LL-L "Language varieties" 2003.09.10 (10) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

======================================================================
L O W L A N D S - L * 10.SEP.2003 (10) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
http://www.lowlands-l.net * lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
Rules & Guidelines: http://www.lowlands-l.net/index.php?page=rules
Posting Address: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org
Server Manual: http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html
Archives: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html
Encoding: Unicode (UTF-8) [Please switch your view mode to it.]
=======================================================================
You have received this because you have been subscribed upon request.
To unsubscribe, please send the command "signoff lowlands-l" as message
text from the same account to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or
sign off at http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
=======================================================================
A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
=======================================================================

From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Language varieties"

> From: jannie.lawn <jannie.lawn at ntlworld.com>
> Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2003.09.09 (15) [E]
>
> There is another one that I learned in Britain c. 22 years ago.  It was
> called the Paget Gorman Signing System, but it functioned as a sign
> language.  The school where I learned it switched in Sept. '85 to
> Makaton, a
> simplified form of British Sign Language.  The reason was, that the pupils
> could not understand others (using British Sign Language) when
> they left the
> school where they had been during their 'primary school' years.  Paget
> Gorman apparently wasn't widely used.  I don't know if anyone
> still uses it.

There are various sorts of signed languages, usually subsets of BSL, used in
the UK. These are usually used for teaching children with learning
difficulties, though I'm not sure exactly how this works.

Here in Somerset, for example, we have "STC" (Somerset Total Communication).
This is Makaton plus further elements from BSL to make it into what's hoped
will be a better communication system. The general picture seems to me to be
that these simplified languages reach their limit of usefulness and then
more BSL gets added. There's a parallel in spoken languages such as "Basic
English", which has a vocabulary of about 900 words which are supposed to be
adequate for any communication.

There's also SSE (Sign-Supported English) which is the sort of sign language
used by deafened adults who don't want to learn BSL as a whole new language
(ie with grammar, idiom &c). Signs for English words that aren't found in
BSL (such as "and", "of" and "for") are invented so that the signer can sign
one sign for each English word.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

================================END===================================
* Please submit postings to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.
* Postings will be displayed unedited in digest form.
* Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
* Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l") are
  to be sent to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or at
  http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
=======================================================================