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National sign languages, encompassing Czech Sign Language, are natural language systems and as such have typical properties of full-fledged natural languages. Linguistics dedicated to elucidating languages employs an array of methods and procedures for systematic investigation. Within this expansive domain, the subfield of quantitative linguistics defines specific linguistic laws, whose validity is subsequently verified. One of the quantitative laws observed in languages is Menzerath–Altmann law, which defines the relationship between hierarchical levels of language. This article endeavours to expound upon the conclusions of experiments aimed at verifying validity of this law, specifically on utterances in Czech Sign Language. It should be emphasized that this is the pioneering study representing the attempt to apply quantitative linguistic laws to a language other than spoken language. The results disseminated in the paper show that while the validity of Menzerath–Altmann law has been proven at higher hierarchical levels, at levels lower than sign, a revision of the hitherto considered hierarchical structure is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text summarizes the existing knowledge in the field of phonetics and phonology of sign languages about one of the basic manual components of a sign – the handshape. These findings are correlated with the results of research conducted so far on Czech Sign Language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates content questions and the paradigm of question words in Czech Sign Language (český znakový jazyk – ČZJ). While this topic has been investigated for a fair number of other sign languages, a comprehensive study for ČZJ is still missing. Our aim is to fill this gap. In the absence of a representative corpus for ČZJ, we use data from the most extensive electronic dictionary database (Dictio), developed at the Masaryk University in Brno. We offer a basic description of the ČZJ interrogative strategies for content questions. In doing so, we also situate the language within the typology of sign language interrogatives: we classify ČZJ as a language with a rich paradigm of question words, and we identify the basic syntactic position of question words as sentence-final. Furthermore, we outline three morphological types of ČZJ question words: simple, complex, and derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text focuses on the life and work of the priest, teacher and writer Hieronymus Anton Jarisch (1818-1890). It highlights important moments in his life connected with the education of the deaf and especially his connection with the Prague Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, Václav Frost and the sign language used in Bohemia and the Austrian Empire. The emphasis is placed on his book Methode für den Unterricht der Taub-Stummen in der Laut-Sprache im Rechnen und in der Religion (1851), which includes a picture dictionary of signs that can be partly regarded as the first historically documentable pictures of Czech Sign Language signs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses a survey of a Czech deaf people’s Facebook discussion (presented both in Czech sign language and written Czech) about one type of greeting used by the Czech deaf community. Views on greetings and comments on them are analysed within the framework of the discussion, as well as within the context of its presentation (the Czech deaf community and its culture, politeness, bilingualism and biculturalism of the deaf; intercultural encounters, and intercultural understanding). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Th e article off ers a diachronic view of the signs in Czech sign language for the twelve months of the year and seven days of the week. It looks at the original motivation for these signs, which can be traced back in written sources of the 19th century and it determines the area of everyday life from which the signs for the calendar units are derived. Th e probable original motivation is compared with the results of synchronic research into the motivation of signs from the perspective of folk etymology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]