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FINNUT-Forskning og innovasjon i utdanningssektoren

Signed Language Depiction as an Engine for Promoting Inclusion, Communication, and Translation

Alternative title: Avbilding i tegnede språk, som en drivkraft for å fremme inkludering, kommunikasjon og oversettelse

Awarded: NOK 12.0 mill.

Signed languages are complete and independent languages. They can express all kinds of facts, opinions, and feelings, just like spoken languages. Norwegian Sign Language (NTS) is different from other sign languages around the world. For example, it cannot be understood by signers of British or German Sign Language. Surprisingly, when sign language users with no shared language meet each other in international settings they are often able to communicate much easier than speakers of two different spoken languages. The grammatical use of “depiction” in sign languages may partially explain why this is possible. Depiction is what we do when we form a telephone receiver with our hand and put it to our ear. Any person familiar with the concept of a telephone will understand something like: “I’ll call you”. Using depiction is an important part of following the rules of the language for NTS and other sign languages. Signers use depiction to communicate effectively and efficiently with each other. It takes adult learners of sign languages time and effort to use depictions idiomatically. Depictions require careful assessment of shared experiences and context. This is a skill which deaf people uniquely and automatically master. By focusing on the ways deaf Norwegian experience shapes sign language depiction in NTS we will investigate (1) how depicting signs are perceived and understood by signers of different sign languages, (2) in what contexts learning depicting signs is useful for deaf and hearing children, and (3) how depictions are used by deaf immigrants. We will also help prepare interpreters and other practitioners for interactions with the deaf communities and individuals they serve through a deeper understanding of (4) how hearing and deaf interpreters use depictions when interpreting for deaf immigrants, (5) how depictions are used in deaf-blind interpreting, and (6) whether skilled or novice sign language interpreters use depictions differently.

Signed languages are fully fledged languages. Their users are members of linguistic minorities. From an international perspective, deaf people have historically been more isolated than their hearing counterparts. Yet, when a deaf signer from one country meets a deaf signer from another country, they can communicate far more effectively than hearing people. Gaining this skill is not simply a matter of learning a national sign language. A hearing person learning a sign language will not be able to communicate with a deaf person from another country using sign language. By learning more about this skill we aim to understand more about how deaf people communicate to improve their quality of access to society, and to understand the phenomena of depiction. Depiction is what we do when we form a telephone receiver with our hand and put it to our ear. Any other person familiar with the concept of telephone will understand something along the lines “I’ll call you”. For sign languages, depiction is a major foundation of the whole language, and many signs have this type of link in their shape. Moreover, depictions are knit to the context of their use. They require a shared experience to fulfill their communicative purpose. This is a unique skill which deaf people master. By understanding the ways Norwegian deaf cultural experience shapes signed language depiction we can better prepare practitioners for effective and beneficial interactions with the deaf communities and individuals they serve. Moreover, it is unclear to what extent and in what contexts depictions are useful in interpreted interactions and whether hearing or deaf interpreters use them more. To guide our investigations, we put forth the following core hypothesis: Signed language depiction may drive: (a) Basic communication without shared signed language (b) Enhanced communicative effectiveness within a shared signed language (c) More idiomatic signed language interpretations

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FINNUT-Forskning og innovasjon i utdanningssektoren