A Grammar of Turkish Sign Language (TİD)

1.1.1. Contrastive handshapes

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

List of editors

Meltem Kelepir

Copyright info

© 2020 Kadir Gökgöz, Aslı Göksel, Demet Kayabaşı, Meltem Kelepir, Onur Keleş, Okan Kubus, Aslı Özkul, A. Sumru Özsoy, Burcu Saral, Hande Sevgi, Süleyman S. Taşçı

Bibliographical reference for citation

The entire grammar:
Kelepir, Meltem (ed.). 2020. A Grammar of Turkish Sign Language (TİD). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series). (https://thesignhub.eu/grammar/tid) (Accessed 31-10-2021)

A Chapter:
LastName, FirstName. 2020. Syntax: 3. Coordination and Subordination. In Kelepir, Meltem (ed.). 2020. A Grammar of Turkish Sign Language (TİD). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series), 230-237. (https://thesignhub.eu/grammar/tid) (Accessed 31-10-2021)

A Section:
LastName, FirstName. 2020. Phonology: 1.1.1.2. Finger configuration. In Kelepir, Meltem (ed.). 2020. A Grammar of Turkish Sign Language (TİD). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series), 230-237. (https://thesignhub.eu/grammar/tid) (Accessed 31-10-2021)

LastName, FirstName. 2020. Syntax: 3.1.2.1.3. Manual markers in disjunctive coordination. In Kelepir, Meltem (ed.). 2020. A Grammar of Turkish Sign Language (TİD). 1st ed. (SIGN-HUB Sign Language Grammar Series), 230-237. (https://thesignhub.eu/grammar/tid) (Accessed 31-10-2021)