NON STANDARD ELEMENTS IN THE EVOLUTION OF AN INDIAN SIGN LANGUAGE DIALECT

 SE 367                                                                                

                                                                                          Anuj Gupta(Y9111)

Background

The sign language used by the deaf (in India) is mainly learnt through oralist approch. There are numerous varieties of sign language used in India that can be classified on regional basis. There are a lot more informal sign languages or the 'home sign' as referred. Though all these sign languages seem to be interrelated it is difficut to find the exact path of development of any language. It has been shown through earlier researches the interrelatedness of these languages and that they all contribute to the development of the ISL(Indian Sign Language).

What I plan to do ???

As an outcome of this project I would like to deduce the basis of development of a sign language. Analysing the elements of similarity and variance between a standard sign language and 'home sign'. Categorizing these elements is also an important task. Classifications would be on the lines of alphabeticals, phrases and categories such as animals, clothes, interrogatives etc. The similarities and the dissimilarities on the basis of these categories would help me infer the development of sign language.

The Experiment.....

The experiment would consist of enacting of elements by the deaf. My subject would be categorized in terms of age, whether or not they are deaf from birth and if there parents were deaf or not. The source of Indian Sign Language would be internet based databases. Sorting of data in terms of age would depict the learning time and the exposure to the learning environment. Whether or not the subject is deaf from birth decides if there learning is influenced from the speaking class.

        The experiment would be divided in categories that would compare the similarities or dissimlarities between the ISL and the 'home sign'.The categories would be on the lines of -

• Alphabets : would help to infer the differences in the teaching methods.

• Phrases : are the most important part for deducing. They show maximum variability as certain common phrases may differ from school to school or even among groups. They therefore help to get maximum insight in the development of the sign or even language in the long run. The sample phrase would be like come here, catch him etc.

• Other categories (describing animals, colour, festival, profession etc) : would help in understanding the development of a variety of signs that may be common to the particular local group (in our case the school).

The Subjects....

The subjects for my experiment would be students from Jyoti Vadhira Vidyalaya for deaf. The total number of pupils being 176. I will try to incorporate few more subjects if possible to enhace the understanding.

Previous Works and Literature

• Children Creating Core Properties of Language: Evidence from an Emerging Sign Language in Nicararua by Ann Senghas, Sotaro Kita Asli Ozyurek
• Sign Language Archaeology : Integrating historiical linguistics with fieldwork on young sign language by Supalla T.
• Origins and evolution of language and speech by Harnad, Steven R. (Ed); Steklis, Horst D. (Ed); Lancaster, Jane (Ed) published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol 280, 1976, 914
• Sign Language Structure: An Outline of the Visual Communication Systems of the American Deaf by William C. Stokoe Jr.
• (book)Indian sign language by William Tomkins
• (book)The Indian sign language By William Philo Clark