A song in South African sign??

Wed Mar 5 15:50:04 UTC 2008

SignWriting List
March 5, 2008

Hi Shane (and Kim and Charles)!
Thanks for this message. It is very nice of you to educate us all  
about the 11 languages in South Africa.

That makes sense. That is why they were writing 11 different dialects  
of South African Sign Language in SignWriting at the Fulton School for  
the Deaf in South Africa years ago.

Their teacher, who is Deaf and South African, informed me that they  
felt there were 11 signed languages in South Africa...so I was just  
reporting what they said to me...

So perhaps since that time, the country is trying to unify the sign  
language dialects into one official sign language...and of course they  
are also influenced in schools by other signed languages such as ASL  
and BSL and ISL and so forth...that makes sense too ;-)

Very interesting...thanks for the info Shane!

Good luck with your project, Kim -

Val ;-)

On Mar 5, 2008, at 6:24 AM, Shane Gilchrist O hEorpa wrote:

> Val,
>
> DEAFSA says that there is ONE signed language i.e. South Africa Sign
> Language - I think the reason is that South Africa's constitution says
> that there is 11 official languages following:
>
> 1. Afrikaans
> 2. English
> 3. Ndebele (isiNdebele)
> 4. Northern Sotho (Sesotho sa Leboa)
> 5. Sotho (Sesotho)
> 6. Swati (siSwati)
> 7. Tsonga (Xitsonga)
> 8. Tswana (Setswana)
> 9. Venda (Tshivenḓa)
> 10. Xhosa (isiXhosa)
> 11. Zulu (isiZulu).
>
> Their Constitution also recognises a further nine non-official
> "national languages" including South African Sign Language.
>
> I guess the idea was that there is Signed English, Signed Afrikaans
> etc etc - but theyre not real languages - just using SASL signs to
> accompany the spoken words etc in the language used i.e. Signed Xhosa
> (if such one does exist!) so there is no 11 signed languages in South
> Africa - just several main dialects.
>
> There's influence from several signed languages such as ASL, BSL and
> Irish Sign Language - theres a school somewhere in South Africa that
> uses ISL-influenced SASL its as if they were educated in Dublin
> instead! (although some signs would give them away!)
>
> Shane x
>
>
> On 04/03/2008, Deaf Action Committee for SignWriting
> <dac at signwriting.org> wrote:
>> SignWriting List
>> March 4, 2008
>>
>> Hello Kim and Charles!
>> As always, Kim, you have amazing projects!
>>
>> It is my general understanding that South Africa has many signed  
>> languages.
>> When SignWriting was used in Durbin, South Africa, at the Fulton  
>> School for
>> the Deaf...
>>
>> SignWriting in South Africa
>> http://www.SignWriting.org/africa
>>
>> ...at that time I was told by the teacher that there were 11 signed
>> languages in their school!
>>
>> Each tribe or area of South Africa has their own distinct languages I
>> believe....So it is hard to say "South African Sign Language" would  
>> be the
>> same as "Zulu Sign Language"...they just might be different  
>> languages for
>> all we know...
>>
>> So let's ask one of our List members from South Africa...Sebolelo  
>> Nhlapo
>> from Pretoria...
>>
>> Sebolelo...Do you know Zulu Sign Language? Is that the same as  
>> South African
>> Sign Language?
>>
>> Val ;-)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mar 4, 2008, at 6:39 AM, Charles Butler wrote:
>> Wow, that would be a challenge.  I have sung Singabahambo and  
>> Asikatale in
>> my own choruses.  Seeing it in Zulu sign would be a triumph.
>>
>> Charles
>>
>>
>> Kimberley Shaw <skifoot at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello Signwriters:
>> It has been a long while since I've posted to the list! My ASL  
>> studies
>> continue, although not within a formal interpreter-training program,
>> alas. But all the same, I am developing an ASL version of my chorus'
>> five standing-repertory songs, with plenty of advice from fluent
>> ASL-speaking Deafies in my area. (My hard-of-hearing ears wanna
>> vacation from singing!)
>> So, here is my query.
>> One of these songs, "Singabahambayo", has its first verse sung
>> entirely in Zulu before we go into English translation of its first
>> and second verses. Are any of you Signwriters able and/or willing to
>> transcribe a version of this song's first verse in South African
>> Sign?? Does it already have an established Sign form? I have no idea
>> how many deaf folk got involved with the South African freedom
>> movement ...
>> Best,
>> Kim from Boston
>>
>>
>>
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