PJM and SW camp in Slovakia

[Lucyna Dlugolecka]

Val:
>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!

You're right, we were learning and writing Polish signs in Slovakia (because Slovakia is cheap :-))


>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...

Ha! The interesting thing is that sign language is officially recognized by the Slovakian government. There is an act on a sign language. The question is: is the act on a natural sign language used in Slovakia or just on the Signed Slovak or just on sign language in general? I remember Stepanka translated an act on sign language into Polish but I don't remember if that was a Czech or a Slovak act.

Honza:
>What I know is there are almost no interpreters and sign language is not 
used in schools and I think (I am not sure now) there is still no law 
about using Sign Language..

You mean no sign language is used in Slovak schools for the Deaf? Icredible. There is only one school for the Deaf in Poland (in Krakow), where the teachers do not sign at all but in all other schools they use Signed Polish. I know that Signed Polish is not the language of the Deaf but at least such signs are used in schools. So, is there oralism in Slovakia yet? Hard to believe :-)
Lucy
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