A Grammar of Italian Sign Language (LIS)

The concept of politeness and impoliteness changes cross-culturally and differs from language to language and from country to country. Interestingly, LIS makes a different use of para-linguistic strategies, as for example the personal and body contact with respect to spoken Italian. Indeed, due to the visual-gestural channel, in LIS the proxemics is reduced for linguistic and functional reasons. Proxemics refers to those implicit rules in a communicative exchange that establish the physical distance to be kept among participants in order not to be impolite. The physical contact is part of this proxemics sphere and the parameters in which it is allowed in a communication may change geographically and culturally. In spoken Italian, the vocal-auditory channel contributes in creating a barrier between interlocutors, and restricts the use of physical contact to more confident relationships, for example in a familiar environment or with friends. Physical contact in spoken formal conversations would be considered as rude or inappropriate. By contrast, in LIS, having a manual or physical contact during the signed conversation is not considered rude or impolite, but functional to some linguistic needs. For example, in a group conversation, if a signer needs to focus the attention of a certain participant who gives the shoulders to him, it is completely acceptable to call him by touching his/her shoulder.

         However, depending on the use of the body, it is also possible to act impolitely, for example, to turn one’s back in front of someone who is signing is considered a clear signal of communicative disregard.

         In situations where the communicative exchange starts to become tense, in order to mitigate an unpolite behaviour, some signs may be used by the participants at the conversation who want to keep a peaceful atmosphere, as for example the sign hold_on (a) or quiet (b).

 

 

 

         a.         hold_on

         ‘Wait a moment’

 

 

 

         b.         quiet

         ‘Be quiet’

 

Some linguistic strategies referring to polite manners may also be conveyed through the use of non-manual markers, which may correspond to specific vocal uses and intonations in spoken languages. LIS disposes of a particular protrusion of the lips in order to emphasize a major politeness in the request, as displayed in the example below.

 

 

 

 

                              y/n

         ix_{1 1}ask₂ can ix₁

         ‘May I ask a question?’

 

A similar use is also shown in the example below.

 

 

 

                                     y/n

         ix₁ intervene can ix₁

         ‘May I interject?’