Argentine Sign Language

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Argentine Sign Language (Spanish: Lengua de señas argentina, LSA) is used in Argentina. Deaf people attend separate schools, and use local sign languages out of class. A manual alphabet for spelling Spanish has been developed.

The name Lengua de señas argentina was first used in 1985 by Spanish-speaking linguists. Among speakers of LSA, the language shares its name with the verb "to sign" or the fingerspelled "LSA" or "LS" is used.^[2]

Argentine Sign Language (LSA) was officially recognized by the government of Argentina in 2023.^[3][4] it had been previously recognized as a natural language of the Deaf communities in Cordoba, La Plata, and Mendoza.^[2]

LSA is thought to have emerged beginning in 1905, when the boys-only Ayrolo Institute, the first boarding school for the Deaf, was opened in Argentina. However, the school adhered to oralism, and thus LSA was not encouraged. This attitude continued into the 1930s, and with the opening of a boarding school for Deaf girls. However, the 20th century also saw the formation of a number of Deaf associations, providing environments where LSA could be used regularly, for those who opposed the oralism approach.^[2]

It was not until the 1990s that proponents of LSA as the primary language of the Argentine Deaf community gained institutional power in the country's Deaf associations.^[2]

LSA is largely standard across the country, but more pronounced lexical and phonetic variations have been found in Northeast Argentina (Formosa and Chaco), and have been attributed to poorer socioeconomic conditions in the region leading to less travel by Deaf residents, and thus more linguistic isolation.^[2]

Researchers have also noticed variations between women and men's LSA, as Argentine schools for the Deaf were sex segregated until 1990. These variations include different signs for colors, days of the week, and numbers. Among younger signers of LSA, the number system originating from the male school is more predominant.^[2]

LSA phonemes fall into the categories of Movement (M), Hold (H), and Transition (T). Most signs follow the pattern T-M-H, unless they make contact with the body.^[2] Researchers have identified four contour Movement patterns and five local Movement patterns.^[2]

Researchers have described sixteen handshape patterns, each with its own variations depending on finger use, thumb position, and extension. Signs may use one or both hands.^[2]

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In Argentine Sign Language (LSA), fingerspelling of the manual alphabet is used to spell out words and convey specific letters of the alphabet manually through handshapes. This system allows Deaf individuals to represent words, names, or concepts for which there are no standard signs, or to clarify spelling in situations where precision is paramount.^[2] Manual alphabet handshapes are also integrated into some signs.^[2]

LSA's manual alphabet uses either one or two hands, and some signs are located on the body, an unusual characteristics among manual alphabets. Researchers have described similarities between the LSA alphabet and an older version of the Italian manual alphabet.^[2]

The manual alphabet in LSA consists of a set of handshapes representing each letter of the Spanish alphabet. Each handshape corresponds to a specific letter, and the fingerspelling process involves sequentially forming these handshapes to spell out the desired word or message. The clarity and accuracy of fingerspelling in LSA rely heavily on precise hand movements, finger positions, and facial expressions to ensure effective communication.^[2]

Fingerspelling is commonly used in situations where direct translation from Spanish to LSA is not feasible, such as proper nouns, technical terms, or newly introduced concepts. Additionally, fingerspelling may be employed for emphasis, clarification, or to reinforce understanding within a conversation or educational context.^{[citation needed]}

Proficiency in fingerspelling is an essential skill for both Deaf individuals and those interacting with the Deaf community, as it enhances communication flexibility and comprehension in diverse linguistic settings. Training in fingerspelling is often incorporated into LSA educational programs and language-learning initiatives to promote linguistic proficiency and fluency among users of LSA.^{[citation needed]}

LSA's lexicon contains nouns, verbs, determiners, pronouns, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections. Researchers have suggested that LSA signs do not intrinsically belong to one of these categories, but rather have categories assigned based on their use in context.^[2]

Unlike Spanish, LSA nouns do not automatically inflect for gender. In situations where gender is being distinguished, the signs "male" and "female" are usually used within a larger phrase. To designate the gender of kinship terms, the handshape corresponding to "o" or "a' (the Spanish masculine and feminine endings respectively) are used, along with mouthing.^[2]

LSA has several ways to indicate a plural noun, including repetition or signing the same sign with both hands.^[2]

LSA has six pronouns, corresponding to first, second, and third person, and their plurals. Plural pronouns can use different numbers of fingers to indicate number; for example, two fingers to indicate "the two of us", three for "the three of us", and four for "all of us".^[2]

