Intuitions of native Japanese Sign Language signers onmouthing words with multiple pronunciations

Mouthings in signed languages have traditionally been understood as derived from spoken
languages, and Japanese Sign Language (JSL) is no exception. However, Bauer and
Kyuseva (2022) has suggested that it is also a written language-contact phenomenon, as
their Russian Sign Language mouthing study shows that RSL signers mouth shapes that
people using spoken Russian would not. This study focuses on Japanese Sign Language
user’s mouthing patterns when producing a word that has multiple possible mouthings.
Spoken Japanese have multiple readings for the same logographic character, kanji, some
Japanese-derived (kun-yomi), and some Chinese-derived (on-yomi). Fluent JSL signers
were asked to produce JSL signs for two sets: one for concepts with kun-yomi readings
in spoken language, and for objects ordinarily expressed with two or more kanji with onyomi
readings. The findings show that JSL signers overwhelmingly use kun-yomi in their
mouthings, even for words read in on-yomi in spoken Japanese. In sum, this paper corroborates
Bauer and Kyuseva’s finding that mouthings are not necessarily a completely
spoken language-contact phenomenon.