A Grammar of Turkish Sign Language (TİD)

Contrastive handshapes are handshapes that can distinguish at least two signs that have the same location and movement. See below two pairs of signs where such a meaning distinction is made by different handshapes. In the first pair, luck and wıne, H -handshape and S -handshape are distinctive. In the second pair, chıcken and punıshment, the distinctive handshapes are D-handshape and r-handshape.

 

 

luck                                                     

 

 

wıne

 (adapted from Dikyuva, Makaroğlu, & Arık, 2015: 105)

 

 

chıcken           

 

 

punıshment                                            

  (adapted from Kubus 2008: 19)

 

Distinctive handshapes and example signs with the respective handshapes are listed below. Handshape names are given according to the selected fingers or similarity of the handshape to a fingerspelled letter, number, or a lexical sign in TİD.

 

	Handshape Picture	Handshape Name	Example Signs
1		C-Handshape	moon, coffee, devıl, turkey
2		L-Handshape	festıval, shout, wednesday, thursday, vıllage
3		Closed-O-Handshape	green, sılver, please, gold, none, organızatıon
4		P-Handshape	fraud, empty, fıght
5		U-Handshape	throat, thıck, urfa (city name)
6		Thumb-Handshape	presıdent, sports, appoıntıng
7		Closed-4-Handshape	ıstanbul, mouse, mırror, equal, closed, karate
8		Flat-Handshape	stop, help, hıt, frıend, ıgnorant
9		Claw-Handshape	claw, self, mother, own, mad
10		Bent-Flat-Handshape	support, funny, granny, cheese
11		Cup-Handshape	cup, bınoculars, glass, group
12		Bent-Flat+Thumb-Handshape	soft, vıdeo, vote, fıle
13		Small-Handshape	small, suspıcıon, whıstle, thın, grapes
14		Middle-Selected-Handshape	punıshment, goal, conscıence, forgıve
15		Wide-O-Handshape	pıpe, telescope, laboratory, vertebra
16		Narrowed-O-Handshape	matches, permıssıon, few, strıng, easy
17		Good-Handshape	good, chıld, eat, problem, guılt, egg
18		Middle+Thumb-Handshape	take_out, fıre_somebody, dıet
19		12-Handshape	report, not_recognıze, twelve
20		Covered-T-Handshape	do/make, dıffıcult, offer, payment
21		Horn-Handshape	horn, wander, bed, savıng
22		Little-Finger-Handshape	guest, bad, tuesday, favorıtısm, rıdıcule
23		Little+Thumb-Handshape	same, heavy, game, aırplane
24		3-Handshape	three, agrıculture, de-jure, alawıte
25		4-Flexed-Handshape	famıly, prıson, push, defence
26		V-Handshape	see, fashıon, polıce, theatre, normal
27		5-Handshape	fıve, exıst, want, black, know, dumb, queue
28		7-Handshape	seven, gırl, frıday, star, quıck, wıne, traınıng
29		8-handshape	eıght, sıt, blue, love
30		9-Handshape	nıne, year, wrong, uncle, kıng, gossıp, hot, ınvestıgatıon, fınd
31		Fist-Handshape	get_bored, get_angry, accıdent, press
32		Fingersnapping	forget, run_away, fast
33		1-Handshape	one, command, red, no, luck, sunday

 

(adapted from Kubus 2008:39-42 and Dikyuva, Makaroğlu, & Arık 2015:103)

 

Lexical items usually involve one of the following frequent handshapes: x-handshape and H, and Good-Handshape. Besides, 1, O, >, 2-handshapes constitute a considerable part of the lexicon. Other handshapes such as f -handshape are less frequent.

Handshape includes phonological features of selected fingers and finger configuration. Selected fingers in a sign are the fingers that can be flexed, that can have movement in fingers, or that can contact a location on the body. The pair of signs luck and wıne below have the  H -handshape and S -handshape respectively. The former has the index finger, whereas the latter has the index and the middle fingers as the selected fingers.

Finger configuration refers to the flexion properties of selected fingers. The flexion can be in finger joints, that is the first two joints in fingers. The signs luck and hot are distinguished based on finger joints.

 

 

luck

   

wine

 

 

hot

(adapted from Makaroğlu, Bekar, & Arık 2014: p.214)

 

Alternatively, the base joints (the third joints from fingertips) can be flexed. This feature is distinctive as the pair full and funny shows.

 

 

full

 

 

 

funny