Arabic-L:LING:Arabic sign languages responses

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Thu 17 May 2007
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject:Arabic sign languages response
2) Subject:Arabic sign languages response

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1)
Date: 17 May 2007
From:Dan Parvaz <dparvaz at mac.com>
Subject:Arabic sign languages response

There is no one  Arabic sign language. Every few years, a bunch of  
Hearing educators from across the Arab world get together in hopes of  
creating a pan-Arab sign language, but nothing really comes of it  
because (a) most of these teachers are not terribly skilled in their  
local signed language, and (b) as you can imagine, there is quite a  
bit of resistance to this idea. As for what is signed on Al-Jazeera,  
that is mostly Levantine, with some other stuff mixed in, but it was  
created out of thin air.

Each country/region has their own signed language. There is quite a  
bit of intelligibility across the Levant (and some with Iraq and  
Saudi Arabia), but absolutely none between, say, Jordan and Tunisia.

The university-level research I've seen on signed languages in the  
Middle East has strictly been low-hanging fruit: gathering word  
lists, etc. If you want, I'd be happy to provide what I have. Heck, I  
could metro over with my stack o' theses.

Cheers,

-Dan.

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1)
Date: 17 May 2007
From:mutarjm at aol.com
Subject:Arabic sign languages response

Greetings.. ahalan wa sahalan...

You might contact the Ministries of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia  
and the United Arab Emirates.

I understand that several separate institutes and private schools in  
Saudi Arabia (in Riyadh and Jeddah, so I have heard, while I may be  
misinformed) provide training in Arabic SL to teachers and others  
assisting students with such special needs.

FYI, the official name for Arabic SL in Saudi Arabia is "lughat  
dhuwii al-al-iHiyaajaat al-khaaSa  ( لغة ذوي  
الاحتياجات الخاصة ), and a number of bookstores in the  
Obeikan and Jarir chains (which can also query their regional  
outlets) carry guides and textbooks for learning and using that  
language. (One would imagine that such a sign language would be a  
standard language, a la MSA, and does not include dialectical features.)

Hope this helps. Khair, in shaa' Allah.

Regards,

Stephen H. Franke
Riyadh

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End of Arabic-L:  17 May 2007
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