Structure Of Sign Language Research Articles

Hast Mudra: Hand Sign Gesture Recognition Using LSTM

Even though using the most natural way of communication is sign language, deaf and mute people find it challenging to socialize. A language barrier is erected between regular people and D&M individuals due to the structure of sign language, which is distinct from text. They converse by using vision-based communication as a result. The gestures can be easily understood by others if there is a standard interface that transforms sign language to visible text. As a result, R&D has been done on a vision-based interface system that will allow D&M persons to communicate without understanding one another's languages. In this project, first gathered and acquired data and created a dataset, after which extracting useful data from the images. Keywords After verification and trained data and model using the (LSTM) algorithm, TensorFlow, and Keras technology, classified the gestures according to alphabet. Using our own dataset, this system achieved an accuracy of around 86.75% in an experimental test. system uses the (LSTM) algorithm to process images and data.

Neural mechanisms of event visibility in sign languages

ABSTRACT In unrelated sign languages event structure is reflected in the dynamic form of verbs, and hearing non-signers are known to be able to recognise these visual event structures. This study assessed the time course of neural processing mechanisms in non-signers to examine the pathways for incorporation of physical-perceptual motion features into the linguistic system. In an EEG study, hearing non-signers classified telic/atelic verb signs (two-choice lexical decision task). The ERP effects reflect differences in perceptual processing of verb types (early anterior ERP effects) and integration of perceptual and linguistic processing required by the task (later posterior ERP effects). Non-signers appear to segment signed input into discrete events as they try to map the sign to a linguistic concept. This might indicate the potential pathway for co-optation of perceptual features into the linguistic structure of sign languages.

Language planning and language policies for sign languages: an emerging civil rights movement

AbstractFollowing the publication of William Stokoe’sSign Language Structurein 1960, there was a proliferation of linguistic research addressing different aspects of sign languages. The emergence of this research had implications not only for linguistics as an academic discipline, but also for the deaf community itself. One area in which the study of sign languages and the growing activism of deaf communities overlapped in powerful ways was in calls for the official recognition of sign languages – that is, with respect to status planning. In addition to status planning, there have also been clear examples of corpus planning, acquisition planning, and prestige planning with respect to sign languages. Although efforts to engage in language planning for sign languages, and to develop and implement language policies for such languages, share many characteristics with language planning targeting spoken languages, in other ways they are quite distinctive. In this article, an overview of language planning and policy for sign languages is provided, followed by discussions of the linguistic human rights of sign language users and the role of language policies for sign languages in efforts to ensure civil rights for deaf individuals and communities.

The Phonological Structure of American Sign Language -ASL and zmânî âmâžaî kurdî - ZAK

This paper deals primarily with the phonological structure of American Sign Language (ASL) and zmânî âmâžaî kurdî (ZAK) -Kurdish Sign Language. It is concerned with sign language (SL) and the types of sign language. One type is primary sign languages which are used by the Deaf people. Sign language is a visual-gestural language which relies on the use of the hands, facial expressions and body movements.Generally, there are myths about SLs. People believe that SLs are universal and have no grammatical structure. However, sign languages, as spoken languages, have lexicon, phonology, morphology and syntax. As far as the phonological structure of SLs includes handshape, location, movement and orientation of the hand. Therefore, some questions have been raised focusing on ASL and ZAK phonological structure. One of the questions is that: are the parameters of the phonological structure of ASL and ZAK the same? The aim of the paper is to apply ASL phonological aspects on ZAK. In this study, a mixed method is adopted. What is related to the hypothesis is that ZAK has three phonological parameters. One of the findings is that both ASL and ZAK have the same phonological parameters. As far as recommendation is concerned, more work can be carried out on the differences between ASL and ZAK at all linguistic levels.

EquiSign Dynamic Sign Language Translator

This paper aims to address the problem of limited knowledge and outreach of the concept and structure of sign languages in order to facilitate better inclusion and integration of hearing-impaired people among their peers and general society as a whole. For the proposed system, the speech input is captured in real-time, converted into text using a machine-learning model based on natural language processing, and translate the text into the specified flavor of the sign language. The proposed system currently makes use of Python as it's core tech-stack.

