PJM and SW camp in Slovakia

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
September 3, 2005

Hello Lucyna and Everyone!
Thanks for this message about the camp on Polish Sign Language and  
SignWriting (that took place in Slovakia....is that correct)?  
smile...ha! I got confused because it was held in Slovakia, so I  
thought you were writing Slovakian signs...my mistake!

No rush at all writing the naturally-evolved signed languages of Deaf  
people in some parts of Slovakia (grin) ...if the education  
establishments in Slovakia have not acknowledged signed languages as  
real languages, then those who DO use a signed language probably use  
it in private in small groups. Maybe someday you will bump into some  
of them...you never know. Once a linguist told me that all cultures  
have naturally-evolved signed languages, although in many cultures,  
the hearing world is not aware of them...or they choose to ignore  
them officially...

Val ;-)

-----------------------

Lucyna Dlugolecka wrote:
> I don't know anything of Slovakian Sign Language but I bet it is  
> similar to Czech and Polish SLs. We wanted to meet some Deaf in  
> Slovakia but we had no time for that. One day we had a trip to the  
> city of Zilina, where probably a Deaf club is located but we didn't  
> have the address. We went to Zilina for a few hour shopping and  
> then we had to go back for the lecture I had to give :-). But we  
> the hearing and the deaf discussed the issue at the camp. Namely,  
> we were talking about a meeting with Slovak Deaf people in order to  
> tell them about SW. But we didn't meet any Slovak Deaf...what a  
> pity... maybe some day :-).
>
> Some time ago I wrote an article about the Deaf in Slovakia, basing  
> in the infos found on the web. I learnt that young Deaf people in  
> Slovakia don't want to sign, don't want to be dependent on  
> interpreters on so on, and the Slovakian Sign Language is mostly  
> used by older people. Strange, but I don't know any Slovak to ask  
> him or her if that is true.
>
> The Slovak association of the Deaf, the name of which, translated  
> into English, is the "Slovak Association of the Aurally Disabled"  
> publishes a montly magazine for the Deaf, The Slovensky Gong. The  
> magazine includes mostly articles on social and legal issues,  
> councelling, event reports, hearing aids and CIs, etc. Our Swiat  
> Ciszy editorial receives the magazine every month and I read it (in  
> Slovak, haha!) looking for any interesting issues... I could take  
> some steps to make them interested in SW but I don't know their  
> general attitute to natural sign languages, bilingualism and so on,  
> so I don't know what steps to take and how. I think we should just  
> wait... :-)
>

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