, who may not use any form of speech to communicate. In some cases, such as in the

Warumungu The Warumungu (or Warramunga) are a group of Aboriginal Australians of the Northern Territory. Today, Warumungu are mainly concentrated in the region of Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. Language Their language is Warumungu, belonging to th ...

, these restrictions may extend for as long as two years.

Avoidance relationships

Avoidance relationships are highly observed within Aboriginal society. For example, the avoidance between a son/daughter-in-law with their mother-in-law serves as a common case.

Avoidance speech Avoidance speech is a group of sociolinguistic phenomena in which a special restricted speech style must be used in the presence of or in reference to certain relatives. Avoidance speech is found in many Australian Aboriginal languages and Aust ...

is the most likely way to communicate with one's mother-in-law. It has been observed that sign language can be used as form of communication in these situations, though only rarely.Kendon 1988, p. 66.

Notes

References

* {{sign language navigation Australian Aboriginal Sign Language family Ngarrkic languages