Dutch Sign Language
| Dutch Sign Language | |
|---|---|
| Nederlandse Gebarentaal | |
| Region | Netherlands |
Native speakers | 16,000 (2001) |
|
European
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 |
dse |
Dutch Sign Language (Dutch: Nederlandse Gebarentaal or NGT; Sign Language of the Netherlands or SLN) is the sign language used by deaf people in the Netherlands and is not officially recognized. As of 1995, more and more schools for the deaf in The Netherlands teach Signed Dutch (Nederlands met Gebaren). This uses the grammar of Dutch rather than NGT.
NGT is not the same as Flemish Sign Language, and may not even be related to it.
General information
In 1986 research showed that there were about 1,500,000 hearing impaired and 15,000 deaf individuals in the Netherlands. As of 2001, it has been estimated that approximately 16,000 people use Dutch Sign Language. Dutch Sign Language is considered to be a vulnerable language, as it is at risk of eventually becoming endangered. It is primarily used by people all throughout the Netherlands. Although there are currently five main dialects used in different regions of the country, the Sign Language Center of the Netherlands has been working to standardize Dutch Sign Language in hopes of one day reaching a point where the language is officially recognized.
Education
There are currently five schools for deaf children in the country, with the first being built at the end of the 18th century and the rest between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. While the first school used a manual method to teach the language, signing was originally prohibited in each of the latter schools and they instead tended to use an oral method of teaching. Today, with the help of cochlear implants, education is consistently leaning towards oralist methods.
See also
- Sign language
- List of sign languages
- Legal recognition of sign languages
- Fingerspelling
- Sign Language Studies (journal)
Further reading
- Bank, R., Crasborn, O., & van Hout, R. (2011). Variation in mouth actions with manual signs in Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT). Sign Language & Linguistics, 14(2), 248-270.
- Crasborn, O., van der Kooij, E., Ros, J., & de Hoop, H. (2009). Topic agreement in NGT (Sign Language of the Netherlands). Linguistic Review, 26(2/3), 355-370. doi:10.1515/tlir.2009.013
- Crasborn, O., van der Kooij, E., Waters, D., Woll, B., & Mesch, J. (2008). Frequency distribution and spreading behavior of different types of mouth actions in three sign languages. Sign Language & Linguistics, 11(1), 45-67.
- De Clerck, L., & van der Kooij, E. (2005). Modifiable and intensifier self in Dutch and Sign Language of the Netherlands. Linguistics In The Netherlands, 2261-72.
- Sandler, W., & Lillo-Martin, D. (2006). Sign language and linguistic universals. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
- Schermer, T. (2012). Sign Language Planning in the Netherlands between 1980 and 2010. Sign Language Studies, 12(4), 467-493.
- Zwets, M. (2014). Locating the difference: A comparison between Dutch pointing gestures and pointing signs in Sign Language of the Netherlands (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Proefschrift Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor in het jaar.
References
- "Did You Know Dutch Sign Language Is Vulnerable?" Endangered Languages. N.p., n.d. Web.
- Kimmelman, V. (2014). Information structure in Russian Sign Language and Sign Language of the Netherlands (Unpublished master's thesis, 2014). Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication (ACLC).
External links
- Online Video Dictionary in Dutch - choose the "Gebaren" menu and then click on "Gebarenwoordenboek".
- Online Lexicon with several methods to practice NGT in Dutch - NGT Lexicon free to search and usable with Google Translate.
- Dutch Sign Language
- Word play in sign language
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