Perceptual optimization of language: Evidence from American Sign Language

If language has evolved for communication, languages should be structured such that they maximize the efficiency of processing. What is efficient for communication in the visual-gestural modality is different from the auditory-oral modality, and we ask here whether sign languages have adapted to the affordances and constraints of the signed modality. During sign perception, perceivers look almost exclusively at the lower face, rarely looking down at the hands. This means that signs articulated far from the lower face must be perceived through peripheral vision, which has less acuity than central vision. We tested the hypothesis that signs that are more predictable (high frequency signs, signs with common handshapes) can be produced further from the face because precise visual resolution is not necessary for recognition. Using pose estimation algorithms, we examined the structure of over 2000 American Sign Language lexical signs to identify whether lexical frequency and handshape probability affect the position of the wrist in 2D space. We found that frequent signs with rare handshapes tended to occur closer to the signer's face than frequent signs with common handshapes, and that frequent signs are generally more likely to be articulated further from the face than infrequent signs. Together these results provide empirical support for anecdotal assertions that the phonological structure of sign language is shaped by the properties of the human visual and motor systems.

All in with Google Slides: Virtual engagement and formative assessment in introductory sign language linguistics

My goals as an instructor are to be transparent and approachable and to cultivate a community of learners. The transition to virtual instruction in Sign Language Structure and Usage presented significant challenges. I wondered how students could engage effectively with me, with each other, and with course content; how students could identify what they understood and on what they needed further instruction. To address these questions, I went all in with Google Slides to build engaging, searchable, self-paced slide presentations with built-in formative assessments. COVID-19 inspired this shift in slide creation, but I envision using these slides going forward because they are more equitable and more inclusive. If studentsare not able to come to class for any reason, they can review videos and complete selfassessments, just as they would in class. Anecdotal remarks suggest this approach appeals to a wider range of students and learning styles, but further study should explicitly examine student perceptions of this slide format. Other faculty in my college have recently expressed interest in adopting this style of presentation in their owncourses.

Boundary-Adaptive Encoder With Attention Method for Chinese Sign Language Recognition

The sign language signal has hierarchically related information over short and long distances. Due to the intricate temporal correlation of input sequences, Chinese sign language recognition (SLR) has a modeling challenge. The conventional encoders based on recurrent networks cannot discover and leverage the hierarchical structure of sign language well. In this paper, we propose a novel encoder-decoder method based on boundary adaptive learning for Chinese SLR. The hierarchical structure of sign language signal can be encoded by the boundary-adaptive encoder (BAE) in the proposed method. In order to improve efficiency in modeling long sign language sequences, the window attention model based on location is utilized in the decoding phase, which can generate more effective weight coefficients. Besides, we use sign language subword units to realize both isolated and continuous Chinese SLR in the same sequence learning framework in our method. Theoretical analysis and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.

Expression visuelle de la structure des phrases en langue des signes française

An individual who proficiently uses communication skills does so by referring to either oral, written or bodily language, with the latter allowing information, emotions or thoughts to be conveyed in the most correct and effective way when words are insufficient. In general, individuals throughout history have faced deafness and hearing loss, resulting in the use of sign language to communicate with the outside world. This was apparent in Europe prior to the 18th century, when such individuals were isolated and forced to create their own sign languages. Thus, the purpose of this study is three-fold: 1) to explain French sign language, its historical periods and structure, while theoretically researching and drawing on the latest resources; 2) to explain its syntactical and structural differences from oral French by examining short dialogs and drawn images; and 3) to highlight the differences between sentence structures in French sign language [e.g., free order or object-verb-subject (OVS)) and that of oral French (subject-verb-object (SVO)]. Based on the findings, although French sign language is visio-gestural, it can be effectively used to perform all functions in oral French.

Transforming the Expression of Collective Memory in Sign Language

The impact on institutional and informational resources that form the infrastructure of Deaf Studies programs is tremendous. We believe that much has been accomplished with the transformation of knowledge regarding Deaf ways of living and learning. Even though the field of Deaf Studies is relatively new, one could consider it a vital instrument for transformation. We find it bothersome that we have not yet fully understood our own sign language, what it really is and where it comes from. I will share my experience of designing a massive online course (MOOC) with the goal of providing a resource not only for the field of Deaf Studies but for society as a whole to gain better understanding of sign language structure, learning and change. There is abundance of academic research addressing this important set of themes from different angles. I believe it is timely to reconsider the nature and dynamics of the conventional expression of our collective memory, the transmission and use of sign language. Because it is important to Deaf Studies to consider the design of its infrastructure, I will also share my thoughts on whether to sustain or transform our ways of transmitting, teaching and using sign language.

