Author: Anabel Maler
Publication details: Anabel Maler, How Sign Language Analyzes Musical Form, Music Theory Spectrum, 2026;, mtag001.
Weblink: https://academic.oup.com/mts/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mts/mtag001/8664087
Abstract:
This article reframes sign language cover songs as music analysis, arguing that Deaf listeners are expert formal analysts who use sign language to convey analytical insights into the form of existing pieces of popular music through the medium of sign language cover songs. Sign language cover songs are placed on a continuum from literal to free translations, and from descriptive to suggestive analysis. The article explores three form-defining parameters—movement type, space, and nonmanual markers—revealing how each one can be used in an American Sign Language (ASL) cover to articulate aspects of musical form.