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The International Institute for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies (iSLanDS) has led a large consortium conducting the first-ever substantial comparative study on endangered sign languages in small-scale rural communities with long-standing hereditary deafness ("village sign languages"). The global impact of this work is seen primarily in the domain of language endangerment through work with UNESCO, with the Foundation for Endangered Languages, and with the World Federation of the Deaf. This work also leads to improved educational attainment and professional development for the marginalised users of these sign languages, and the promotion of their linguistic rights.
The primary impact of our research has been through systems that provide information for the deaf community via animated sign language. Tools exploiting our research into automatic generation of human motion, especially for sign language, are used in several ways:
The same avatar (animated character) technology has also been applied in two other arenas: as a foreign language learning resource for primary school children and to add value to cultural heritage presentations.
Mosetén is an endangered language spoken by approximately 800 indigenous people in the foothills of the Bolivian Andes. Many Mosetén children only learn the majority language, Spanish.
Research at UWE Bristol has resulted in the development of language materials for the Mosetenes, bilingual educators and other stakeholders. It has enabled bilingual education programmes, and inspired a new generation of Mosetén speakers. It has therefore had a direct influence in avoiding linguistic and cultural loss, and has helped the Mosetenes to preserve the intrinsic value of their language and culture, also raising the group's profile in Bolivia and beyond.
Dr Julia Sallabank's research into Guernsey's little-studied indigenous language, Guernesiais, has greatly informed language planning and policy on the island, particularly with regard to teaching methods and raising awareness of the language among the population. Moreover, her documentation of Guernesiais, specifically the recording of audio samples, constitutes a significant contribution to the preservation of Guernsey's identity and cultural heritage. Sallabank's broader expertise on the revitalisation of endangered languages has also been solicited by language officials elsewhere, notably Jersey, the Isle of Man and New Caledonia, and resulted in her participation in UNESCO's Panel of Experts on language diversity.
Our research has provided an evidence base for sign language policy changes in Scotland and the UK, leading to structures and practices that reduce exclusion, and giving British Sign Language (BSL) enhanced recognition and Deaf people increased equality. Deaf people experience widespread, chronic social disadvantage, with Westminster only acknowledging BSL as an independent language in 2003. The British Sign Language (Scotland) Bill, lodged with the Scottish Parliament in June 2013, is undergirded by our research. Globally, progressive sign language interpreting — facilitating the advancement, well-being and full citizenship of Deaf people — observes service models and professional principles propelled by Heriot-Watt research.
The work of Professor Philip Baker on the multiple and diverse languages of London has influenced government data-gathering procedure and policy, has contributed to the engagement practices of several London NGOs concerned with racial diversity and bilingualism, and has positively contributed to education relating to multicultural London on teacher-training and medical education programmes.
The impact derives from research into the experiences of Deaf Christians, revealing the extent of their marginalization within hearing culture but also providing qualitative evidence of autonomous expressions of theological understanding expressed through the medium of sign language. This has informed the development of a programme in Theology for the Church of England, delivered in British Sign Language, which has enabled a number of Deaf candidates to pursue accredited Christian ministry. The research has also contributed to raising awareness of the needs of people with disabilities within the churches, resulting in tangible changes in policy and provision.
As a direct result of research conducted by Professor Bencie Woll at the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre (DCAL), UCL, the NHS has established the first neuropsychology clinic for Deaf patients who use British Sign Language within the Cognitive Disorders clinic at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN). By developing services for this under-researched group, NHS provision has become accessible for the first time, benefiting both patients and service providers. We have disseminated our resources around the world, and have highlighted them to the Deaf community through a unique programme of public engagement. Our research has also influenced UK government policy on Deafness.
Biak (West Papua, Indonesia) is an endangered language with no previously established orthography. Dalrymple and Mofu's ESRC-supported project created the first on-line database of digital audio and video Biak texts with linguistically analysed transcriptions and translations (one of the first ever for an endangered language), making these materials available for future generations and aiding the sustainability of the language. Biak school-children can now use educational materials, including dictionaries, based on project resources. The project also trained local researchers in best practice in language documentation, enabling others to replicate these methods and empowering local communities to save their own endangered languages.
Global linguistic diversity is under threat; the theoretical and descriptive work of the Surrey Morphology Group (SMG) raises public awareness of linguistic diversity and produces traditional and digital resources used and valued by communities where endangered languages are spoken.
There is growing recognition of the many reasons, scientific and social, why the loss of linguistic diversity matters. Here we report on our impact on different communities, focussing in particular on Archi, an endangered language of the highlands of Daghestan (Russia). Our Dictionary of Archi, with pictures of cultural artefacts, has changed perceptions of the cultural and social value of this small language, both for the speakers of Archi and for those of surrounding larger languages. In its digital version, our dictionary has brought Archi into global awareness.