Personal pronouns in Georgian Sign Language

Abstract

        In my book “Georgian Sign Language,” I reviewed in detail the pronouns in this language (pp. 244-288) and systematically contrasted these forms with those in spoken Georgian. It is important to note that there is an opinion according to which, in general, we do not have pronouns in sign languages, and these are deictic forms. Indeed, if we look at the data of Georgian Sign Language - GESL, the first, second, and third person pronouns are deictic forms and not the proper lexical signs. This is generally a common occurrence for sign languages. The linguistic logic here is quite clear. It is worth noting that somatic vocabulary in nouns is also referential or pointing. Almost all sign languages ​​have a way of pointing body parts. Thus, in these languages, ‘foot’, ‘heart’, ‘knee’, ‘head’, ‘eye’, ‘nose’, ‘mouth’, etc. will be represented in the same way.

It is noteworthy that GESL (like many other sign languages) does not distinguish between class or gender categories in pronouns. Against this background, it is important to note that GESL, as a three-dimensional system, prioritizes the emphasis on spatial marking. Pronouns in sign languages ​​can be represented in manual and non-manual forms. The non-manual form usually refers to the mimic version of the corresponding sign. In the case of pronouns, this can also be a gaze. Thus, we have the following forms of pronouns:

1. Manual forms, when the personal pronouns are deictic forms;
2. Mimic forms, when facial expressions express a particular pronoun;
3. Forms with gaze, when the gaze indicates a specific person. This form is also deictic in nature.

From the three versions listed above, by their combinations, we obtain the following two-member possibilities:

1. A combination of manual and gaze;
2. A combination of gaze and mimic.

A three-membered combination is also possible:

1. A combination of gaze, manual and mimic forms.

Based on the GESL data, it should be said that the last three-member combination is used relatively less, neither the combination of manual and gaze is frequent in GESL.