Alignment Mouth Demonstrations in Sign Languages Donna Jo Napoli
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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 -
A Lexicostatistic Survey of the Signed Languages in Nepal
DigitalResources Electronic Survey Report 2012-021 ® A Lexicostatistic Survey of the Signed Languages in Nepal Hope M. Hurlbut A Lexicostatistic Survey of the Signed Languages in Nepal Hope M. Hurlbut SIL International ® 2012 SIL Electronic Survey Report 2012-021, June 2012 © 2012 Hope M. Hurlbut and SIL International ® All rights reserved 2 Contents 0. Introduction 1.0 The Deaf 1.1 The deaf of Nepal 1.2 Deaf associations 1.3 History of deaf education in Nepal 1.4 Outside influences on Nepali Sign Language 2.0 The Purpose of the Survey 3.0 Research Questions 4.0 Approach 5.0 The survey trip 5.1 Kathmandu 5.2 Surkhet 5.3 Jumla 5.4 Pokhara 5.5 Ghandruk 5.6 Dharan 5.7 Rajbiraj 6.0 Methodology 7.0 Analysis and results 7.1 Analysis of the wordlists 7.2 Interpretation criteria 7.2.1 Results of the survey 7.2.2 Village signed languages 8.0 Conclusion Appendix Sample of Nepali Sign Language Wordlist (Pages 1–6) References 3 Abstract This report concerns a 2006 lexicostatistical survey of the signed languages of Nepal. Wordlists and stories were collected in several towns of Nepal from Deaf school leavers who were considered to be representative of the Nepali Deaf. In each city or town there was a school for the Deaf either run by the government or run by one of the Deaf Associations. The wordlists were transcribed by hand using the SignWriting orthography. Two other places were visited where it was learned that there were possibly unique sign languages, in Jumla District, and also in Ghandruk (a village in Kaski District). -
The Bilingual & the Bicultural Person in the Hearing & in the Deaf World
The Bilingual & the Bicultural Person In the Hearing & in the Deaf World François Grosjean Sign Language Studies, Volume 77, Winter 1992, pp. 307-320 (Article) Published by Gallaudet University Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/sls.1992.0020 For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/506985/summary Access provided by Universite de Neuchatel (14 Oct 2018 20:54 GMT) THE BILINGUAL &THE BICULTURAL PERSON IN THE HEARING & IN THE DEAF WORLD Frangois Grosjean Abstract If we define the bilingual as a person who uses two or more lan- guages (or dialects) in everyday life, then most Deaf people who sign and who use the majority language regularly (in its written form, for example) are bilingual. Deaf bilinguals share many simi- larities with hearing bilinguals (their diversity, the perception they have of their own bilingualism, their use of various language modes, etc.) but they are also characterized by a number of specificities (the lack of recognition of their bilingual status, the maintenance over time of their languages, the competence they have in certain language skills, their varying patterns of language knowledge and use, etc.). As concerns the bicultural, whom we can define as a person who lives in two or more cultures, who adapts to each and who blends aspects of each, there is little doubt that many Deaf are indeed bicultural. Some of the implica- tions for the bilingual and bicultural education of Deaf children that emerge from these considerations are discussed in the paper. The bilingual person. Despite the fact that more than half the world's population uses two or more languages in everyday life, many erroneous beliefs still surround the notion of bilingualism. -
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). -
The 5 Parameters of ASL Before You Begin Sign Language Partner Activities, You Need to Learn the 5 Parameters of ASL
The 5 Parameters of ASL Before you begin Sign Language Partner activities, you need to learn the 5 Parameters of ASL. You will use these parameters to describe new vocabulary words you will learn with your partner while completing Language Partner activities. Read and learn about the 5 Parameters below. DEFINITION In American Sign Language (ASL), we use the 5 Parameters of ASL to describe how a sign behaves within the signer’s space. The parameters are handshape, palm orientation, movement, location, and expression/non-manual signals. All five parameters must be performed correctly to sign the word accurately. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrkGrIiAoNE for a signed definition of the 5 Parameters of ASL. Don’t forget to turn the captions on if you are a beginning ASL student. Note: The signer’s space spans the width of your elbows when your hands are on your hips to the length four inches above your head to four inches below your belly button. Imagine a rectangle drawn around the top half of your body. TYPES OF HANDSHAPES Handshapes consist of the manual alphabet and other variations of handshapes. Refer to the picture below. TYPES OF ORIENTATIONS Orientation refers to which direction your palm is facing for a particular sign. The different directions are listed below. 1. Palm facing out 2. Palm facing in 3. Palm is horizontal 4. Palm faces left/right 5. Palm toward palm 6. Palm up/down TYPES OF MOVEMENT A sign can display different kinds of movement that are named below. 1. In a circle 2. -
Use of Theses
