A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Name Signs in Israeli Sign Language

Name sign systems have been described in many deaf communities around the world. The most frequent name sign types are associated with an individual’s appearance, for example, a signers’ hairstyle, clothes, and physical features such as height, weight, etc. However, a recent study that examined name signs in Swedish Sign Language, for example, found a decrease in name signs based on appearance and an increase in person name signs, suggesting that name signs are undergoing changes. This study examines name signs produced by 160 deaf signers of Israeli Sign Language (ISL), a sign language that emerged in Israel around ninety years ago. The findings show that, like in other studies, name signs based on appearance are the most frequent in ISL. However, the distribution of name sign types differed based on signers’ age and language background. Older signers and deaf people from hearing families are more likely to have name signs related to their appearance while younger signers and deaf people from deaf families are more likely to have name signs related to their legal name, including initialized name signs or signs based on the literal translation of the name. The results are discussed in light of changes in society including changes in deaf education and a rise in political correctness.