A phonological diachronic Study on Portuguese Sign Language of the Azores

Studies on diachronic variation of sign languages provide data that allow for a better description of sign language structures and features, and a better comprehension of the emerging patterns of new sign languages.
Following the phonological proposals by Liddell and Jonhson (1989) and Sandler (1989, 2008) and considering the literature on phonological variation, the present study analyzes the phonological changes of Portuguese Sign Language signs from Archipelago Azores, where this language was introduced 30 years ago. This exploratory analysis is a comparative study between the attested signs in Silva and Funk (1999) and the signs elicited nowadays.
The results showed that most of the analyzed signs were replaced by new signs or suffered partial changes in their articulation predominantly in hand configuration parameter, especially in certain selected fingers and finger position features, bringing forward the role that hand configuration parameter plays in the stabilization of signs. Upon completion of the analysis, crystallization patterns, such as homogenization of pronouns, also became evident.