Modality-Independent Effects of Phonological Neighborhood Structure on Initial L2 Sign Language Learning

The goal of the present study was to characterize how neighborhood structure in sign language influences lexical sign acquisition in order to extend our understanding of how the lexicon influences lexical acquisition in both sign and spoken languages. A referent-matching lexical sign learning paradigm was administered to a group of 29 hearing sign language learners in order to create a sign lexicon. The lexicon was constructed based on exposures to signs that resided in either sparse or dense handshape and location neighborhoods. The results of the current study indicated that during the creation of the lexicon signs that resided in sparse neighborhoods were learned better than signs that resided in dense neighborhoods. This pattern of results is similar to what is seen in child first language acquisition of spoken language. Therefore, despite differences in child first language and adult second language acquisition, these results contribute to a growing body of literature that implicates the phonological features that structure of the lexicon is influential in initial stages of lexical acquisition for both spoken and sign languages. This is the first study that uses an innovated lexicon-construction methodology to explore interactions between phonology and the lexicon in L2 acquisition of sign language

Dataglove Measurement of Joint Angles in Sign Language Handshapes

In sign language research, we understand little about articulatory factors involved in shaping phonemic boundaries or the amount (and articulatory nature) of acceptable phonetic variation between handshapes. To date, there exists no comprehensive analysis of handshape based on the quantitative measurement of joint angles during sign production. The purpose of our work is to develop a methodology for collecting and visualizing quantitative handshape data in an attempt to better understand how handshapes are produced at a phonetic level. In this pursuit, we seek to quantify the flexion and abduction angles of the finger joints using a commercial data glove (CyberGlove; Immersion Inc.). We present calibration procedures used to convert raw glove signals into joint angles. We then implement those procedures and evaluate their ability to accurately predict joint angle. Finally, we provide examples of how our recording techniques might inform current research questions

Positive signs – How sign language typology benefits deaf communities and linguistic theory

Sign language typology is the systematic comparative study of linguistic structures across sign languages, and has emerged as a separate linguistic sub-discipline over the past 15 years. It is situated at the crossroads between linguistic typology and sign language linguistics, the latter itself a relatively young discipline with its roots in the 1960s and 70s (McBurney 2001). The cross-fertilisation initiated by the advent of sign language typology is obvious: Typologists gain an entirely new dimension in their study of linguistic diversity, and sign language linguists gain a rich tool box of concepts and methods for discovering typological patterns across sign languages. Beyond theory and methodology, the impact that sign language typology research has on the deaf communities who are the primary users of these languages is discussed in Section 2. Section 3 discusses some areas in which sign language typology has made unique contributions to linguistic theory and has prompted discussions that may otherwise not have come to the surface

Web Single Sign-On Authentication using SAML

Companies have increasingly turned to application service providers (ASPs) or Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors to offer specialized web-based services that will cut costs and provide specific and focused applications to users. The complexity of designing, installing, configuring, deploying, and supporting the system with internal resources can be eliminated with this type of methodology, providing great benefit to organizations. However, these models can present an authentication problem for corporations with a large number of external service providers. This paper describes the implementation of Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) and its capabilities to provide secure single sign-on (SSO) solutions for externally hosted applications

STRATEGI KELUARGA DALAM PERAWATAN ANAK DENGAN TUNARUNGU

: Hearing impairment is a condition where individuals face difficulties in communication. Deaf children encounter various challenges in their growth and development. Therefore, parents of deaf children must have specific strategies in educating and caring for children with disabilities to ensure their optimal growth and development. Purpose: To understand the depiction of parenting patterns and family strategies in caring for children with hearing impairment. Method: The research methodology employed is qualitative research utilizing a Case Study Research approach. The research validity was reinforced by applying triangulation through direct interviews with two participants. Results: The research findings presented an analysis of the interview data collected by the researcher and validated by the participants, revealing three primary themes: 1) Family strategies, 2) Insufficient family knowledge, and 3) Family support. Conclusion: Families provide care and treatment strategies for their children through various means, such as communicating using sign language and body language, self-taught by the family. Additionally, the family provides routine care through specialized schools to assist in cognitive development

The acquisition of Sign Language: The impact of phonetic complexity on phonology

Research into the effect of phonetic complexity on phonological acquisition has a long history in spoken languages. This paper considers the effect of phonetics on phonological development in a signed language. We report on an experiment in which nonword-repetition methodology was adapted so as to examine in a systematic way how phonetic complexity in two phonological parameters of signed languages — handshape and movement — affects the perception and articulation of signs. Ninety-one Deaf children aged 3–11 acquiring British Sign Language (BSL) and 46 hearing nonsigners aged 6–11 repeated a set of 40 nonsense signs. For Deaf children, repetition accuracy improved with age, correlated with wider BSL abilities, and was lowest for signs that were phonetically complex. Repetition accuracy was correlated with fine motor skills for the youngest children. Despite their lower repetition accuracy, the hearing group were similarly affected by phonetic complexity, suggesting that common visual and motoric factors are at play when processing linguistic information in the visuo-gestural modality

Perancangan User Interface Aplikasi Pengenalan Bahasa Isyarat Bagi Penyandang Disabilitas Tunarungu/Tunawicara Serta Non Difabel Menggunakan Metode Design Thinking

Communication is not only essential for non-disabled individuals but also for people with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities face limitations in communication, leading them to use sign language in their daily lives. The main issue is that not all non-disabled individuals can use sign language. Therefore, this research aims to facilitate people with disabilities in interacting with both non-disabled individuals and fellow disabled individuals. The study employs the Design Thinking methodology, chosen to address the identified problems. Design Thinking is used to ensure an optimal user experience. Referring to the results obtained using the Single East Question (SEQ) method with a rating scale of 1 to 7, where 1-3 indicates a category of very difficult, 3.1–4 indicates a difficult category, 4.1-5 indicates a fairly easy category, 5.1-6 indicates an easy category, and 6.1-7 indicates a very easy category. The value 5 appeared twice, the value 6 appeared 11 times, and the value 7 appeared 24 times. The results of the testing phase were predominantly marked with a value of 7, resulting in an average score of 4.8. In conclusion, the User Interface Design of the Sign Language Recognition Application for Deaf/Mute and Non-Disabled Individuals, using the Design Thinking methodology, is considered easy to use. This research contributes to understanding user needs and designing a user-friendly and accessible UI for all users

Methodology for developing a Speech into Sign Language Translation System in a New Semantic Domain

This paper proposes a methodology for developing a speech into sign language translation system considering a user-centered strategy. This method-ology consists of four main steps: analysis of technical and user requirements, data collection, technology adaptation to the new domain, and finally, evalua-tion of the system. The two most demanding tasks are the sign generation and the translation rules generation. Many other aspects can be updated automatical-ly from a parallel corpus that includes sentences (in Spanish and LSE: Lengua de Signos Española) related to the application domain. In this paper, we explain how to apply this methodology in order to develop two translation systems in two specific domains: bus transport information and hotel reception

Adaptation of a Vocabulary Test from British Sign Language to American Sign Language

This study describes the adaptation process of a vocabulary knowledge test for British Sign Language (BSL) into American Sign Language (ASL) and presents results from the first round of pilot testing with twenty deaf native ASL signers. The web-based test assesses the strength of deaf children’s vocabulary knowledge by means of different mappings of phonological form and meaning of signs. The adaptation from BSL to ASL involved nine stages, which included forming a panel of deaf/hearing experts, developing a set of new items and revising/replacing items considered ineffective, and piloting the new version. Results provide new evidence in support of the use of this methodology for assessing sign language, making a useful contribution toward the availability of tests to assess deaf children’s signed language skills