A Grammar of Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT)

The selected fingers in a hand configuration are the fingers that are the most prominent in the production of the sign. Technically, this means that the selected fingers are the ones that are extended, move and/or make contact with a location or the thumb (note that the thumb is not considered a finger). The selected fingers are always in the same configuration (see PHONOLOGY 1.1.1.2). In NGT, the fingers can be selected all together, per one, per two, and per three – although there are constraints on the combinations in the case of two or three selected fingers. The features [all], [one], [ulnar], and in Tables 2.2-2.6 all refer to selected fingers; combinations of these features indicate which finger is selected. To give an example: [one] means selection of the index finger by default. Other fingers should be further specified; the pinky finger is, for instance, indicated by the addition of the feature [ulnar]. All possible combinations are listed in Figure 2.5 and are illustrated by examples.

 

1. No fingers selected

2. All fingers selected

a. divorce	b. holiday

3. The index finger selected	4. The middle finger selected
c. important	d. contact_lens

5. The ring finger selected	6. The pinky finger selected
e. orange (color)	f. heels

7. The index and middle finger selected	8. The index and pinky finger selected
g. restaurant	h. camping_site

9. The index, middle and ring finger selected

i. sloth (luiaard)

Figure 2.5. Nine attested combinations of selected fingers, illustrated by signs. 

 

Additionally, the combination of the index, middle and pinky finger was mentioned, but  note that only one sign in which these three fingers are selected was identified. This concerns the sign lazy, which form is based on the combination of three letter signs from the manual alphabet. We further attested the signs too_much_effort, can’t_stand, and fighter_jet in the online dictionary of the Dutch Sign Centre, showing that the handshape is also used in non-initialized signs. Therefore, we consider this a valid combination of selected fingers in NGT, and present it as a tenth option in Figure 2.6:

 

 

Figure 2.6. The tenth attested combination of selected fingers, illustrated by fighter_jet.  

 

 

To be precise, the following combinations of selected fingers are not attested in NGT according to van der Kooij (2002):

                 (i)            Middle and ring finger;

               (ii)            Ring and pinky finger;

             (iii)            Index and ring finger;

             (iv)            Middle and pinky finger;

               (v)            Middle, ring and pinky finger;

             (vi)            Index, ring and pinky finger.

 

We confirmed this for all six combinations by checking the extensive online dictionary of the Dutch Sign Centre and searching for specific hand configurations. There were, indeed, no signs in which one of these six combinations of fingers was selected.