Related Research Articles
A language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means of communication of humans, and can be conveyed through speech, sign, or writing. Many languages, including the most widely-spoken ones, have writing systems that enable sounds or signs to be recorded for later reactivation. Human language is unique among the known systems of animal communication in that it is not dependent on a single mode of transmission, is highly variable between cultures and across time, and affords a much wider range of expression than other systems.
Sign languages are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulations in combination with non-manual elements. Sign languages are full-fledged natural languages with their own grammar and lexicon. Sign languages are not universal and are usually not mutually intelligible with each other, although there are also similarities among different sign languages.
International Sign (IS) is a pidgin sign language which is used in a variety of different contexts, particularly at international meetings such as the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) congress, in some European Union settings, and at some UN conferences, at events such as the Deaflympics, the Miss & Mister Deaf World, and Eurovision, and informally when travelling and socialising.
Interpreting is a translational activity in which one produces a first and final translation on the basis of a one-time exposure to an expression in a source language.
Several manual alphabets in use around the world employ two hands to represent some or all of the letters of an alphabet, usually as a part of a deaf sign language. Two-handed alphabets are less widespread than one-handed manual alphabets. They may be used to represent the Latin alphabet or the Cyrillic alphabet.
The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) is an international non-governmental organization that acts as a peak body for national associations of Deaf people, with a focus on Deaf people who use sign language and their family and friends. WFD aims to promote the Human Rights of Deaf people worldwide, by working closely with the United Nations and various UN agencies such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). WFD is also a member of the International Disability Alliance (IDA).
Ka'apor Sign Language was a village sign language used by the small community of Ka'apor people in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. Linguist Jim Kakumasu observed in 1968 that the number of deaf people in the community was 7 out of a population of about 500. This relatively high ratio of deafness led to both hearing and deaf members of the community using the language, and most hearing children grow up bilingual in the spoken and signed languages. The current state of the language is unknown. Other Indigenous tribes in the region have also been reported to use sign languages, and to communicate between themselves using sign language pidgins.
Kenyan Sign Language is a sign language used by the deaf community in Kenya and Somalia. It is used by over half of Kenya's estimated 600,000 deaf population. There are some dialect differences between Kisumu, Mombasa and Somalia.
The Sign Language Interpreters Association of New Zealand (SLIANZ) is the national professional body that represents the interests of professional sign language interpreters in New Zealand. It was established in 1996, became an incorporated society in 1997, and is an affiliate member of the New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters. Internationally it is a member of the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters and constitutes the second largest representative group of sign language interpreters in the WASLI Oceania region, after Australia.
Wasli, also referred to as wasli paper, is a type of handmade paper used specifically for painting miniatures. It was devised in India, in the 10th century, and figures widely in Mughal-era painting.
The Swedish Sign Language family is a language family of sign languages, including Swedish Sign Language, Portuguese Sign Language, and Finnish Sign Language.
Tunisian Sign Language is the sign language used by deaf people in Tunisia. It derives from Italian Sign Language, mixed with indigenous sign.
Burkina Sign Language is the indigenous sign language of the Deaf community in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou. Deaf education in Burkina is in American Sign Language (ASL) and Burkina Faso Sign Language is considered to be an ASL based creole language. There are 55,500 deaf people in Burkina
The Arab sign-language family is a family of sign languages spread across the Arab Middle East. Its extent is not yet known, because only some of the sign languages in the region have been compared.
Eritrean Sign Language (EriSL) is a sign language widely used in Eritrea. It developed out of the Swedish and Finnish Sign Languages, that were introduced by Swedish and Finnish Christian missionaries in 1955, containing a certain amount of local Eritrean signs and having ASL-based Sudanese influences. According to Moges 2011, 70% of the EriSL and Finnish signs are identical. Since 2005, the Eritrean National Association of the Deaf has made linguistic purification attempts to replace Swedish and Finnish signs from the EriSL lexicon by 'Eritrean' ones in an effort to create a more distinct, "indigenous" language. This process is referred to as 'demissionization', signifying undoing some of the work the missionaries have done in bringing sign language to Eritrea.
Emirati Sign Language has been developed by the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination and is the first deaf sign language for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) dialect, and a unified reference language for those with hearing disabilities in the UAE. The UAE launched its first sign language dictionary in 2018, while the first dictionary of Unified Arabic Sign Language was released in 2001. The dictionary was compiled by eight authorities with the help of 60 people with hearing difficulties and sign language specialists from across the UAE, and is used to standardize the signs used by deaf people in the UAE. It includes details about the Emirati culture and heritage, such as traditional clothes, local food, and historical places, which was previously chosen, and is divided into many sections that cover topics such as numbers, countries, family, and religion.
The waṣla or hamzatu l-waṣli is an Arabic diacritic resembling part of the letter ṣād (ص) that is sometimes placed over the letter ʾalif at the beginning of the word. The ʾalif with waṣla over it is called the ʾalifu l-waṣli. It indicates that the alif is not pronounced as a glottal stop, but that the word is connected to the previous word. Outside of vocalised texts, the waṣla is usually not written.
Tan Sri Datuk Kasitah bin Gaddam is a Malaysian politician from the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) who served as Minister of Lands and Co-operatives Development of Malaysia between 1999 and 2004. He was born in Sabah, Malaysia.
Central Taurus Sign Language (CTSL) is a village sign language of Turkey. It is spoken in three villages in the central Taurus Mountains. It was brought to the world's attention by Rabia Ergin, who was exposed to it growing up.
Azerbaijani Sign Language is the sign language used by the deaf community in Azerbaijan. As with other sign languages, AİD has a unique grammar that is different from the oral languages used in the region. Although there are approximately 31,000 deaf people in Azerbaijan, most of them use the Turkish Sign Language (TİD) as their primary sign language. The Azerbaijani Sign Language does not have any language codes. It is not recognized as an official language by Azerbaijan.
