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.