<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV>SignWriting List</DIV><DIV>August 12, 2005</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>THANK YOU, Niina, for your abstract. It is now posted on the web. Take a look...I have updated the Finland web page:</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>SignWriting in Finland</DIV><DIV><A href="http://www.SignWriting.org/finland">http://www.SignWriting.org/finland</A></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I hope others from Finland will inform us of what is happening in Finland too...I am happy to post information for you. For example, your full paper, Niina, written in Finnish (no English translation necessary if you do not have time) can be posted and I can link people to the full document in PDF format...for those from Finland who would like to read it online...Just a thought!</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>There is no contact for a person from Finland on the web page at the moment...</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Val ;-)</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>-----------------------------</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Aug 12, 2005, at 10:38 AM, Valerie Sutton wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><B><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Futura-CondensedMedium"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">SgnWriting List</FONT></SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">August 12, 2005<BR></FONT><DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">On Aug 11, 2005, <A href="mailto:ninuccia@turkulainen.com">ninuccia@turkulainen.com</A> wrote:</FONT></DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span"><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">N</FONT></FONT></SPAN><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">ow I send the abstract to you and you can post it in the</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">internet if you want ... With hug, Niina from Finland :)</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva"><BR></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">-----------------------</FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">ABSTRACT </FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: auto;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Tahoma; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">Rissanen Niina</FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">Writing Sign Language: A Survey of Emergent Sign Language Literacy in the Deaf Community</FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">Autumn 2003</FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">72 p. 12 appendices</FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times New Roman; min-height: 15px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">The Diaconia Polytechnic, Turku Unit </FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">Degree Programme in Sign Language Interpretation </FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">Sign Language Interpreter (210 ECTS credits)</FONT></DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva"></FONT><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times New Roman; min-height: 15px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">The aim of the present thesis was to survey and present the subject of emergent Sign Language Literacy. The subject was chosen due to its significance but also for its novelty, since no previous study on the subject has been made in Finland.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times New Roman; min-height: 15px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">The thesis is based on the idea that Sign Languages can be written as any other languages. As an evidence for that, it is referred to the history of writing spoken languages, the structural features of both spoken and signed languages as well as the communities that already use the written form of Sign Language. Special attention is drawn to the system called SignWriting and its users. On SignWriting, a three-phased survey was made in which the first phase was accomplished in the form of a personal interview, the second one was a questionnaire whereas in the third phase information was gathered via the Internet and through personal contacts. </FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Times New Roman; min-height: 15px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">The results of the study show that Sign Languages can be and actually are written languages, even though it is not a widely spread conception among the Deaf. While writing spoken language is a well-established way of writing in many Deaf communities, written Sign Language provides its users with additional, remarkable possibilities. At present, in many countries the first generation of the Deaf is becoming literate in their native language, and an increasing amount of Deaf and Hearing signers are realizing the value of written Sign Language. On the basis of the survey it is suggested that Sign Language is not only a language in its own right but it is also suitable to be used in a written form of communication.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Tahoma; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: auto;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">Keywords: Sign Language; writing systems; literacy; reading; writing; survey; qualitative research.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Tahoma; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva">The study is stored at the Diaconia Polytechnic, Turku Unit.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Geneva"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></FONT></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>