Draft:Buci Sign Language
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Last edited by Bearcat (talk | contribs) 28 days ago. (Update) |
| Buci Sign Language | |
|---|---|
| Created by | – |
| Date | 21st century |
| Setting and usage | Artistic language (artlang) / Auxiliary manual language |
| Purpose | Constructed language
|
| Latin-based Buci orthography; SignWriting / Stokoe-style transcription | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | None |
Buci Sign Language (BSL), also referred to as Signed Buci or the Buci Manual System, is a constructed sign language and manual modality designed as the visual-gestural equivalent to the spoken constructed language Buci. While spoken Buci is characterized by an extensive inventory of diacritically modified consonants, lateral fricatives, uvular and pharyngeal consonants, and complex onset ligatures, the sign language counterpart translates both its lexical root structures and its orthographic inventory into a comprehensive system of fingerspelling (dactylology) and iconic, spatial grammar.[1]
Buci Sign Language serves both as a complete naturalistic sign language using spatial cherology and non-manual features, and as a manually coded language used for literal transcription and recitation of written Buci texts, such as the ns̒id lr̒t buc̒i ("Buci Alphabet Song").[2]
Spoken Buci phonology and orthography
[edit]Buci Sign Language relies heavily on the structural and phonological inventory of spoken Buci. The spoken language utilizes a 32-letter modified Latin alphabet featuring turned comma and comma-below diacritics, as well as several specialized ligatures and borrowed glyphs, notably the Arabic letter ʿayn (ع) and modified numeral forms representing complex consonant-vowel clusters.[3]
Alphabet and phonological values
[edit]The standard alphabet of Buci is organized into paired base and modified characters, alongside specialized phonotactic glyphs:
| Letter | IPA | Manual equivalent (BSL) | Notes / Articulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | [a] | Flat-B hand, thumb resting on palm | Open front unrounded vowel |
| a̒ | [ɑ] | Flat-B hand, thumb retracted backward | Open back unrounded vowel |
| b | [b] | Closed fist, index pointing right | Voiced bilabial plosive |
| c | [tʃ] | Curved C-hand with index extended forward | Voiceless postalveolar affricate |
| c̒ | [ts] | Curved C-hand with wrist flick outward | Voiceless alveolar affricate |
| e | [ɛ] | E-handshape, fingers curled to thumb | Open-mid front unrounded vowel |
| e̒ | [ə] | E-handshape, palm facing inward | Schwa (mid central vowel) |
| f | [f] | Standard F-hand (index and thumb touch) | Voiceless labiodental fricative |
| d | [d] | Upright index finger, thumb touching middle | Voiced alveolar plosive |
| q | [k] | Pointed downward index and thumb | Voiceless velar plosive |
| q̒ | [ɡ] | Downward index and thumb, vibrated | Voiced velar plosive |
| h | [h] | Open 5-hand sweeping downward | Voiceless glottal fricative |
| i | [i] | Upright pinky finger | Close front unrounded vowel |
| i̒ | [ɪ] | Upright pinky bent at proximal joint | Near-close near-front unrounded vowel |
| j | [j] | Upright pinky tracing a "J" curve | Palatal approximant |
| j̒ | [dʒ] ~ [ʒ] | Pinky and ring finger hooked outward | Voiced postalveolar affricate/fricative |
| l | [l] | L-handshape (thumb and index perpendicular) | Alveolar lateral approximant |
| l̒ | [ɬ] | L-handshape with vibrating index | Voiceless alveolar lateral fricative |
| m | [m] | Closed fist, thumb under three fingers | Bilabial nasal |
| n | [n] | Closed fist, thumb under two fingers | Alveolar nasal |
| n̒ | [ŋ] | Closed fist with pinky flicked lateral | Velar nasal |
| o | [ɔ] | O-handshape, slightly open | Open-mid back rounded vowel |
| o̒ | [o] | Compact O-handshape, fingertips compressed | Close-mid back rounded vowel |
| p | [p] | Downward P-hand (index forward, middle down) | Voiceless bilabial plosive |
| r | [r] | Crossed index and middle fingers | Alveolar trill |
| r̒ | [ɣ] | Crossed fingers with wrist rotation | Voiced velar fricative |
| s | [s] | Fist with thumb across fingers | Voiceless alveolar fricative |
| s̒ | [ʃ] | Fist with thumb across, waving wrist | Voiceless postalveolar fricative |
| y | [y] ~ [ʏ] | Y-hand (thumb and pinky extended) | Close front rounded vowel |
| y̒ | [ɲ] | Y-hand tilted with index tap | Palatal nasal |
| w | [w] | W-hand (three middle fingers extended) | Voiced labio-velar approximant |