Transforming the Expression of Collective Memory in Sign Language

The impact on institutional and informational resources that form the infrastructure of Deaf Studies programs is tremendous. We believe that much has been accomplished with the transformation of knowledge regarding Deaf ways of living and learning. Even though the field of Deaf Studies is relatively new, one could consider it a vital instrument for transformation. We find it bothersome that we have not yet fully understood our own sign language, what it really is and where it comes from. I will share my experience of designing a massive online course (MOOC) with the goal of providing a resource not only for the field of Deaf Studies but for society as a whole to gain better understanding of sign language structure, learning and change. There is abundance of academic research addressing this important set of themes from different angles. I believe it is timely to reconsider the nature and dynamics of the conventional expression of our collective memory, the transmission and use of sign language. Because it is important to Deaf Studies to consider the design of its infrastructure, I will also share my thoughts on whether to sustain or transform our ways of transmitting, teaching and using sign language.

Visual-Spatial Perspective-Taking in Spatial Scenes and in American Sign Language

As spatial languages, sign languages rely on spatial cognitive processes that are not involved for spoken languages. Interlocutors have different visual perspectives of the signer's hands requiring a mental transformation for successful communication about spatial scenes. It is unknown whether visual-spatial perspective-taking (VSPT) or mental rotation (MR) abilities support signers' comprehension of perspective-dependent American Sign Language (ASL) structures. A total of 33 deaf ASL adult signers completed tasks examining nonlinguistic VSPT ability, MR ability, general ASL proficiency (ASL-Sentence Reproduction Task [ASL-SRT]), and an ASL comprehension test involving perspective-dependent classifier constructions (the ASL Spatial Perspective Comprehension Test [ASPCT] test). Scores on the linguistic (ASPCT) and VSPT tasks positively correlated with each other and both correlated with MR ability; however, VSPT abilities predicted linguistic perspective-taking better than did MR ability. ASL-SRT scores correlated with ASPCT accuracy (as both require ASL proficiency) but not with VSPT scores. Therefore, the ability to comprehend perspective-dependent ASL classifier constructions relates to ASL proficiency and to nonlinguistic VSPT and MR abilities.

The impact of cross-linguistic variation in gesture on sign language phonology and morphology

AbstractA considerable body of literature points at parallels between gestural elements and sign language structures. This raises the question to what extent variation in gesture environment may lead to related variation across sign languages, or,mutatis mutandis, to what extent similarities in gesture environment may lead to similarities across (otherwise unrelated) sign languages.This article will address that question by reviewing a series of studies relating to size and shape specifying (SASS) signs and gestures in signed and spoken languages in West Africa. The review finds that the use of body-based SASS gestures coincides with the use of body-based SASS signs in the sign languages studied, which in turn aligns with (a) restrictions on the number and types of handshapes used in space-based SASS signs, (b) limited use ofspace-based size depictionin lexical items (Nyst, 2018), and (c) a gap in the repertoire of phonemic handshapes.I conclude that culture-specific patterning in gesture environment may impact on cross-linguistic variation in SASS morphology and handshape phonology. As such, the gestural environment presents an explanation why SLs may be alike or different, in addition to shared ancestry, language contact, and iconicity.

Towards a Fractal Analysis of the Sign Language

ABSTRACT In this paper, it is the first attempt to discuss and explore a possible extension of Hřebíček’s conjecture about a fractal structure of language from a natural language to a sign language. We will show that the approach by means of four versions of a formula for the Menzerath-Altmann law sensitively depends especially on a suitable segmentation of a given sign language structure and the way how to measure the length of sign language units. Some concrete examples of supporting arguments for the fractal structure of the sign language will be given in terms of the Czech sign language.

