Abstract

The sociolinguistic situation for individuals in Vanuatu who are deaf from childhood is under described. Geographical, economic and social circumstances mean that deaf individuals’ access to education and social contact with other deaf people is minimal, which hinders development of a sign language that is widely shared among deaf people. This article firstly outlines the sociolinguistic circumstances for deaf individuals in this context and secondly, reports on the documentation of signs recorded from 19 deaf adults in disparate locations during fieldwork in Vanuatu in 2011-2012. Their personal sign repertoires are considered in terms of similarity to one another and iconic depicting strategies. This study contributes to understanding the ways in which deaf individuals innovate visual-gestural communicative repertoires in remote contexts like the islands of Vanuatu, where the potential for a deaf community sign language is constrained by geography, mobility, absence of accessible schooling, and opportunity for deaf sociality.

Te Reo-Volume 68-Issue 2-pp. 162–185