Sign linguistic analysis of tactile signing development by Deaf-Blind people

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K04934
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Special needs education
• Research Institution: Hyogo University of Teacher Education
• Principal Investigator: TORIGOE Takashi 兵庫教育大学, 学校教育研究科, 教授 (10183881)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 盲ろう者 / 触手話 / 手話学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to investigate tactile signing by Deaf-Blind (DB) people from a linguistic point of view. Research reviews show two perspectives: one is that tactile signing is a variant of a signed language and the other is that tactile signing is a new language developed from a visual signed language. Natural conversational materials of tactile signing were obtained from 7 Japanese DB people having various experiences. First, we tried to set up an analytic platform of tactile signing, and then tentatively clarified tactile signing shared not only the characteristics of visual signing expressed through contact, but also the new characteristics different from visual signed language, though we could not go further due to ongoing COVID 19.

Free Research Field

手話言語学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

手話言語は言語と認識されてきており，その言語学的解明が進められてきた。しかしながら，盲ろう者が用いている触手話については，福祉的な視点からの取り組みはあるものの，その学術的な検討がなされてこなかった。本研究は触手話の言語学的解明を試みたものである。言語資料を収集し，その文法的な分析が試みられたが，コロナ禍の影響で，中断せざるを得なかった。今後，盲ろう者自身による言語的な直感を含めた言語学的解明を進めることが求められる。