death of sign language

[Adam Schembri]

The UNESCO 'language vitality' scale is discussed in The Cambridge Handbook of Endangered Languages (2011), edited by Peter K. Austin & Julia Sallabank:
http://www.cambridge.org/aus/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521882156

I'd be very interested to hear what you're working on, Ulrike, and what aspects of the language situation you are proposing need to be adapted for sign languages. The importance of inter-generational transmission is important in the UNESCO definition, but this of course comes to mind as problematic in the sign language case (in many communities). Deaf communities also frequently appear to be subject to significant language planning work, as we are seeing the Arabic-speaking world at present. . .

Adam Schembri
Director | National Institute for Deaf Studies and Sign Language
La Trobe University | Melbourne (Bundoora) | Victoria |  3086 |  Australia
Tel : +61 3 9479 2887 | Mob: +61 432 840 744 |http://www.adamschembri.net/webpage/Welcome.html


From: Ulrike Zeshan <UZeshan at UCLAN.AC.UK<mailto:UZeshan at UCLAN.AC.UK>>
Reply-To: linguists interested in signed languages <SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU<mailto:SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU>>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:50:50 +0000
To: <SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU<mailto:SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU>>
Subject: Re: death of sign language

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.

Web link:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/language-vitality/

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.

Ulrike



From: linguists interested in signed languages [mailto:SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU] On Behalf Of Anthony Chong
Sent: 27 March 2012 03:46
To: SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU<mailto:SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU>
Subject: Re: death of sign language


Oh right. If there are only less than 10 users, the language is endangered. Can it apply the same to sign language?
I am asking because the number of signers can't be comparable to the speakers.

________________________________
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:34:16 -0700
From: susan.fischer at RIT.EDU<mailto:susan.fischer at RIT.EDU>
Subject: Re: death of sign language
To: SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU<mailto:SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACOLLEGE.EDU>

I believe that if there are were than 10 users, it is endangered but not dead.
Susan D. Fischer
Susan.Fischer at rit.edu<mailto:Susan.Fischer at rit.edu>

Center for Research on Language
UCSD




On Mar 26, 2012, at 5:17 PM, Anthony Chong wrote:



 Hello all,

I am curious. How will we be able to measure sign language death? Can we consider a language as death language if there less than 10 speakers?
Let me know.

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