Signs of development

Sociolinguistic variation and change in New Zealand Sign Language in times of status change and globalisation.

This 3-year project commenced in May 2021.

Led by Associate Professor Rachel McKee, the project investigated evidence of linguistic change in NZSL lexicon and genres, and examined how innovative features correlate with the social characteristics of users (such as age, ethnicity) and particular usage contexts.

Previous research has shown that NZSL is a young language that exhibits rapid sociolinguistic variation and change. Official recognition has brought NZSL use into new public and cultural domains to address wider purposes than in previous eras. New usage demands, and increasing global contact among different signed languages, motivate linguistic change such as expansion of vocabulary and innovation of genres/styles to meet non-traditional purposes.

The project included two studies:

Lexical growth and change (2021 -2022)
Genre variation (2022 - 2024)

Funding

This project was funded by the Marsden Fund.

Reports, presentations and publications

McKee, Rachel, Mireille Vale, George Major, Sara Pivac Alexander and Miriam Meyerhoff. 2025. Pragmatics of second person address variation in New Zealand Sign Language. Lingua 325. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.LINGUA.2025.104009

Simchowitz, Melissa and Rachel McKee. 2025. Constructing Māori deaf identity in New Zealand Sign Language. Language in Society . Published online 2025:1-25. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404525000077

McKee, Rachel, George Major, Mireille Vale and Sara Pivac Alexander. Emerging genre variation in New Zealand Sign Language. Presentation at Sign Language Contact, Variation and Change Workshop, University of Birmingham, 21-22 August2025.

McKee, Rachel, George Major, Mireille Vale and Sara Pivac Alexander. Audience address strategies in online announcements in New Zealand Sign Language. Presentation at International Pragmatics Association Conference, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 27 June 2025.

McKee, Rachel, Sara Pivac Alexander and Catherine Greenwood. NZSL styles in online video posts. Presentation at New Zealand Sign Language Teachers Association conference, Waitangi, 21 June 2025.

McKee, Rachel, Mireille Vale, George Major, Sara Pivac Alexander and Miriam Meyerhoff. 2024. "Two hands are powerful". Handedness variation and genre in New Zealand Sign Language. Language & Communication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2024.07.003

McKee, Rachel and Sara Pivac Alexander. 2024. Social evaluation of variation in contemporary NZSL. LALS Seminar presented at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 16 August 2024.

Simchowitz, Melissa. 2024. ALANZ 'Best thesis' 2023. Short video summary of thesis.

Simchowitz, Melissa. 2023. Māori Deaf Signing Style. Research presentation at Rūaumoko Marae, 6th March 2023.

McKee, Rachel, Mireille Vale and David McKee. 2023. How does NZSL grow? Investigating new signs. Presentation at NZSLTA Conference, Palmerston North, 28 - 30 July 2023.

McKee, Rachel and Mireille Vale. 2024. Recent Lexical Expansion in New Zealand Sign Language - Context, Scope and Mechanisms. Current Issues in Language Planning 25(1), pp. 67-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2023.2231795

Vale, Mireille and Rachel McKee. 2022. Neologisms in New Zealand Sign Language: A Case Study of COVID-19 Pandemic-related Signs. In Klosa-Kückelhaus, A. and I. Kernerman (Eds.) Lexicography of Coronavirus-related Neologisms. Lexicographica. Series Maior 163. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110798081-013

Vale, Mireille and Rachel McKee. 2021. Neologisms in NZSL - a case study of COVID-19 pandemic-related signs Conference paper presented online at the 3rd Globalex Workshop on Lexicography and Neology, August 2021.