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Special Theme: Where Sign Language Studies Can Take Us National Introductory Essay: Museum of Sign Languages are Languages! Ethnology Osaka Ritsuko Kikusawa Number 33 National Museum of Ethnology December 2011 On November 25, 2009, the Nagoya District Court in Japan sustained a claim by Newsletter Anthropology a Japanese Sign Language (JSL) user, acknowledging that sign languages are a means of communication that are equal to orally spoken languages. Kimie Oya, a Deaf signer, suffered from physical problems on her upper limbs as the result of injuries sustained in a traffic accident. This restricted her ability to express MINPAKU things in JSL. However, the insurance company did not admit that this should be compensated as a (partial) loss of linguistic ability, because ‘whether to use a sign language or not is up to one’s choice’. Although some thought that the degree of impairment admitted by the court (14% loss) was too low, the sentence was still welcome and was considered a big step forward toward the better recognition of JSL, the language of the biggest minority group in Japan. Contents A correct understanding of the nature of sign languages, and recognition that they are real Where Sign Language languages is spreading slowly but Studies Can Take Us steadily through society. Signing Ritsuko Kikusawa communities, meanwhile, have Introductory Essay: continued to broaden their worldview, Sign Languages are Languages! ....... 1 reflecting globalization, and cooperation with linguists to acquire Soya Mori objective analyses and descriptions of Sign Language Studies in Japan and their languages (see Mori article, this Abroad ............................................ 2 issue). I believe that the situation is more or less similar in many countries Connie de Vos and societies — the communities of A Signers’ Village in Bali, Indonesia linguists being no exception. ....................................................... 4 Linguistic research on sign languages is now becoming accepted by non- Ted Supalla & Betsy Hicks McDonald Building an Infrastructure to Support sign linguists (Supalla and Osugi Historical Sign Language Research ... 6 articles), and sign linguistics has started to gain the academic status Yutaka Osugi that it deserves. For example, the The Japanese Sign Language Corpus: latest edition of Language Files (Ohio A Work in Progress .......................... 8 State University Press), an introductory textbook to linguistics widely used in James Woodward the USA, has included information Efforts to Document, Preserve, and about sign languages in almost all its Promote Sign Languages and Deaf chapters, including those on Cultures ........................................ 10 phonology, morphology, and syntax. Phonology, morphology and syntax of sign languages? Yes, sign languages Exhibition ......................................... 12 have their own grammars, just like Conferences ...................................... 13 English and Japanese do — the rules that tell us how to build up elements Information ....................................... 16 to be understood by other members of the same linguistic community using New Staff .......................................... 16 the language. The grammar of a sign language is not ‘artificial’, as some Publications ...................................... 16 people believe. In any community with Deaf members, some kind of signing Errata ............................................... 16 communication spontaneously develops, and can develop into a full http://www.minpaku.ac.jp/ 2 MINPAKU Anthropology Newsletter No 33 December 2011 The author is an language (de Vos article). The Deaf associate professor at population is not limited to one area or Minpaku. She played a major role in the region, so a large number of sign renovation of the languages are used in the world. The language exhibition in total world number of languages 2009, and was co-organizer of an acknowledged by UNESCO was revised international sign from about 6,000 to 7,000 in 2009, and language workshop it is said that one reason for the drastic held at Minpaku in increase was addition of sign languages July 2011. Her current research in this revision. concerns the history Despite the large number of sign of Austronesian languages, however, many are languages, in endangered. In general, languages that particular the comparison and are used by only a small number of reconstruction of people are often overtaken by languages grammatical that are used in a larger community, or structures. She also lose their unique features as a result of specializes in the prehistory of Oceania, standardization. Sign languages are no and is involved in exception. In recent years, the various inter- significance of documenting languages disciplinary research is getting both social and academic Yutaka Osugi, a Deaf linguist using American Sign projects. Her attention. However, with the great Language to chair a workshop at Minpaku (see page publications include: 13) Proto Central Pacific number of languages still being used, Ergativity (Pacific and the rapidly increasing number of Linguistics, 2002) and endangered languages, there is no different sign languages, including ‘The movement of people and plants in place where we can say that Italian, Indian and Malay, appeared. It the Pacific: documentation is enough. This is more was indeed their very first encounter Reconstructing true with sign languages than with with foreign languages! Every time I culture-history based spoken languages, given the lack of remember the story and imagine our on linguistic data’ (2009 International recognition of sign languages in many exhibition hall filled with the children’s Symposium on societies (Woodward article). shining eyes, I cannot help feeling both Austronesian At Minpaku, sign languages are now thrilled and more conscious of a social Studies, 2010). part of our completely renovated responsibility, considering Minpaku’s language exhibit. Shortly after the influence on our visitors. As a research opening in March 2009, children from institute, our obligation to convey a local Deaf school visited, and we correct information about sign learned that they could not take their languages is academically important eyes off the video clip where eight and socially required. Sign Language Studies in Japan and Abroad Soya Mori Institute of Developing Economies–JETRO In the history of Japanese Sign Linguists community. The third period Language (JSL), we can discern four lasted until the 1990s. In this period, different periods after World War II. The the Japanese Deaf community began to first period lasted until the 1970s when look outside the country and there were very few people knew JSL in Japan and even some articles by Japanese Sign the best interpreters for the Deaf were Linguists written in English. The last teachers at schools for the Deaf. The period is the current one after 2000. In second period was between the 1970s this period, some well-organized JSL and 1980s. In this period, Sign interpreter training courses were Language Clubs were set up in many established as well as a bilingual- cities of Japan and more hearing people bicultural school for the Deaf. The began to learn how to use signed development of Sign Linguistics in language at these clubs. It was also the Japan has had a strong effect on time when new information from the institutions in each of the four periods. USA came into the Japanese Sign December 2011 MINPAKU Anthropology Newsletter No 33 3 The Fist Period: Proto-Sign Japan some sophisticated knowledge The author is a Senior Linguistics about Sign Linguistics and mostly from Research Fellow at the Institute of It is said that Japan is a very close the USA. Sociolinguistic considerations Developing linguistic community. Most Japanese were very popular in this period, and Economies–JETRO, people do not know languages other the study of JSL was first differentiated an editor of an international journal, than Japanese at all well, and there are into various codes. For example, Sign Language many difficulties in learning other ‘Traditional Sign Language’, Studies, and chief languages through everyday life. The ‘Simultaneous Method Sign Language’, editor of Disability situation was very similar for Japanese and ‘Intermediate Sign Language’ were Studies. He was born deaf and is currently deaf people. The only difference used by teachers at the Tochigi School involved in Sign between deaf and hearing people is that for the Deaf. However, these all had the Linguistic research on the former need bilingual skills while same modality: the same manual-visual Filipino Sign the latter can survive with only communication channel. Researchers Language and Kenyan Sign monolingual skills. Deaf people need to and society were not aware of the Language, and the have fluency in two languages, JSL and precise differences between codes. The livelihoods of People written Japanese. However, they are diglossic phenomenon of deaf people, in with Disabilities in also close to the two languages and their use of both JSL and Signed the Philippines. His academic activities sometimes, unconsciously they code- Japanese, might have been the reason include both Sign switch between JSL and quasi signed- for this fact. JSL has different grammar Linguistics and Japanese. A few deaf people went from Signed Japanese though both of Development abroad and some entered Gallaudet them have the same modality. That’s Economics. Publications include: University,