THESES SIS/LIBRARY TELEPHONE: +61 2 6125 4631 R.G. MENZIES LIBRARY BUILDING NO:2 FACSIMILE: +61 2 6125 4063 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY EMAIL: [email protected] CANBERRA ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA USE OF THESES This copy is supplied for purposes of private study and research only. Passages from the thesis may not be copied or closely paraphrased without the written consent of the author. Language in a Fijian Village An Ethnolinguistic Study Annette Schmidt A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Australian National University. September 1988 ABSTRACT This thesis investigates sociolinguistic variation in the Fijian village of Waitabu. The aim is to investigate how particular uses, functions and varieties of language relate to social patterns and modes of interaction. ·The investigation focuses on the various ways of speaking which characterise the Waitabu repertoire, and attempts to explicate basic sociolinguistic principles and norms for contextually appropriate behaviour.The general purpose is to explicate what the outsider needs to know to communicate appropriately in Waitabu community. Chapter one discusses relevant literature and the theoretical perspective of the thesis. I also detail the fieldwork setting, problems and restrictions, and thesis plan. Chapter two provides the necessary background information to this study, describing the geographical, demographical and sociohistorical setting. Description is given of the contemporary language situation, structure of Fijian (Bouma dialect), and Waitabu social structure and organisation. In Chapter 3, the kinship system which lies at the heart of Waitabu social organisation, and kin-based sociolinguistic roles are analysed. This chapter gives detailed description of the kin categories and the established modes of sociolinguistic behaviour which are associated with various kin-based social identities. -
Building Rapport in American Sign Language.Pdf
BUILDING RAPPORT IN… American Sign Language SMALL TALK/ ADMINISTRATION Hello Wave hello Nice to meet you NICE (place left hand with palm facing up and slide right hand across it) MEET (make two 1 handshapes and then touch them together so that thumbs are touching, like two people meeting) YOU (point out in front of you with index finger as if you were pointing to someone) My name is… MY (gesture to yourself by bringing an open palm to your chest). NAME (make H handshape with both hands; place left hand on top of right to form an X). Then, fingerspell your name. I am a genetic counselor I (point to your chest with your index finger) GENETIC (see below) COUNSEL (place your left hand in front of you with your palm facing down. Slide your right hand across your left hand from your thumb to your pinky starting with your fingers clenched together and opening up your fingers as your right hand slides across the left). Then, indicate “one who does” by placing your hands our in front of your chest facing each other and bringing your hands down in a swift motion. I know a little Sign I (point to your chest with your index finger). KNOW (tap bent handshape to temple). LITTLE Language (gesture a little bit by moving index finger and thumb together in a pinching motion). SIGN (make index finger handshapes and move them in alternating circles). LANGUAGE (touch L handshapes together at the thumbs and twist them as you pull hands away from each other). -
Fingerspelling Detection in American Sign Language
Fingerspelling Detection in American Sign Language Bowen Shi1, Diane Brentari2, Greg Shakhnarovich1, Karen Livescu1 1Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago, USA 2University of Chicago, USA {bshi,greg,klivescu}@ttic.edu [email protected] Figure 1: Fingerspelling detection and recognition in video of American Sign Language. The goal of detection is to find in- tervals corresponding to fingerspelling (here indicated by open/close parentheses), and the goal of recognition is to transcribe each of those intervals into letter sequences. Our focus in this paper is on detection that enables accurate recognition. In this example (with downsampled frames), the fingerspelled words are PIRATES and PATRICK, shown along with their canonical handshapes aligned roughly with the most-canonical corresponding frames. Non-fingerspelled signs are labeled with their glosses. The English translation is “Moving furtively, pirates steal the boy Patrick.” Abstract lated and do not appear in their canonical forms [22, 25]. In this paper, we focus on fingerspelling (Figure 1), a Fingerspelling, in which words are signed letter by let- component of sign language in which words are signed ter, is an important component of American Sign Language. letter by letter, with a distinct handshape or trajectory Most previous work on automatic fingerspelling recogni- corresponding to each letter in the alphabet of a writ- tion has assumed that the boundaries of fingerspelling re- ten language (e.g., the English alphabet for ASL finger- gions in signing videos are known beforehand. In this pa- spelling). Fingerspelling is used for multiple purposes, in- per, we consider the task of fingerspelling detection in raw, cluding for words that do not have their own signs (such as untrimmed sign language videos. -
Sign Language Ideologies: Practices and Politics
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Heriot Watt Pure Annelies Kusters, Mara Green, Erin Moriarty and Kristin Snoddon Sign language ideologies: Practices and politics While much research has taken place on language attitudes and ideologies regarding spoken languages, research that investigates sign language ideol- ogies and names them as such is only just emerging. Actually, earlier work in Deaf Studies and sign language research uncovered the existence and power of language ideologies without explicitly using this term. However, it is only quite recently that scholars have begun to explicitly focus on sign language ideologies, conceptualized as such, as a field of study. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first edited volume to do so. Influenced by our backgrounds in anthropology and applied linguistics, in this volume we bring together research that addresses sign language ideologies in practice. In other words, this book highlights the importance of examining language ideologies as they unfold on the ground, undergirded by the premise that what we think that language can do (ideology) is related to what we do with language (practice).¹ All the chapters address the tangled confluence of sign lan- guage ideologies as they influence, manifest in, and are challenged by commu- nicative practices. Contextual analysis shows that language ideologies are often situation-dependent and indeed often seemingly contradictory, varying across space and moments in time. Therefore, rather than only identifying language ideologies as they appear in metalinguistic discourses, the authors in this book analyse how everyday language practices implicitly or explicitly involve ideas about those practices and the other way around. -