Produtividade lexical e produções lexicográficas em uma língua sinalizada

Este artigo apresenta um recorte das produções lexicográficas e terminográficas da Língua Brasileira de Sinais – Libras, emergentes no contexto acadêmico brasileiro, e os principais processos morfológicos envolvidos na expansão lexical de uma língua sinalizada. Tais processos e produtos refletem a ocorrência de neologismos coletados em espaços universitários que resultou no registro dessas novas unidades sinalizadas. Este trabalho fundamenta-se em estudos que contemplam o fenômeno da produtividade lexical com ênfase nos processos neológicos verificáveis em línguas de sinais. Apresentamos os aspectos lexicais envolvidos na formação de sinais em línguas de modalidade distinta da oral, sob o viés da Morfologia Distribuída (HALLE; MARANTZ, 1993) e os produtos lexicográficos e terminográficos produzidos em Libras na última década, e a sua importância no contexto universitário brasileiro (FARIA-NASCIMENTO, 2009; CASTRO JÚNIOR, 2014; COSTA, 2012; OLIVEIRA, 2015). Os produtos e processos observados atestam que essas línguas são plenas e vivas, ampliam-se naturalmente a fim de atender a novas necessidades comunicativas e expressivas de seus sinalizantes, a exemplo de qualquer outra língua. Pretendeu-se, com este trabalho, oferecer subsídios para a compreensão da estrutura e do funcionamento de línguas de sinais e, sob perspectiva mais abrangente, de línguas naturais.

Differential object marking in sign languages

Sign languages are sometimes claimed to lack argument marking, yet they exhibit many devices to track and disambiguate referents. In this paper, I will argue that there are devices found across sign languages that demonstrate how object marking is a prevalent property and that these devices show clear parallels to differential object marking (DOM) as described for spoken languages. This includes animacy/prominence effects on word order and verbal modification, as well as dedicated object markers used exclusively with [+human] objects. Thus, I propose that DOM phenomena need to be taken into account in any future research on sign language structure, but also that sign languages should be accounted for in typological work on DOM.

The Impact of Transitional Movements and Non-Manual Markings on the Disambiguation of Locally Ambiguous Argument Structures in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS).

Previous studies of Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) word-order variations have demonstrated the human processing system's tendency to interpret a sentence-initial (case-) ambiguous argument as the subject of the clause ("subject preference"). The electroencephalogram study motivating the current report revealed earlier reanalysis effects for object-subject compared to subject-object sentences, in particular, before the start of the movement of the agreement marking sign. The effects were bound to time points prior to when both arguments were referenced in space and/or the transitional hand movement prior to producing the disambiguating sign. Due to the temporal proximity of these time points, it was not clear which visual cues led to disambiguation; that is, whether non-manual markings (body/shoulder/head shift towards the subject position) or the transitional hand movement resolved ambiguity. The present gating study further supports that disambiguation in ÖGS is triggered by cues occurring before the movement of the disambiguating sign. Further, the present study also confirms the presence of the subject preference in ÖGS, showing again that signers and speakers draw on similar strategies during language processing independent of language modality. Although the ultimate role of the visual cues leading to disambiguation (i.e., non-manual markings and transitional movements) requires further investigation, the present study shows that they contribute crucial information about argument structure during online processing. This finding provides strong support for granting these cues some degree of linguistic status (at least in ÖGS).

Exposition of the grammatical structure of sign language

Many people hardly believe that sign language is a fully fledged language. Some people mistakenly think that sign language is oral language conveyed through signs while some think that it is a manual code of English for instance. They think that it is a type of pantomime (exaggerated set of signs) rather than a real language. There are also misconceptions among the public that sign language can only be used to express concrete information and that it is universal. Signs in a sign language have been regarded simply as unanalysable iconic gestures with little or no internal organisation at all. To the contrary, linguistic research has however demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that sign languages of the world are fully fledged languages with their own formal grammatical structures and well established lexicons. William Stokoe (1960) was the first researcher to demonstrate that signs of a sign language have an internal sub lexical structure analogous to that found in words of spoken languages. Thus, sign language is comparable to spoken language both in terms of complexity and expressiveness. It is not a manual rendition of oral language, but an independent formal language in its own right. In addition, sign language is not universal, but just like in the case of oral/spoken languages which are spoken by different people in different countries, deaf people around the world sign different sign languages. The sign language grammatical structure subscribes to the same linguistic rules enjoyed by oral language.

