DOCSLIB.ORG

Finland-Swedish Sign Language (Finssl) Building a Future for a Severely Endangered Language

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Finland-Swedish Sign Language (Finssl) Building a Future for a Severely Endangered Language 1 Finland-Swedish Sign Language (FinSSL) Building a Future for a Severely Endangered Language Maria Andersson-Koski & Magdalena Kintopf-Huuhka Närpes 30.8.2017 2 FinSSL – a minority within a minority FinSSL = Finland- Finnish Swedish Sign Language FinSL FinSSL Swedish FinSL= Finnish Sign Language 3 Historical background • The first school for Deaf pupils was founded in 1846 in Borgå/Porvoo by Carl Oscar Malm (1826-1863) • Malm used the sign language he learnt in Sweden as the language of instruction • The rise of oralism in the end of the 19th century • Sign language looses its status as language of instruction • 1892: division into Finnish and Swedish ”speaking” and ”writing” institutions • → FinSL and FinSSL start to grow apart Carl Oscar Malm Finland's National Board of Antiquities 2017 4 From a dialect to a language • In the 1990s: officially one sign language in Finland • Regional dialects correlate with different Deaf schools and FinSSL was seen as a variety for the Deaf school in Porvoo/Borgå • 1998-2002: First research project in FinSSL (Hoyer & Kronlund-Saarikoski 2002) • 2002: Finlandssvenska teckenspråkiga r.f, the organisation for FinSSL-users was founded • 2005: First definition of a FinSSL-user, made by language users themselves (Hedrén et al 2005) • 2013: FinSSL given the status as a severely endangered language • 2015: FinSSL recognized as a language in the Finnish law 5 Language situation today • Approximately 90 Deaf language users in Finland (Andersson-Koski 2015) • 70 % born in the 50s or before • This number (90) does not include second language users, nor first or second language users living abroad 6 Challenge • How to define a FinSSL-user today? • Who has the authority to decide? 7 Loss of a linguistic environment • The only remaining Swedish Deaf school in Finland (in Borgå/Porvoo) was shut down in 1993 • After 1993, Deaf children with Swedish-speaking family background can choose to: • Be integrated in a State school with the help of interpreters • Attend a Finnish Deaf school • Move to Sweden for Deaf education and retain Swedish as their written language • The importance of schools for language acquisition • Traditionally people who attended the Deaf school in Borgå/Porvoo were seen as FinSSL-users… but what about today? 8 Signs of endengarement • Heterogeneous and fragmented language community • Lack of education, services, information, research, interpreters… • Despite of this, many positive steps forward have been taken in the past years. These steps demonstrate a feeling of togetherness within the group that gives the language users energy and motivation to continue to fight for their linguistic rights. 9 While there's life there's hope – building a future • An improved language status (Sign Language Act 2015) has supported the revitalization of the language • In 2014, the Finnish government for the first time decided to finance a project meant to “vitalize the FinSSL” → Lev i vårt språk – Live in our languages 2015-2017 (Humak University of Applied Sciences) • It is promising to be able to start a FinSSL interpreter education in the near future 10 Still a lot to be done… Janne Kankkonen 2017 11 More information: • The project Lev i vårt språk: livs.humak.fi • The organisation for FinSSL-users: dova.fi • The Finnish Association of the Deaf: www.kuurojenliitto.fi • FinSSL dictionaries: • Suvi online dictionary in the Finnish sign languages suvi.teckensprak.net • Signwiki finssl.signwiki.org 12 References • Andersson-Koski, Maria, 2015: Mitt eget språk – vår kultur. En kartläggning av situationen för det finlandssvenska teckenspråket och döva finlandssvenska teckenspråkiga i Finland 2014-2015. Finlandssvenska teckenspårkiga r.f. • Cataloguing Endangered Sign Languages: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/research/explore/projects/sign_languages_in_unesco_atlas_of_world_languag es_in_danger.php • Hedren, J., Hoyer, K., Londen, M., Wenman, L., Westerholm, H., & Östman, J.-O, 2005: Finlandssvenska teckenspråkiga i dag. In J.-O. Östman (Ed.), Nordica Helsingiensia no. 4. FinSSL, finlandssvenskt teckenspråk (pp. 113–122). Helsingfors: Nordica. • Hoyer, Karin & Kronlund-Saarikoski, Karin (red.) 2002: Se vårt språk! – Näe kieleMMe! Finlandssvenskt teckenspråk 38 ordboksartiklar. Finlands Dövas Förbund r.f. & Forskningscentralen för de inhemska språken. Tummavuoren kirjapaino. Helsingfors. • Hoyer, Karin, 2004b: “The Sociolinguistic Situation of Finland-Swedish Deaf People and Their Language, Finland-Swedish Sign Language”. I: Herreweghe, Mieke Van & Vermeerbergen, Myriam (red.): To the Lexicon and Beyond: Sociolinguistics in European Deaf CoMMunities. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press. S. 3–23..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sign Language Typology Series
