Abstract
In this paper, I use a holographic metaphor to explain the identification of overlapping sign language communities in Panama. By visualizing Panama's complex signing communities as emitting community "hotspots" through social drama on multiple stages, I employ ethnographic methods to explore overlapping contours of Panama's sign language communities in both time and space, similar to what a hologram accomplishes. Based on rapid appraisal of Panama's signed languages through 2 weeks of participant observation, interviews, and lexical comparisons, and contextualization of this data in a broad 5-year project that included fieldwork in 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, I propose recognition of overlapping Chiriquí and Panamanian Signing Communities using distinct signed languages: Lengua de Señas Panameñas and Lengua de Señas de Chiriquí.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 305-330 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | Multilingua |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2016 by De Gruyter Mouton.
Keywords
- Panama
- language identification
- sign language