Sign Language Studies

Abstract:

By providing evidence that sign language is an autonomous language, research has contributed to various changes both within and beyond the signing communities. The aim of this article is to present an example of how sign language change is driven not only by language-internal factors but also by changes in language perception, as well as in the changing groups of users and the contexts of use. Drawing from data on Italian Sign Language collected at a sign language research center in Italy for more than thirty years, the present study shows how language research was itself a major impetus for a new linguistic awareness. It also relates how changes in language attitude have influenced new linguistic practices and forced Italian signers to think about the rules that govern the use of their language.