    SIGN LANGUAGE TYPOLOGY SERIES The Sign Language Typology Series is dedicated to the comparative study of sign languages around the world. Individual or collective works that systematically explore typological variation across sign languages are the focus of this series, with particular emphasis on undocumented, underdescribed and endangered sign languages. The scope of the series primarily includes cross-linguistic studies of grammatical domains across a larger or smaller sample of sign languages, but also encompasses the study of individual sign languages from a typological perspective and comparison between signed and spoken languages in terms of language modality, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to sign language typology. Interrogative and Negative Constructions in Sign Languages Edited by Ulrike Zeshan Sign Language Typology Series No. 1 / Interrogative and negative constructions in sign languages / Ulrike Zeshan (ed.) / Nijmegen: Ishara Press 2006. ISBN-10: 90-8656-001-6 ISBN-13: 978-90-8656-001-1 © Ishara Press Stichting DEF Wundtlaan 1 6525XD Nijmegen The Netherlands Fax: +31-24-3521213 email: [email protected] http://ishara.def-intl.org Cover design: Sibaji Panda Printed in the Netherlands First published 2006 Catalogue copy of this book available at Depot van Nederlandse Publicaties, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Den Haag (www.kb.nl/depot) To the deaf pioneers in developing countries who have inspired all my work Contents Preface........................................................................................................10
    [Show full text]
  • Sign Language Endangerment and Linguistic Diversity Ben Braithwaite
    RESEARCH REPORT Sign language endangerment and linguistic diversity Ben Braithwaite University of the West Indies at St. Augustine It has become increasingly clear that current threats to global linguistic diversity are not re - stricted to the loss of spoken languages. Signed languages are vulnerable to familiar patterns of language shift and the global spread of a few influential languages. But the ecologies of signed languages are also affected by genetics, social attitudes toward deafness, educational and public health policies, and a widespread modality chauvinism that views spoken languages as inherently superior or more desirable. This research report reviews what is known about sign language vi - tality and endangerment globally, and considers the responses from communities, governments, and linguists. It is striking how little attention has been paid to sign language vitality, endangerment, and re - vitalization, even as research on signed languages has occupied an increasingly prominent posi - tion in linguistic theory. It is time for linguists from a broader range of backgrounds to consider the causes, consequences, and appropriate responses to current threats to sign language diversity. In doing so, we must articulate more clearly the value of this diversity to the field of linguistics and the responsibilities the field has toward preserving it.* Keywords : language endangerment, language vitality, language documentation, signed languages 1. Introduction. Concerns about sign language endangerment are not new. Almost immediately after the invention of film, the US National Association of the Deaf began producing films to capture American Sign Language (ASL), motivated by a fear within the deaf community that their language was endangered (Schuchman 2004).
    [Show full text]
  • Language Legislation and Identity in Finland Fennoswedes, the Saami and Signers in Finland’S Society
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI Language Legislation and Identity in Finland Fennoswedes, the Saami and Signers in Finland’s Society Anna Hirvonen 24.4.2017 University of Helsinki Faculty of Law Public International Law Master’s Thesis Advisor: Sahib Singh April 2017 Tiedekunta/Osasto Fakultet/Sektion – Faculty Laitos/Institution– Department Oikeustieteellinen Helsingin yliopisto Tekijä/Författare – Author Anna Inkeri Hirvonen Työn nimi / Arbetets titel – Title Language Legislation and Identity in Finland: Fennoswedes, the Saami and Signers in Finland’s Society Oppiaine /Läroämne – Subject Public International Law Työn laji/Arbetets art – Level Aika/Datum – Month and year Sivumäärä/ Sidoantal – Number of pages Pro-Gradu Huhtikuu 2017 74 Tiivistelmä/Referat – Abstract Finland is known for its language legislation which deals with the right to use one’s own language in courts and with public officials. In order to examine just how well the right to use one’s own language actually manifests in Finnish society, I examined the developments of language related rights internationally and in Europe and how those developments manifested in Finland. I also went over Finland’s linguistic history, seeing the developments that have lead us to today when Finland has three separate language act to deal with three different language situations. I analyzed the relevant legislations and by examining the latest language barometer studies, I wanted to find out what the real situation of these language and their identities are. I was also interested in the overall linguistic situation in Finland, which is affected by rising xenophobia and the issues surrounding the ILO 169.
