Documentation of Hawaii Sign Language: Building the Foundation for Documentation, Conservation, and Revitalization of Endangered Pacific Island Sign Languages.
The Endangered Language Documentation Programme (ELDP) provides grants worldwide for the documentation of endangered languages and knowledge. Grantees create audiovisual collections with transcription and translations of endangered languages and practices. These collections are preserved and made freely available through the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR).
Hawaii Sign Language (HSL) developed indigenously in Hawaii. After the introduction of American Sign Language in 1941, HSL has become a critically endangered language in urgent need of documentation. Fewer than 40 users have been identified, all elderly, many above 80. In the documentation process, teaching materials with companion dictionaries will be developed and conversational histories about the lives of HSL users will be collected, annotated and archived. This is the first in-depth study of any indigenous Pacific sign language, providing an important foundation for future research on other undocumented indigenous sign languages in the Pacific.
Primary investigator: James Woodward
Project Details
Location: United States, Northern America, Americas
Organiser(s):
Endangered Languages Documentation Programme
Project partner(s): University of Hawaii at Manoa
Funder(s):
Arcadia
Funding received: £135,615.00
Commencement Date: 01/2009
Project Status: Completed
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