The Arabic Manual Alphabet System

227 Pages·2010·4.35 MB·English

UC San Diego
UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Title
Deaf people, modernity, and a contentious effort to unify Arab sign languages
Permalink
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/23n5f0h5
Author
Al-Fityani, Kinda
Publication Date
2010

Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation
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University of California
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
Deaf People, Modernity, and a Contentious Effort to Unify Arab Sign Languages
A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the
requirements for the degree
Doctor of Philosophy
in
Communication
by
Kinda Al-Fityani
Committee in charge:
Professor Carol Padden, Chair
Professor Gary Fields
Professor Rachel Mayberry
Professor Michael Provence
Professor David Serlin
2010
Copyright
Kinda Al-Fityani, 2010
All rights reserved.
The Dissertation of Kinda Al-Fityani is approved, and it is acceptable
in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Chair
University of California, San Diego
2010
iii
DEDICATION
To Mom and Bob, for believing in me.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Signature Page ....................................................................................................................iii
Dedication ...........................................................................................................................iv
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................v
List of Abbreviations .........................................................................................................vii
List of Figures .....................................................................................................................iv
List of Tables. .......................................................................................................................x
Acknowledgments ..............................................................................................................xi
Vita ....................................................................................................................................xiv
Abstract of the Dissertation. ...............................................................................................xv
Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1
Chapter 2: Towards a Unified Pan-Arab Sign Language .....................................................7
Introduction ..........................................................................................................................7
Conceptualization of a Unified Arabic Sign Language. .....................................................11
The Arabic Manual Alphabet System ................................................................................14
First Installment of the ArSL Dictionary ...........................................................................23
Second Installment of the ArSL Dictionary. ......................................................................27
Further Developments of the ArSL Dictionary. .................................................................34
Conclusion .........................................................................................................................41
Chapter 3: Reality of Sign Languages in the Arab Region ................................................42
Introduction ........................................................................................................................42
Sign Language Communities in the Arab Region. .............................................................46
Lexicostatistical Analyses of Sign Languages ...................................................................54
Lexicostatistical Analyses of Sign Languages in the Arab Region. ...................................61
Conclusion .........................................................................................................................83
Chapter 4: ArSL as Empowerment ....................................................................................87
Introduction ........................................................................................................................87
v
Designing ArSL for Education. ..........................................................................................88
ArSL as a Human Right ...................................................................................................103
ArSL, Pan-Arab Nationalism, and Modernization. ..........................................................109
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................124
Chapter 5: ArSL as Oppression. .......................................................................................126
Introduction ......................................................................................................................126
ArSL, Education, and Diglossia. ......................................................................................128
Human Rights ..................................................................................................................157
The Modern Deaf Arab Person ........................................................................................162
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................165
Chapter 6: Conclusion. .....................................................................................................167
References. .......................................................................................................................177
Appendix A ......................................................................................................................191
Appendix B ......................................................................................................................193
Appendix C ......................................................................................................................194
Appendix D ......................................................................................................................197
Appendix E. ......................................................................................................................199
Appendix F. ......................................................................................................................203
Appendix G ......................................................................................................................204
Appendix H ......................................................................................................................205
Appendix I. .......................................................................................................................207
Appendix J .......................................................................................................................208
Appendix K ......................................................................................................................210
vi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ABSL: Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language
AFOOD: Arab Federation of the Organs of the Deaf, sometimes also referred to
as Arab Federation for the Organs of the Deaf and Arab Federation of
Organizations Working with the Deaf
ALECSO: Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization
AODP: Arab Organization of Disabled People
ASL: American Sign Language
ArSL: Arabic Sign Language
Auslan: Australian Sign Language
CAMSA: Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs
HLID: Holy Land Institute for the Deaf
KSL: Kuwaiti Sign Language
LAS: League of Arab States
LIU: Jordanian Sign Language, Lughat al-Ishara al-Urduniyah
LSE: Spanish Sign Language, Lengua de Signos Espanola
LSF: French Sign Language, Langue des Signes Francaise
LSM: Mexican Sign Language, Lenguaje de Signos Mexicano
LSL: Libyan Sign Language
MSA: Modern Standard Arabic
NS: Japanese Sign Language, Nihon Shuwa
NZSL: New Zealand Sign Language
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PSL: New Zealand Sign Language
SCFA: Supreme Council for Family Affairs (Qatar)
SEE: Signed Exact English
UN-ESCWA: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
WASLI: World Association of Sign Language Interpreters
WFD: World Federation of the Deaf
viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Chapter 2
Figure 1. Screenshot of Al Jazeera deaf-access hour ...........................................................8
Chapter 3
Figure 2. KORAN—The LIU sign is identical to its PSL cognate (4 shared
parameters). ........................................................................................................................67
Figure 3. BUTTERFLY—The LIU sign is related to its KSL cognate (3 shared
parameters; orientation differs) ..........................................................................................68
Figure 4. ELEPHANT—The LIU sign is related to its LSL cognate (3 shared parameters;
handshape differs) ..............................................................................................................68
Figure 5. HOUSE—The LIU sign is different to its KSL cognate (2 shared parameters;
movement and orientation differ). ......................................................................................69
Figure 6. UNIVERSITY—The LIU sign is different to its PSL cognate (1 shared
parameter; handshape, movement, and orientation differ). ................................................69
Figure 7. WHO—The LIU sign is different to its LIU cognate (0 shared parameters) .....70
Figure 8. Cognates between LIU and PSL, KSL, LSL, & ABSL; Synonyms between LIU
& ASL ................................................................................................................................72
Figure 9. Vocabulary similarities between pairs of sign languages ...................................75
Figure 10. Base level similarities between unrelated sign languages ................................76
Figure 11. HOUSE in PSL and LSL ..................................................................................80
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