    [Show full text]
  • Swedish-Speaking Population As an Ethnic Group in Finland
    SWEDISH-SPEAKING POPULATION AS AN ETHNIC GROUP IN FINLAND Elli Karjalainen" POVZETEK ŠVEDSKO GOVOREČE PREBIVALSTVO KOT ETNIČNA SKUPNOST NA FINSKEM Prispevek obravnava švedsko govoreče prebivalstvo na Finskem, ki izkazuje kot manjši- na, sebi lastne zakonitosti v rasti, populacijski strukturi in geografski razporeditvi. Obra- vnava tudi učinke mešanih zakonov in vključuje tudi vedno aktualne razprave o uporabi finskega jezika na Finskem. Tako v absolutnem kot relativnem smislu upadata število in delež švedskega prebi- valstva na Finskem. Zadnji dostopni podatki govore o 296 840 prebivalcih oziroma 6% deležu Švedov v skupnem številu Finske narodnosti. Švedska poselitev je nadpovprečno zgoščena na jugu in zahodu države. Stalen upad števila članov švedske narodnostne skup- nosti gre pripisati emigraciji, internim migracijskim tokovom, mešanim zakonom in upadu fertilnosti prebivalstva. Tudi starostna struktura švedskega prebivalstva ne govori v prid lastni reprodukciji. Odločilnega pomena je tudi, da so pripadniki švedske narodnosti v povprečju bolj izobraženi kot Finci. Pred kratkim seje zastavilo vprašanje ali je potrebno v finskih šolah ohranjati švedščino kot obvezen učni predmet. Introduction Finland is a bilingual country, with Finnish and Swedish as the official languages of the republic. The Swedish-speaking population is defined as Finnish citizens who live in Finland and speak Swedish as their mother tongue, 'mothertongue' regarded as the language of which the person in question has the best command. Children still too young to speak are registered according to the native tongue of their parents, principally of the mother (Fougstedt 1981: 22). Finland's Swedish-speaking population is here discussed as a minority group: what kind of a population group they form, and how this group differs in population structure from the total population.
    [Show full text]
  • What Sign Language Creation Teaches Us About Language Diane Brentari1∗ and Marie Coppola2,3
    Focus Article What sign language creation teaches us about language Diane Brentari1∗ and Marie Coppola2,3 How do languages emerge? What are the necessary ingredients and circumstances that permit new languages to form? Various researchers within the disciplines of primatology, anthropology, psychology, and linguistics have offered different answers to this question depending on their perspective. Language acquisition, language evolution, primate communication, and the study of spoken varieties of pidgin and creoles address these issues, but in this article we describe a relatively new and important area that contributes to our understanding of language creation and emergence. Three types of communication systems that use the hands and body to communicate will be the focus of this article: gesture, homesign systems, and sign languages. The focus of this article is to explain why mapping the path from gesture to homesign to sign language has become an important research topic for understanding language emergence, not only for the field of sign languages, but also for language in general. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. How to cite this article: WIREs Cogn Sci 2012. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1212 INTRODUCTION linguistic community, a language model, and a 21st century mind/brain that well-equip the child for this esearchers in a variety of disciplines offer task. When the very first languages were created different, mostly partial, answers to the question, R the social and physiological conditions were very ‘What are the stages of language creation?’ Language different. Spoken language pidgin varieties can also creation can refer to any number of phylogenic and shed some light on the question of language creation.
