Finger-spelling handshapes have been continuously investigated in sign language phonology.Japanese Sign Language (JSL) has kana syllabary-based finger-spelling.Those handshapes are incorporated into some signs used by native signers.The current study is the first step of an attempt to describe the phonological characteristics of kana-based signs, focusing on the relationship between physical contact and location.Kana-based signs contain only the first kana symbol, and hence are similar to what is called 'initialized signs' in previous works on other sign languages.A list of 23 commonly used kana-based signs was created by a native signer of JSL who had been trained with sign language phonology.Five native signers were requested to sign the word list on their own and make judgments about whether physical contact was required with the sign or not.The current study revealed that there is an interaction between the location of the sign and the requirement of physical contact (Higher, Lower, Borderline, Neutral).Kana-based signs signed at the lower location tend to enhance their phonological salience with physical contact or internal movements added to the path.
Baba et al. (Fri,) studied this question.