Gesture annotation is a fundamental process in all types of gesture research. However, it is usually performed manually, making it a time- and resource-consuming process. Recent progress in...Show moreGesture annotation is a fundamental process in all types of gesture research. However, it is usually performed manually, making it a time- and resource-consuming process. Recent progress in automatic human motion tracking has sparked the development of tools that partly automate gesture annotation, such as the tools by Ripperda et al. (2020) and Ienaga et al. (2022). Although aimed at annotating signs, the tool by Fragkiadakis et al. (2021) could also be useful for gesture research. As the tools are only recently developed, it is not yet confirmed whether they can facilitate the annotation process. In this thesis, the extent to which the tools can be made operable is tested through User Acceptance Testing, and their performance and usability are evaluated based on criteria sets. It was observed that the tools by Ripperda et al. (2020) and Ienaga et al. (2022) still contained fatal errors and failed to generate annotations, whereas the tool by Fragkiadakis et al. (2021) was easily made operable. However, the accuracy of the produced annotations was low and robustness could be improved, for example by training a new model. Overall, the results indicate that the tools by Ripperda et al. (2020) and Ienaga et al. (2022) still require development, and that the sign language-based tool by Fragkiadakis et al. (2021) could potentially be used for facilitating gesture annotation.Show less
The paper discribes the different ways in which Tanzanian Sign Language and Kenyan Sign Language portray temporal lexicon compared to the theory on how spoken languages portray temporal lexicon,...Show moreThe paper discribes the different ways in which Tanzanian Sign Language and Kenyan Sign Language portray temporal lexicon compared to the theory on how spoken languages portray temporal lexicon, how other sign languages portray temporal lexicon and compared to each other.Show less
This thesis presents a cross-linguistic analysis of expressing emotions in sign languages. Four claims about iconicity in sign languages are tested, which were merely based on American Sign...Show moreThis thesis presents a cross-linguistic analysis of expressing emotions in sign languages. Four claims about iconicity in sign languages are tested, which were merely based on American Sign Language. These claims are tested cross-linguistically for four different sign languages, namely the unrelated sign languages of Guinea-Bissau (LGG), the Netherlands (NGT), Mexico (LSMY) and Hong Kong (HKSL). The data indicates that the torso is preferred as the articulation place for expressing emotion in NGT and HKSL, which also predominantly express the basic emotions at the torso. Most of the signs of LGG are expressed at the head (also the basic emotions) and surprisingly LSMY only expresses emotion at the head. For the second parameter, motion, the data supports the claim that a movement towards the interlocutor indicates the communication of the speaker’s emotional state towards the interlocutor. The third parameter handshape indicates different levels of positivity or negativity in expressing emotion. However, the dictionaries of the four sign languages differ in quality and quantity and more research and data is needed.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
The present study explores the relationship between multilingualism and expressiveness, with reference to the case of ideophones in Zulu. Ideophones make up a large and productive word class in...Show moreThe present study explores the relationship between multilingualism and expressiveness, with reference to the case of ideophones in Zulu. Ideophones make up a large and productive word class in Zulu, as they do in most Bantu languages (Nkabinde, 1986; Doke & Vilakazi, 1951). However, a study by Childs (1996) found that ideophone knowledge and use is in decline among young Zulu speakers in South Africa, likely because of influence from Afrikaans and English as prestige languages which do not have ideophones. This study seeks to follow up on this and expand upon it with the inclusion of gestures and an investigation of the attitudes surrounding ideophone use. The central finding is that the results here conform to Childs’s (1996) prediction that ideophone use is decreasing among Zulu speakers; however, ideophones are generally positively perceived by urban speakers, which stands in stark contrast to what Childs (1996) found. The implications of these positive attitudes are discussed in light of South Africa’s sociolinguistic history and current context. Lastly, I posit the tentative hypothesis that many of the functions of ideophones have persisted into urban Zulu in the form of onomatopoeia and even code-switching.Show less
Katwijk heeft een hoge incidentie van erfelijke doofheid. In gemeenschappen waar dit voorkomt ontstaat in alle bekende gevallen een eigen gebarentaal. Deze scriptie is de eerste stap in het...Show moreKatwijk heeft een hoge incidentie van erfelijke doofheid. In gemeenschappen waar dit voorkomt ontstaat in alle bekende gevallen een eigen gebarentaal. Deze scriptie is de eerste stap in het onderzoeken of er ook in Katwijk een eigen gebarentaal is geweest. De hoofdvraag is of er sprake is van specifieke Katwijkse gebaren en wat dit vertelt over de vraag of er een eigen gebarentaalvariant in Katwijk is geweest voordat de eerste dove bewoners naar dovenscholen gingen. Dit is gedaan door een lexicale variatie studie met behulp van interviews met dove Katwijkse gebarentaalgebruikers. De specifieke Katwijkse gebaren in deze interviews zijn door middel van een filtersysteem eruit gefilterd. Uit het onderzoek naar 188 gebaren is naar voren gekomen dat er zes hiervan mogelijk Katwijkse gebaren zijn. Dit onderzoek lijkt daarom in de richting te wijzen dat er specifieke Katwijkse gebaren zijn, wat mogelijk zou kunnen betekenen dat er een Katwijkse gebarentaal is geweest. Hier is echter meer onderzoek naar nodig.Show less
This study examines what the social position of persons with albinism is in Mchinji District, Malawi and how this relates to the situation described by Braathen who conducted research on attitudes...Show moreThis study examines what the social position of persons with albinism is in Mchinji District, Malawi and how this relates to the situation described by Braathen who conducted research on attitudes and beliefs related to people with albinism in Malawi in 2005. At present research that engages with the social and cultural impact of albinism in Africa in general and Malawi in specific appears to be limited and this study contributes to a very limited body of knowledge in the field of albinism in Africa. The aims of this research are threefold: to learn about the views and knowledge of people with albinism and other actors in their social environment (family members, medical personnel, teachers, students and randomly chosen citizens); to explore the relationships persons affected by the condition have with other people; and to create a better understanding of how albinism is perceived in a Malawian context. Based on semi-structured interviews, observations, a newspaper analysis and a survey, this study found out that the social position of persons with albinism in Malawi can be characterised as challenging. Besides physical implications, such as high skin sensitivity and low vision, the condition also has social implications since persons with albinism often face stigma and discrimination from others in society. In addition to these implications that have already been identified in previous studies about albinism in Africa, including Braathen (2005), this research reveals that persons with albinism in Malawi are currently subjected to violence because of the belief that their body parts bring luck and prosperity when used in witchcraft practices. The current study concludes that the social position of persons with albinism has changed significantly during the last decade and that the quality of life of people with the condition is nowadays worse than that of the average Malawian.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Afrikaanse talen en culturen (BA)
closed access
This thesis report aims to analyze the different types of iconicity present in the Ghanaian language Akan. The ideophones existing in the different dialects of Akan are marked by pitch and placed...Show moreThis thesis report aims to analyze the different types of iconicity present in the Ghanaian language Akan. The ideophones existing in the different dialects of Akan are marked by pitch and placed in the center of focus by their special syntactic place at the boundary of the utterance they belong to. They can be categorized in the semantic domains of sound, movement, touch and vision. Their expressive morphology can add depictive concepts as gradation and iteration to their meaning. Imagic iconicity can be found in onomatopoeic ideophones. Of the possible Gestalt iconic mappings, three are prevalent: reduplication (evoking iteration or distribution), closed monosyllabicity (evoking a unitary event) and prolonged vowel length (evoking duration). Relative iconicity does not seem to be a prevalent feature of Akan ideophones.Show less
