Depiction Beyond Hand Touch in an Interpreter-Mediated Setting Using Tactile Norwegian Sign Language

This paper presents data from Tactile Norwegian Sign Language (TNTS) focusing on signs that are realized on the body of the deafblind person (‘tactile sign language haptices’). It answers the question of how depiction can be expressed on the body of a deafblind person beyond hand touch in an interpreter-mediated setting with a goal that is two-fold: i) provide a classification of TNTS haptices and their interaction with depiction; ii) present the case study of the TNTS haptice blow realized on the body of the deafblind person not through touch, but through air vibration in a flow of air out of the interpreter’s mouth.