MyWiki:WikiProject Languages/Template (sign language)

See also: Wikipedia:WikiProject Languages/Template.

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Brief introduction to the language including anything noteworthy about the language.

Language name, e.g. French Sign Language
alternative name, e.g. Langue des Signes Français, LSF
Native to	Country/countries where the language is used.
Region	Optional additional category for more precise regions
Native speakers	estimated number of signersand source
Language family	family
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
ELP

Geographic distribution

In what countries/regions the language is signed, and how many people use it there.

Recognition and status

• Is the sign language recognised by official bodies and/or laws?
• What languages or educational philosophies are used in schools with deaf students?
• Are there any television programs in (or interpreted into) the sign language?
• Any other resources (dictionaries, videos, etc.)?
• Is there a National Association of the Deaf who support the language?
• Are sign language interpreting services supported by the government? Is there an organisation of interpreters?
• When did any of the above occur?

Dialects

List of dialects of the language; any significant regional or cultural variation.

Manually Coded Languages

Are there any Manually Coded Languages such as Signed English or Cued Speech in use in the region of the sign language? If so, add them to the list on the MCL page. This section also provides an opportunity to compare the grammar of the sign language to that of the spoken language, and discuss any contact sign phenomena.

History and classification

A description of the language's relationship to other languages if known. An outline of the history of the language, including any linguistic changes known to have occurred over time (e.g. younger signers use less fingerspelling; two handed signs become one-handed; certain signs refer to technology or fashions no longer found, etc.).

Manual alphabet

What kind of manual alphabet exists (if any). How is it used, how often, and by whom?

Examples

Some short examples of the language help bring a page to life, and can be included in relevant sections. These can include still photos (.jpg) or drawings (.bmp) with added arrows to show movement, and videos (encoded preferably in Ogg Theora format). You might also include glossing (to illustrate word order and other grammatical features) and/or a writing system such as SignWriting or Stokoe notation.

Stick to a standard format for glossing; e.g.:

A-H-M-E-D_left LOOK-AT DOG_right JUMP++

(Ahmed looked at the dog jumping up and down)

Linguistics

These are optional guidelines for linguistic information if known.

Grammar

An outline of known grammatical features specific to the language, e.g. word order. Any discussion of general linguistic features of all sign language should be added to the sign language linguistics page rather than here.

Vocabulary

This section should contain a discussion of any special features of the vocabulary (or lexicon) of the language, e.g. if it contains a large number of borrowed signs, or a different sets of signs for different politeness levels, taboo groups, etc.

Phonology

In sign languages these are usually divided into 5 groups: Handshape, Orientation, Location, Movement and Non-manual features. Describe any unusual handshapes/locations (or combinations), or handshapes/locations not permitted.

Morphology

E.g. how aspect is marked; how negation is produced; a cluster of conceptually similar signs using a single handshape; timelines, etc.

Writing system

Brief description of the writing system(s) used by linguists to describe the language, such as HamNoSys or Glossing.

External links

Online dictionaries, homepages to major organisations of deaf people, interpreters and sign language.

Note that the Ethnologue report for the language, though far from informative, is occasionally worth linking to. Please take note, though, that Ethnologue should only be used as a useful tool to start new articles, not as a source. SIL International has in several cases made poorly motivated classifications that are at odds with the rest of the linguistic community as well as the speakers themselves. In many cases the reports on sign languages contain factual errors and should be fact-checked against other linguistic literature.

• Ethnologue report for Language

References

Bibliography or further reading.