Abstract

BARRETO, Alex Giovanny. Initialization in Colombian Sign Language (CSL): Analysis of a spontaneous corpus. Leng. [online]. 2023, vol.51, n.1, pp.1-28.  Epub Jan 30, 2023. ISSN 0120-3479.  https://doi.org/10.25100/lenguaje.v51i1.12062.

This study presents the process of linguistic contact between Colombian Sign Language (CSL) and Spanish, known in specialized literature as initialization. In this study, I analyze and interpret samples of spontaneous use of the CSL through a methodology that mixes corpus analysis and ethnography. I propose a classification of three types of initialization: simple, borrowed, and composite. In consultation with deaf research participants, we found that 26 graphemes of the Spanish alphabet are represented in at least one initialization case. In the corpus of spontaneous use, 74% of the graphemes were identified in initialized signs, but the use of these is around only 6% of the sample, which contrasts with the 15% estimated in American Sign Language. These results are relevant considering the low prestige of initialization within some sectors of Colombian deaf communities. The results suggest that written Spanish has left an important mark on the formation of words in the CSL.

Keywords : initialization; Colombian sign language; deaf; corpus.

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