Endangered sign languages in village communities

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The case of sign languages in rural communities with a high incidence of, often hereditary, deafness is the latest major discovery in the field of sign language linguistics. For the first time, this project looks comparatively at a substantial number of these communities, in Thailand, Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula), South India, Turkey (Mardin), Ghana, Mali (Dogon region), Australia (Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land), Jamaica, Indonesia (Bali) and an Algerian expatriate community in Israel. The project investigates these sign languages and communities from the two complementary angles of linguistics and anthropology. Our diverse project team, which includes deaf researchers from the target countries, pays particular attention to ethical issues in working with these communities.