A transliteration prototype using assistive technology and sign modelling

This paper presents working of a prototype for automatic transliteration with Linguistic Modelling of Indian Sign Language (ISL). The implementation domain of the corpus is a banking system in the Indian environment. We have taken the corpus of Indian banking system from data-driven research groups working on sign dictionary of ISL. In preliminary evaluation we explored generation of phonological and morphological structure of ISL. Linguistic analysis has provided rich descriptions of sign language structure at the phonological, lexical, and syntactic levels.

Perspectives on the Sign Language Factor in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges of Sustainability.

Perspectives on the Sign Language Factor in Sub-Saharan Africa:Challenges of Sustainability Sam Lutalo-Kiingi and Goedele A. M. De Clerck In the present chapter of Sign Language, Equal Opportunities, and Sustainable Development (De Clerck & Paul, 2016), we illuminate Africa's enormous cultural and linguistic diversity: A third of the world's living spoken languages are used in Africa, which means that, on average, 40 or more spoken languages are used in each country on the continent. Much as Wolff (2013) has articulated the notion of the "language factor," we propose to formulate the sign language factor to illuminate hierarchies in the use of national and indigenous sign languages versus "official languages" in Sub-Saharan Africa. Wolff (2013) emphasizes the impact of language ownership on power relations: Assigning lower status to mother tongues relative to "official languages" associated with colonialism diminishes the prospects of success of educational systems in African nations. This asymmetric relationship is due to "widely spread ignorance concerning the role of the 'Language Factor' for sociocultural modernization and economic development" (p. 13). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, endorsed in 2015, includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the promotion of equality and social justice. Drawing on documentation of linguistic, social, cultural, and educational practices of deaf people and sign language communities on the African continent, here we aim to work toward an understanding of the sign language factor and its impact on development. We follow Wolff's stance in highlighting the role of the sign language factor in overall achievement of the SDGs, as well as the role of African spoken/written and signed languages in achieving "lifelong learning opportunities" and "inclusive and equitable quality education," as formulated in the fourth goal. Research on African sign languages did not begin in earnest until the 1990s, when lexicographic projects were undertaken at universities in Kenya (Akach, 1991) and South Africa (Penn, Ogilvy-Foreman, Simmons, & Anderson-Forbes, 1993). In the meantime, many dictionaries have been published, and Wallin, Lule, Lutalo-Kiingi, and Busingye (2006) have conducted corpus-based lexicographic research in Uganda.1 Research into the phonological structure of sign languages has been undertaken, for example, on Kenyan Sign Language (KSL; H. E. Morgan & Mayberry, 2009) and Ugandan Sign Language (UgSL; Nyst, 1999).2 Lexicographic, phonological, and morphological research has been done on Hausa Sign Language, a village sign language used in Nigeria (Schmaling, 2001). Other village languages that have begun to be described are Adamorobe Sign Language in Ghana (Nyst, 2007), Dogon Sign Language in Mali (Nyst, 2012), and Extreme North Cameroon Sign Language in Cameroon (Lutalo-Kiingi & De Clerck, 2015b). The development of urban deaf communities in Africa has been tied to the establishment of schools for deaf children, which occurred mainly in the "development" period after World War II. Schools often adopted the philosophy and sign language of the founding and supporting country (Barcham, 1998), a practice that explains the contact between African sign languages and dominant Western sign languages, such as American Sign Language (ASL) [End Page 47] and Langue des Signes Française (LSF). The importation of Western sign languages into African educational institutions has raised a threat to African sign languages; "national" African sign languages have also influenced indigenous sign languages. These processes have sometimes precipitated a shift in a community's language use—for example, replacement of an indigenous sign language with a dominant national or Western sign language (Adam, 2012). The concept of "linguistic colonialism" has been applied to describe oppression of national and indigenous sign languages (Adam, 2012; Jokinen, 2003; Reagan, 2010; Skutnabb-Kangas, 2008). Development Cooperation and Partnership With Sign Language Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa In the present chapter, we take a critical stance toward development. Because multiple actors, institutions, and knowledge systems are involved and may be interrelated, this stance understands "development encounters as dynamic interfaces involving multiple acts of brokerage and translation" (Crewe & Axelby, 2013, p. 17). This view is also critical of notions that are often used in development frameworks, such as "partnerships" and the hierarchization of knowledge. Governments, national and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), universities, the private sector, urban and rural deaf/sign language communities, and national associations of the deaf (NADs...