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MARKERS WITH THE SEMANTICS OF PROSPECTIVE IN THE NORTHERN SAMOYEDIC LANGUAGES // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2015. Issue 1 (7). P. 9-20

The paper discusses several verb suffixes used in the Northern Samoyedic languages. Some properties of the forms being discussed give rise to assume that their semantics is related to the aspectual meaning of the prospective that represents the grammaticalization of the relationship of a present state of affairs to some subsequent situation. Among these forms are both non-finites (participle suffixes), and the suffixes used in finite verb word-form. It has been shown that the typical features of the prospective meaning are most saliently manifested by the participles. The suffixes used in finite verb word-form are apparently the result of further grammaticalization of the prospective meaning. In different Northern Samoyedic languages they function either as evidentials or as the future tense markers.

Keywords: prospective, Samoyedic languages, Nenets language, Enets language, Nganasan language, participle, evidentiality, future tense, grammaticalization

THE ROLE OF VISUAL MODALITY IN LANGUAGE VITALITY AND MAINTENANCE // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2021. Issue 3 (33). P. 19-30

The paper discusses sociolinguistic aspects of Russian Sign Language (RSL) and attempts to show that the tools used to access the degree of language vitality, which were developed for spoken languages, are not quite suitable to access vitality of sign languages. For example, if to try to assess the vitality of RSL in terms of six-point scale of the “nine factors” system proposed by UNESCO (Language vitality ..., 2003), which is used in the Atlas of Endangered Languages, the assessment of RSL would be no more than 3 points. In other words, RSL would be characterized as an endangered language. It is an unwritten language, mainly used in everyday communication; it exists in the environment of functionally much more powerful spoken Russian; the overwhelming majority of RSL signers are bilinguals, they use spoken Russian, at least in its written form; most deaf children acquire RSL not in the family, from birth, but later in life, at kindergartens or schools; the conditions of RSL acquisition affect the deaf signers’ language proficiency, as well as spoken Russian affects RSL’s lexicon and grammar; RSL still remains insufficiently studied and poorly documented, etc. However, RSL, as a native communication system of the Deaf, based on visual modality, is not only well maintained, but even expands some spheres of use. The main factor, which supports maintenance of RSL and which is not taken into account in the existing tools to access the degree of language vitality is visual modality. The auditory modality is inaccessible or poorly accessible for the deaf, so they can not completely shift to spoken Russian. Visual modality remains the most natural for their communication. In addition, modern technologies and the internet provide much more opportunities for the existence of RSL in this modality and for its development.

Keywords: language vitality, sign languages, visual modality

Religious Terminology in Russian Sign Language // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2023. Issue 4 (42). P. 9-22

The article describes the religious vocabulary in Russian Sign Language (RSL). It shows that the effects of visual modality in sign languages, namely iconicity and the use of space, are clearly expressed in RSL religious terms. There is also a clear tendency to distribute the mechanisms of direct iconic representation, visual metonymy, and metaphor to different subgroups of the lexemes studied. Material objects such as priestly vestments and ecclesiastical paraphernalia are primarily described by direct iconic representation. In contrast, religious rituals, denominations, holidays, and some religious and mythological figures are primarily described by visual metonymy, where a sign is based on an iconic representation of one of its visually perceived attributes. The signs whose meaning is in some way related to the concept of spirituality are mainly based on visual metaphor. The influence of the surrounding Russian spoken language is also clearly felt in the religious vocabulary of the RSL. There are different types of borrowings: fingerspelled lexemes, lexicalized fingerspelled lexemes, initialized signs, and replication. A large number of borrowings can be explained both by the complexity of the meanings expressed and by the constant use of sacred texts written in spoken Russian in this domain. At the same time, the article shows the differences between RSL and spoken Russian in the division of the religious semantic domain. Some terms for which there are several words in spoken Russian, differing in subtle nuances of meaning or contexts of use, are expressed with the same sign in RSL. On the other hand, some meanings in RSL are more differentiated than spoken Russian when a Russian word corresponds to several signs that differ in more subtle nuances of meaning or contexts of use.

Keywords: Russian Sign Language, religious vocabulary, effects of visual modality, iconicity, metonymy, metaphor, borrowings