It is a serious concern that sign languages such as AUSLAN are endangered as the number of children using them diminishes. But the unique thing about sign languages, is that new sign languages emerge adding to the linguistic diversity of the world. In the case of spoken languages, they only die and disappear. From a linguistic ecology point of view (Skutnabb-Kangas and others), this is good news. But I don't want to in any way dismiss the tragedy of endangered sign languages.<br>
<br>Barbara Gerner de Garcia<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 3:48 AM, Ulrike Zeshan <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:UZeshan@uclan.ac.uk">UZeshan@uclan.ac.uk</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Hi all,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">this is some work following the latest expert meeting at UNESCO in Paris and the WFD-EUD conference on sign languages as endangered languages. It is not connected
with CEFR. The current version of the questionnaire, produced with input from researchers on endangered village sign languages and from the WFD expert committee on sign languages, will shortly be made available for everyone to comment on further – and to
use for collecting data if you wish. I will inform everyone through the list. I would also be happy to post this on the SLLS website if there is interest in having it accessible through there.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Ulrike<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"" lang="EN-US">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"" lang="EN-US"> linguists interested in signed languages [mailto:<a href="mailto:SLLING-L@LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU" target="_blank">SLLING-L@LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Mark A. Mandel<br>
<b>Sent:</b> 27 March 2012 19:21</span></p><div class="im"><br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:SLLING-L@LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU" target="_blank">SLLING-L@LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: death of sign language<u></u><u></u></div><p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Ulrike, is this connected with the <a href="http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Cadre1_en.asp" target="_blank">CEFR</a> (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and the efforts to adapt it for SLs?<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">* <a href="http://www.cefr-signlang.eu/index.html" target="_blank">CEFR for Signed Languages European Program</a>: Website under construction; page last modified 21 March 2012. “More information shortly. For further questions please contact us at
<a href="mailto:mail@cefr-signlang.eu" target="_blank">mail@cefr-signlang.eu</a><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">*<a href="http://www.hfh.ch/projekte_detail-n70-r79-i1825-sE.html" target="_blank">CEFR Sign language – preliminary design study (2011-2012)</a> for the Swiss SLs<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">-- Mark <u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On 12.03.27, at 5:50 AM, Ulrike Zeshan wrote:<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">HI, UNESCO has had a project on language endangerment, and a methodology for assessing language vitality was developed by the UNESCO expert group in 2003.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Web link:</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/language-vitality/" target="_blank">http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/language-vitality/</a></span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">This can apply to sign languages in principle, but a number of questions for assessment of the language situation need to be adapted for sign languages. We
have started doing some work on this with UNESCO and WFD.</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Ulrike</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Dr. Barbara Gerner de Garcia, Professor and Chair<br>Department of Educational Foundations and Research<br>Gallaudet University<br>800 Florida Ave NE<br>Washington, DC 20002-3695<br>
<br>Phone: 202-651-5207<br>