    [Show full text]
  • Sign Language Recognition
    Sign Language Recognition by Carol-lee Aquiline OffidciLrecognition ojsign languages is an important aimpursued by WFD and many ojits member orqaniza­ nons. What exactly does "official recognition" mean? This may varyfrom country to country depending onthe legal system and which government bodies have responsibilityjorproviding services and enjorcing laws. ollowing is information that WFD nition around the world:' ' decided to put sign language under the has received from -~ountries world­ Sweden: The Swedish Parliament protection of cultural diversity, instead Fwidethat havesome level of recog­ accepted Swedish Sign Language in an of recognizing it as an official language nition of their national sign language: educational policy. Policies, as created as demanded by Deaf people. _ In national constitution: Brazil, Czech by the SwedishParliament, usuallyhave Finland: The Finnish Constitution Republic,_Ecuador, Finland, Greece, legal enforcement. Swedish Sign Lan- clearlyregardssignlanguageas an official Portugal, South Africa, Uganda; and guage has not been accepted as an language. This Constitution acceptsboth Venezuela. official languagebut it has been accepted the dominant and minority languages; In government legislation or policy: as a truelanguage. Uganda:The Ugandan Constitution was Australia, Belarus, Canada, Colombia, United States: The Americans with the first in the world to recognize sign Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Disabilities Act (ADA) acceptsAmerican language as an official language (see p. Finland,France,Iceland,Lithuania,Nor­ Sign Language (ASL) for accessibility 10). This Constitution was enacted in way, Peru, Poland, Russian Federation, reasons. In this sense,ASL is a protected 1995and clearlypromotes thedevelop­ Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United language. ment of sign language for Deaf people. States of America, Uruguay,Zimbabwe, Slovak Republic: The Slovakian law is Colombia: The Colombian law has 14 and some German states.
    [Show full text]
  • Language Perceptions and Practices in Multilingual Universities
    Language Perceptions and Practices in Multilingual Universities Edited by Maria Kuteeva Kathrin Kaufhold Niina Hynninen Language Perceptions and Practices in Multilingual Universities Maria Kuteeva Kathrin Kaufhold • Niina Hynninen Editors Language Perceptions and Practices in Multilingual Universities Editors Maria Kuteeva Kathrin Kaufhold Department of English Department of English Stockholm University Stockholm University Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm, Sweden Niina Hynninen Department of Languages University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland ISBN 978-3-030-38754-9 ISBN 978-3-030-38755-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38755-6 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.
    [Show full text]
  • THE SWEDISH LANGUAGE Sharingsweden.Se PHOTO: CECILIA LARSSON LANTZ/IMAGEBANK.SWEDEN.SE
    FACTS ABOUT SWEDEN / THE SWEDISH LANGUAGE sharingsweden.se PHOTO: CECILIA LARSSON LANTZ/IMAGEBANK.SWEDEN.SE PHOTO: THE SWEDISH LANGUAGE Sweden is a multilingual country. However, Swedish is and has always been the majority language and the country’s main language. Here, Catharina Grünbaum paints a picture of the language from Viking times to the present day: its development, its peculiarities and its status. The national language of Sweden is Despite the dominant status of Swedish, Swedish and related languages Swedish. It is the mother tongue of Sweden is not a monolingual country. Swedish is a Nordic language, a Ger- approximately 8 million of the country’s The Sami in the north have always been manic branch of the Indo-European total population of almost 10 million. a domestic minority, and the country language tree. Danish and Norwegian Swedish is also spoken by around has had a Finnish-speaking population are its siblings, while the other Nordic 300,000 Finland Swedes, 25,000 of ever since the Middle Ages. Finnish languages, Icelandic and Faroese, are whom live on the Swedish-speaking and Meänkieli (a Finnish dialect spoken more like half-siblings that have pre- Åland islands. in the Torne river valley in northern served more of their original features. Swedish is one of the two national Sweden), spoken by a total of approxi- Using this approach, English and languages of Finland, along with Finnish, mately 250,000 people in Sweden, German are almost cousins. for historical reasons. Finland was part and Sami all have legal status as The relationship with other Indo- of Sweden until 1809.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Groningen an Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Pronunciation In
    University of Groningen An Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Pronunciation in Swedish Dialects Leinonen, Therese IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2010 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Leinonen, T. (2010). An Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Pronunciation in Swedish Dialects. s.n. Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). The publication may also be distributed here under the terms of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act, indicated by the “Taverne” license. More information can be found on the University of Groningen website: https://www.rug.nl/library/open-access/self-archiving-pure/taverne- amendment. Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 01-10-2021 Chapter 2 Background In this chapter the linguistic and theoretical background for the thesis is presented.
