Regional Variations Flashcards
regional variations
- colours e.g. yellow, brown, blue, pink
- numbers
- days of the week
- place-names e.g. Liverpool, Leicester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds
BSL Corpus Project
research project which was set up by DCAL [Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre] in UCL [University of London] led by Professor Wohl et al
This project has two specific aims:
(1) to create a BSL “corpus” a collection, on the internet, of video clips showing Deaf people using BSL, together with background information about the signers and written descriptions of the signing in ELAN
(2) to carry out research using this collection into BSL grammar and vocabulary, variation in BSL across the country and how BSL is changing.
Different regions and different age-groups
Useful in checking regional signs if these are “correct”
Why don’t deaf people ask where they go to school anymore?
need to adjust and check for regional differences
also hierarchy = private vs other schools? money? class?
now - a lot of mainstream schools so Deaf people don’t learn sign = standardisation
History of Regional Variations
The first British records of deaf people using sign language date from the 16th century, and there are even earlier records of sign language in other countries.
Deaf people have probably always used signs to communicate, but until the 19th century most of them lived in scattered villages and towns, rarely meeting other deaf people.
Thus up to 19th Century, the signs the Deaf people used with hearing relatives, neighbours and employers were probably their own invention.
It seems highly likely, however, that deaf individuals spontaneously came up with the same sign for actions such as ‘eat’ and ‘drink’.
When the large residential schools and missions for deaf people were established in the 19th century, deaf people came together in greater numbers than ever before.
This was the beginning of today’s Deaf Community and the point at which a national sign language began to emerge.
Like spoken language, BSL has many regional variations in the same way that spoken languages have different dialects.
In different parts of the country there are different signs for the same words.
For example there are 10-12 variations for the word ‘holiday’ and 22 for the sign ‘purple’.
Standardisation of BSL
See Hear!
Interpreted news
Deaf films/programmes
BSL Learning on YouTube
Is the standardisation of BSL a good thing?
Some have stated that it makes it a bit easier for the hearing to learn BSL without worrying too much about regional variations
Some BSL tutors are now actively reclaiming regional BSL signs through publications, research and filming
International Sign Language (ISL)
- aka Gestuno
- Unlike Esperanto, IS is more durable
- It is like ‘pidgin sign language’ – not as conventional or complex like natural sign language limited lexicon
Gestuno evolving since 1950s – approximate 1,500 signs
Term Gestuno rarely used these days – IS is the term
Lots of research on International Signs by Universities all over the world
Role-play [role-shift] is extensively used
Classifiers are used
Typically one-hand fingerspelling [borrowed from ASL] used for NAMES and PLACES
Reduced usage of lip-patterns
Three main variants of IS
- heavily influenced by ASL
- Based on iconic signs
- Eurosigns - a variant of IS popularly used in Europe
IS in theatre?
Advantages:
- similar to mime but sign-based
- help mould creative signs/poetry
- prevent spoken language interference in own performance
- lead to development of VV [Visual Vernacular]
Visual Vernacular (VV)
Everyone will know what the word ‘visual’ means. As for ‘vernacular’, it means the first and native language of a group of people. Sometimes the word vernacular is used to refer to other things such as the native dance or culture of a group of people.
So when you have ‘visual’ and ‘vernacular’ together, what does it mean in the Deaf community?
It’s a form of physical theatre performed by Deaf artists. Vernacular (language) is used in an entirely visual manner, without any form of signing, using the entire body, iconic gestures and facial expression to tell a rhythmic story.
VV has elements in common with sign poetry and mime. Yet unlike sign poetry it does not use any signs. VV is not mime, as VV uses different techniques.
Instead, iconic gestures and classifiers are used in combination with expression to tell a story, often with a beat/rhythm.
VV can be performed alone with one person, or in a group with a few different performers.
The father of VV is Bernard Bragg [1928-2018]