The Harrovian
THE HARROVIAN KING WILLIAM'S COLLEGE MAGAZINE Published three times yearly NUMBER 239 . DECEMBER THE BARRQVIAN 239 DECEMBER 1959 CONTENTS Random Notes School Officers Valete Salvete Library Notes Chapel Notes Correspondence Founder's Day Honours List University Admissions First House Plays ... Literary and Debating Society Literary Contributions Manx Society Gramophone Society Photographic Society Scientific Society Music Club The Orchestra Chess Notes Golf Society Aeronautical Society Badminton Society Shooting Combined Cadet Force ist K.W.C. Scout Group ... Swimming Cricket Rugby Football O.K.W. Section Obituaries Contemporaries We are grateful to the Isle of Man Times and Mona's Herald for permission to reprint photographs in this issue. THE BARROVIAN [December RANDOM NOTES Many friends, parents and O.K.W.'s will be interested to hear that Archdeacon Stenning in his capacity as Chaplain to the Royal Household has been asked to preach in the Chapel Royal on May 8th, 1960, at 10.45 a.m. * # * At the end of this term Mr. B. C. A. Hartley will be handing over as Housemaster of Junior House to Mr. C. Attwood. We should like to take this opportunity of joining the very large numbers of ex- Junior House boys and their parents who would like to thank Mr. Hartley for all the help and encouragement that he has given at Junior House for over twenty years. To say more at this stage would be to anticipate Mr. Hartley s retirement, an event happily many years distant. * * # We congratulate Dr. C. A. Caine (1942-49) who was elected into a Fellowship as Tutor in Mathematics at St. -
The Manual Alphabet
The Manual Alphabet Aa Bb Cc Thumb up, other fingers against Thumb lines up with index or All of the fingers are curved, palm palm middle finger. faces out Dd Ee Ff Thumb touches middle finger. Thumb under index and middle Thumb and index finger touch, Index up. finger others up and apart. Gg Hh Ii Palm faces you, index and Palm faces you, thumb, index Pinky finger up, thumb rest on thumb horizontal and middle finger horizontal index finger. Jj Kk Ll Pinky finger up (i), and the Index up, middle finger out, Index finger up and thumb out, “I”moves down, in, and curves thumb on inside knuckle of forming an imaginary “L” up. middle finger Mm Nn Oo Index, middle and ring finger Index and middle drape over All fingers curved with the tips of over thumb. Thumb on pinky thumb, and thumb on knuckle the index and thumb touching. knuckle of the ring finger. Pp Qq Rr Similar to “K”, but the palm Similar to G, but the palm Index in front of middle finger. faces down, with the middle faces down. Thumb rest on knuckle of ring finger pointing to the floor. finger Ss Tt Uu Fingers clinched in a “fist,” Thumb juts up, between index Index and middle finger up and with thumb on the knuckles of and middle finger. Index together, thumb on knuckle of index and middle finger curves over thumb. ring finger Vv Ww Xx Index and middle finger up Index, middle and ring fingers The fingers clinched in a fist, and apart, thumb on knuckle up and apart, thumb resting on index finger up and bent, like a of ring finger the pinky nail “hook,” and thumb on the knuckles of index and middle finger. -
Deep Learning of Mouth Shapes for Sign Language
Deep Learning of Mouth Shapes for Sign Language Oscar Koller, Hermann Ney Richard Bowden Human Language Technology & Pattern Recog. Centre for Vision Speech & Signal Processing RWTH Aachen University, Germany University of Surrey, UK {koller,ney}@cs.rwth-aachen.de [email protected] This paper deals with robust modelling of mouth shapes a semantically related sign. But in other cases, mouthings in the context of sign language recognition using deep con- simply provide additional information that is redundant to volutional neural networks. Sign language mouth shapes the hand’s information channel and not explicitly needed to are difficult to annotate and thus hardly any publicly avail- understand the sign. able annotations exist. As such, this work exploits related Mouth shapes are difficult to model and to recognise as information sources as weak supervision. Humans mainly their presence seems to be based on personal and situational look at the face during sign language communication, where preferences of the signers. Currently, no publicly available mouth shapes play an important role and constitute natural data set exist that contain manual mouthing annotations that patterns with large variability. However, most scientific re- would allow for supervised training. The reason lies in the search on sign language recognition still disregards the face. difficulty to annotate mouth shapes. Sometimes, they repre- Hardly any works explicitly focus on mouth shapes. This sent the mouth pattern of shortened parts of a related spoken paper presents our advances in the field of sign language word, sometimes the whole spoken word or sometimes no recognition. We contribute in following areas: We present a mouth shape at all may be visible.