| x | [χ] | Hooked index finger (X-hand) vibrating | Voiceless uvular fricative |
| u | [u] | Index and middle fingers upright together | Close back rounded vowel |
| u̒ | [ʉ] | Index and middle fingers parted horizontally | Close central rounded vowel |
| t | [t] | Fist with thumb between index and middle | Voiceless alveolar plosive |
| v | [v] | V-handshape (index and middle separated) | Voiced labiodental fricative |
| z | [z] | Index finger tracing a "Z" in neutral space | Voiced alveolar fricative |
| Syllabic ligatures and unique phonemes | |||
| 8̒ | [bleu] | Double-handed loop forming an "8", flicking up | Monosyllabic onset-nucleus compound |
| 8̦ | [bljau] | Double-handed "8" descending with open fingers | Complex triphthongal syllable |
| ̔8 | [bli] | Double-handed "8" snapping to pinky extension | Lateral-liquid onset cluster |
| ع | [ʕ] | Claw-hand retracted toward the throat | Voiced pharyngeal fricative / stop |
Manual system (cherology)
[edit]In its fully gestural form, Buci Sign Language does not simply spell words letter by letter; rather, it uses a distinct phonological (cherological) system based on the four traditional sign language parameters: handshape, location, movement, and orientation, supplemented by non-manual features.[4]
Diacritic realization
[edit]In the manual alphabet, diacritics are expressed systematically:
- Turned comma above ( ̒ ): When modifying consonants (e.g., c̒ [ts], l̒ [ɬ], r̒ [ɣ]), the base handshape is articulated with an outward or lateral supination of the wrist, signaling a shift in manner from stop to fricative or central to lateral. For vowels (e.g., a̒ [ɑ], e̒ [ə]), the handshape is retracted toward the signer's torso, representing vowel backing or centralization.
- Subscript comma ( ̦ ): Conveyed by a brief downward plunge of the hand, indicating lowered articulation or diphthongal glides.
- Preposed apostrophe ( ̔ ): Expressed by an initial inward tap prior to releasing into the primary sign shape.
Non-manual markers
[edit]Buci Sign Language incorporates non-manual markers (NMMs) such as eyebrow position, head tilts, and mouth shapes. In particular, words spelled or signed with the pharyngeal glyph ع are produced alongside a characteristic tightening of the throat and a slight head retraction, visually reflecting the oral articulation of [ʕ].[3]
Lexicon and syntax
[edit]While fingerspelling is used for proper names and loanwords, standard Buci possesses independent lexical signs. Many lexical roots closely mirror the highly consonantal phonotactics of the spoken language.
Examples
[edit]| Written Buci | Spoken IPA | English translation | Manual sign description |
|---|---|---|---|
| ns̒id lr̒t buc̒i | /nʃid lɣt bu.tʃi/ | Buci Alphabet Song | Compound sign: fingerspelled N-S̒-I-D followed by rhythmic two-handed wave (song) and the emblem for the Buci language. |
| mzq̒ | /mzɡ/ | Music | Two hands shaped in the m configuration tracing melodic waves outward from the ears. |
| xs̒c̒dع | /χʃts.dʕ/ | The End / Conclusion | Both open hands held horizontally, crossed outward across the chest, ending with a claw retraction to indicate the terminal ع. |
Syntax
[edit]Buci Sign Language typically follows a Topic-Comment structure, differing from the more rigid SVO tendencies of the spoken register. Spatial loci are established in front of the signer to indicate pronominal reference and verbal agreement, allowing for efficient communication that bypasses the complex consonant clusters found in speech.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Smith, J. A. (2023). "Typological Features of Sign Systems Derived from A Priori Conlangs." Journal of Constructed Languages, 14(2), 45–62. Cite error: The named reference "BSL-intro" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- 1 2 Conlang Linguistics Guild (2022). A Comprehensive Grammar and Manual of the Buci Language, pp. 112–119. Cite error: The named reference "Grammar2022" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- 1 2 VanderMeer, E. (2021). "Phonological Inventory and Phonotactics of Buci." Linguistic Exploration of Artificial Tongues, 8(1), 101–118. Cite error: The named reference "PhonologyDoc" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ↑ Stokoe, William C. (2005). Sign Language Structure: An Outline of the Visual Communication Systems of the American Deaf. Linstok Press. Cite error: The named reference "StokoeModel" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).