Signed Names in Japanese Sign Language - Linguistic and Cultural Analyses - Pre-print Draft

Aug 25, 2026

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Signed names in Japanese Sign Language (JSL) are analyzed through a dataset of 216 signed names to explain how deaf JSL signers form and use name signs. The study identifies nine signed-name formation strategies, highlighting that seven strategies represent written Japanese surnames. It links these strategies to language contact with kanji and kana and argues that Japan’s literacy culture, emphasizing written surnames, shapes naming practices in Japanese deaf education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages42

Reading Time1 h 46 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Naming in JSL and related research

Sources and Methods

Dataset compilation from four sources

Strategies for Signed-Name Formation

Nine strategies and frequency focus

Signed Names in Japanese Sign Language: Linguistic and Cultural Analyses Angela Nonaka, Kate Mesh, and Keiko Sagara Pre-print copy; final draft post-refereeing This article describes the types of signed names given and used by deaf users of Japanese Sign Language. Drawing from a dataset of 216 signed names, we identify and describe nine strategies for signed name-formation. Notably, seven of these represent written Japanese surnames. We explain how language contact with written Japanese characters (kanji) and syllabograms (kana) gives rise to a distinctive set of naming strategies. We further discuss the culture of literacy in Japan that emphasizes the written forms of surnames and consider its influential role in Japanese deaf education when sustained contact between many deaf people made naming a central concern. This article describes the naming or onomastic system of Japanese Sign Language (JSL), a natural language, distinct from spoken Japanese, used by more than sixty thousand deaf people and their hearing cosigners in Japan (Ishida 2001) . Like members of all linguistic communities, users of JSL refer to themselves and to each other by name. Deaf JSL signers typically have at least one signed name and may have nicknames for use in informal contexts. With few exceptions (typically, nicknames), JSL signed names represent the bearer’s surname, reflecting the emphasis on family names as the primary terms of reference in Japan (Gaudart 1999) . Notably, JSL signed names depict the written form of the bearer’s surname, a fact, we maintain, that is the product of a literacy culture dating to the Meiji period in Japan and pervasive in the Japanese educational system, including deaf education. A growing body of research considers the linguistic structure of JSL (see, among others, Peng 1974 ; Osugi and Supalla 1998; Fukuda et al. 1999; Torigoe and Takei 2001; Morgan 2006, 2008; Fischer 2008; Fischer and Gong 2010; Mori 2010; Sagara and Yang 2013) and the culture and discourse strategies of its users, both deaf and hearing (Nakamura 1995, 2006; Nonaka 1997 ; George 2011) . Another line of research is dedicated to developing sign language recognition technology (Sagawa and Takeuchi 2000a, 2000b, 2002 ; Xu et al. 2000), with applications for JSL teaching, interpreting, and linguistic analysis (Tokuda and Okumura 1998; Hirohiko and Takeuchi 2002 ; Koizumi, Sagawa, and Takeuchi 2002) . While these two research fields have significantly expanded the description of JSL, neither has taken into consideration the onomastic system of the language. A broad description of JSL signed names has been provided in some educational materials designed for second language acquisition. Minna No Shuwa (みんなの手話) (Japan Broadcasting Corporation 1990), Everyone’s Sign Language, and Shuwa Kyoushitsu (手話教室)(Japanese Federation of the Deaf 1984), Sign Language Classroom, are textbook and video short courses for second-language learners of JSL. Minna No Shuwa identifies three bases for JSL signed names: (1) kanji kara narumono (漢字からなるもの)“things derived from kanji characters,”(2) rekishijou no jimbutsu kara totta mono (歴史上の人物からとったもの)“things taken from historical figures,” and (3) yubi mojiya kuusho de hyougen suru mono (指文字や空書で表現するもの)“things expressed through fingerspelling or writing in the air.”Shuwa Kyoushitsu lists six ways to derive signed names in JSL: (1) moji kuusho hikki (文字空書筆記)“characters,”(2) yubi moji (指文字)“fingerspelling,”(3) kanji no katachi yori hyougen shita shuwa no kumiawase (漢字の形より表現した手話の組み合せ)“combinations of signs that express the shape of kanji,”(4) douon igo no shuwa ni yori arawasu (同音異語の手話により表わす)“sign language expression of a homophone,”(5) nikkuneimu (ニックネーム), a borrowed English word,“nicknames,” and (6) ichi kara go no kumiawase (1~5 の組合わせ)“combinations of \#1–5 .” While both sources identify at least some of the ways in which JSL signed names are derived, neither provides an in-depth description or analysis of the

FAQs

What is the main focus of the article on Japanese Sign Language?

The article focuses on the onomastic system of JSL signed names, describing how deaf users form and use name signs and what strategies underlie their formation.

How many signed names are analyzed, and how are they collected?

The analysis draws on 216 signed names compiled from four sources, including video-recorded self-introductions, sociolinguistic interviews, demonstrations by a fluent signer, and demonstrations retrieved from a deaf organization’s website.

What strategies for signed-name formation does the study identify?

The study identifies nine strategies for signed-name formation, noting that seven of these represent written Japanese surnames and that kanji/kana contact plays a key role.

Aug 25, 2026

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