Sign language

Introduction

• Deaf people• Hundreds of languages• Legal recognition

History

• Has existed a long time• 16th century in Spain• 18th century – alphabet • 1755 first school in Paris• Observating deaf people

Linguistics

• Rich and complex • Grammar of their own• Not dependent on oral

languages• Gestures• Fingerspelling

• Develop on their own• Expresses even more• No universal language

Classification

• No clear classification• Very little historical

research• Migration• Foreign teachers

• Japanese, French, Scandinavian sign language groups

Writing

• Difficult to write down • Usually not written• Several attempts• SignWriting• Stokoe notation

Jack and Jill went up the hillTo fetch a pail of water.Jack fell down and broke his crown,And Jill came tumbling after.

Using

• hand, face, head, or other body movements

• three-dimensional space

• one hand or two

Estonian sign language

• 2006 became official

• 2000 deaf people• Differs in signs• Russian & Finnish

sign language• School for the

deaf in 1866 • Tartu University

References

• http://sinine.ehi.ee/ehi/oppetool/lopetajad/merilin/

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_Sign_Language

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_language

• http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspx?logid=5&id=AF0B6C4C-AF9F-4369-A424-CAE4BC623E27