FAQs

How are the signs in the signbank collected?

• The data was collected via the filming of Deaf participants producing signs in SgSL sentences. Target vocabulary words are extracted and compared between the participants. When common signs used by multiple participants are identified, a panel of Deaf individuals confirms that these signs are indeed used by the wider Deaf community. This is to ensure that the signs are not the stylistic or individual preferences of the participants alone, but are representative of the signs recognised, accepted and used by the community.

Why don’t the signers use facial expressions when signing?

• In signed languages, facial expressions may carry meaning that is separate from the sign itself. Therefore, when signs do not require facial expressions to be produced alongside the hands, the participants do not include facial expressions. When in conversation, facial expressions are used with signs depending on the intended message of the sentence or utterance.