Argentine Sign Language (LSA) exhibits a distinct grammatical structure that differs from spoken languages such as Spanish. Notably, LSA lacks the concept of "Sujeto tácito" (tacit subject), a grammatical feature found in Spanish where the subject is inferred from the verb conjugation without explicit expression. In LSA, subjects are typically expressed explicitly through manual signs, facial expressions, and body movements.^{[citation needed]}

LSA uses subject-verb sentence order with intransitive verbs, and subject-object-verb order used with transitive verbs. However, these orders may vary "according to various linguistic constraints and pragmatic purposes.".^[5]

LSA grammar is primarily visual-spatial and relies on a combination of handshapes, movements, and non-manual markers to convey meaning. The language employs a topic-comment structure, where the topic is established first, followed by additional information or commentary. Non-manual markers, such as facial expressions and head movements, play a crucial role in indicating grammatical aspects such as negation, question formation, and emphasis.^{[citation needed]}

Verb agreement in LSA is marked through movement, location, and directionality, with verbs inflecting to indicate aspects such as tense, aspect, and mood. Adjectives and adverbs are typically placed before the noun or verb they modify, and word order can vary depending on contextual factors and emphasis.^{[citation needed]}

LSA also features spatial grammar, where locations and movements in signing space are used to convey spatial relationships, pronouns, and verb arguments. Spatial referencing is dynamic and can change based on discourse context and the perspective of the signer.^{[citation needed]}

The unmarked word order in LSA is subject-object-verb, akin to languages such as Turkish, Japanese, and Latin, but divergent from Spanish.

When an indirect object is present in the sentence, it precedes the direct object.^{[citation needed]}

In sentences involving chains of verbs, auxiliary verbs typically appear after the main verb, contrary to English word order.^{[citation needed]}

The Personal Agreement Marker (abbreviated as "PAM"), resembling the sign for "person" and sometimes accompanied by the mouthing "auf" ("on"), serves to indicate the location in signing space of animate objects when the verb in the sentence does not perform this function. It essentially fulfills the role of object pronouns, although it behaves more akin to an auxiliary verb, inflecting for person where the main verb does not. While there exists notable variation, particularly among dialects, it typically appears in positions similar to auxiliaries, following the verb rather than occupying the object slot. Similarly, the benefactive marker (labeled as "BEM") is positioned in a similar manner.^{[citation needed]}

Temporal expressions (tomorrow, next week) typically precede the sentence (as a discourse topic).^{[citation needed]}

Phrases specifying location often commence at the beginning of the sentence (after time information).^{[citation needed]}

This adheres to the figure-ground principle, where smaller, more mobile referents (figures) typically follow larger, less mobile referents (ground).^{[citation needed]}

Sentence adverbs frequently appear at the beginning of the sentence.^{[citation needed]}

However, adverbs modifying the verb but which cannot be expressed non-manually follow the verb as an extra clause.^{[citation needed]}

Wh-words (interrogatives) typically occur at the end of the sentence after the verb.^{[citation needed]}

Some signs with a negative meaning tend to occur at the end of the sentence.^{[citation needed]}

However, if the negation is not emphasized, it can also appear in the expected position.^{[citation needed]}

Determiners (articles, demonstratives, quantifiers, relative pronouns) follow the noun.^{[citation needed]}

Their function is to establish the location of referents within the signing space. If this is indicated instead by directional verbs, determiners can always be omitted, provided they are not required for other reasons (such as showing possession, pluralization, etc.). There is no distinction between definite and indefinite articles.^{[citation needed]}

Attributive adjectives follow immediately after the noun.^{[citation needed]}

The copula to be does not exist in LSA. Predicative adjectives are generally separated from the noun by a determiner.^{[citation needed]}

Comparing the preceding sentence to the following noun phrase, in which the determiner follows the adjective, demonstrates a different syntactic structure.

Possessive adjectives are positioned between the possessor and the possession.^{[citation needed]}

Here is an illustration of a more extended yet still straightforward, unmarked sentence.

Sections of the sentence that deviate from their typical unmarked position are accompanied by non-manual marking.

Elements of the sentence (excluding verbs) can be topicalized by relocating them to the beginning of the sentence and marking them with raised eyebrows.^{[citation needed]}

Often, a topic doesn't fulfill any other function in the sentence. In such cases, it serves to restrict the scope of the sentence.^{[citation needed]} Contrast the following three sentences.

• LSA dictionaries (in English and French)