    [Show full text]
  • Interpretation of Swedish Sign Language Using Convolutional Neural Networks and Transfer Learning
    DEGREE PROJECT IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, FIRST CYCLE, 15 CREDITS STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN 2020 Interpretation of Swedish Sign Language using Convolutional Neural Networks and Transfer Learning Gustaf Halvardsson & Johanna Peterson KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE Authors Gustaf Halvardsson & Johanna Peterson [email protected] & [email protected] The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science KTH Royal Institute of Technology Place for Project KTH Royal Institute of Technology & Prevas AB Stockholm, Sweden Examiner Benoit Baudry - KTH Royal Institute of Technology Supervisors César Soto Valero - KTH Royal Institute of Technology Maria Månsson - Prevas AB ii Abstract The automatic interpretation of signs of a sign language involves image recognition. An appropriate approach for this task is to use Deep Learning, and in particular, Convolutional Neural Networks. This method typically needs large amounts of data to be able to perform well. Transfer learning could be a feasible approach to achieve high accuracy despite using a small data set. The hypothesis of this thesis is to test if transfer learning works well to interpret the hand alphabet of the Swedish Sign Language. The goal of the project is to implement a model that can interpret signs, as well as to build a user-friendly web application for this purpose. The final testing accuracy of the model is 85%. Since this accuracy is comparable to those received in other studies, the project’s hypothesis is shown to be supported. The final network is based on the pre-trained model InceptionV3 with five frozen layers, and the optimization algorithm mini-batch gradient descent with a batch size of 32, and a step-size factor of 1.2.
    [Show full text]
  • Finnish Sign Language [Fse] (A Language of Finland)
    “Finnish Sign Language [fse] (A language of Finland) • Alternate Names: FinSL, Suomalainen viittomakieli, SVK, Viittomakieli • Population: 5,000 (2006 Institute for the Languages of Finland–KOTUS). 5,000 deaf and 10,000 hearing signers (2006 Institute for the Languages of Finland–KOTUS). 5,000 deaf signers (2014 EUD). 26,500 (2014 IMB). • Location: Scattered • Language Status: 5 (Developing). Recognized language (2011, No. 61, Institute for sign language status). • Dialects: 2 major dialects from the Finnish (17 schools) and Swedish (1 school) communities. Signed Finnish, used by some teachers of the deaf, is distinct. Developed originally out of Swedish Sign Language [swl], but now distinct. Closely-related to Finland- Swedish Sign Language (FinSSL) [fss], but FinSL users generally have difficulty understanding FinSSL unless FinSSL users adapt towards FinSL. Some borrowing from Finnish [fin]. (Hoyer 2004.) Not intelligible with Danish Sign Language [dsl]. • Typology: One-handed fingerspelling. • Language Use: Used by deaf people whose families speak Finnish [fin] and who attended schools that used Finnish as the language of instruction (Hoyer 2004).The government pays interpreters to accompany the deaf to hospitals, college, church, etc. Interpreters required in court. • Language Development: Films. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 1989. • Other Comments: Fingerspelling system similar to French Sign Language [fsl]. First deaf school founded 1850s. Government-paid interpreters. Interpreters required in court. Instruction for parents of deaf children. Many classes for hearing people. Christian (Protestant).” Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.) 2015. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com.
    [Show full text]
  • Does the Nordic Region Speak with a FORKED Tongue?
    Does the Nordic Region Speak with a FORKED Tongue? The Queen of Denmark, the Government Minister and others give their views on the Nordic language community KARIN ARVIDSSON Does the Nordic Region Speak with a FORKED Tongue? The Queen of Denmark, the Government Minister and others give their views on the Nordic language community NORD: 2012:008 ISBN: 978-92-893-2404-5 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6027/Nord2012-008 Author: Karin Arvidsson Editor: Jesper Schou-Knudsen Research and editing: Arvidsson Kultur & Kommunikation AB Translation: Leslie Walke (Translation of Bodil Aurstad’s article by Anne-Margaret Bressendorff) Photography: Johannes Jansson (Photo of Fredrik Lindström by Magnus Fröderberg) Design: Mar Mar Co. Print: Scanprint A/S, Viby Edition of 1000 Printed in Denmark Nordic Council Nordic Council of Ministers Ved Stranden 18 Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen K DK-1061 Copenhagen K Phone (+45) 3396 0200 Phone (+45) 3396 0400 www.norden.org The Nordic Co-operation Nordic co-operation is one of the world’s most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involving Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland. Nordic co-operation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an important role in European and international collaboration, and aims at creating a strong Nordic community in a strong Europe. Nordic co-operation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Common Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive. Does the Nordic Region Speak with a FORKED Tongue? The Queen of Denmark, the Government Minister and others give their views on the Nordic language community KARIN ARVIDSSON Preface Languages in the Nordic Region 13 Fredrik Lindström Language researcher, comedian and and presenter on Swedish television.
    [Show full text]