Saudi Sign Language

Saudi Sign Language
لغة الإشارة السعودية
Native to	Saudi Arabia
Native speakers	100,000 (2008)
Language family	language isolate? Arab Sign Language family?
Language codes
ISO 639-3	sdl
Glottolog	saud1238

The Saudi Arabian Sign Language ( SASL; Arabic: لغة الإشارة السعودية العربية ،SSL: Saudi Sign Language Arabic: لغةالإشارة السعودية) is a type of sign language that is used by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing in Saudi Arabia. It is a visual language that involves a combination of facial expressions, visual gestures, and hand and body movements that allow individuals to communicate their thoughts and emotions.^[1] SASL has its own unique grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, which include complex linguistic features such as verb agreement, nominal case marking, and aspectual markers. It is a rich language that allows users to express varying levels of emotion or intensity, making it a valuable tool for communication. SASL also includes elements such as facial expressions, gestures, and finger spelling, which are used to convey meaning and emphasis. SASL has its own literature, including humor and poetry, that is specifically tailored to its unique features and cultural significance. It can also be studied as a foreign language in colleges and schools.^[2] SASL is distinct from American Sign Language (ASL) and other sign languages used in Arabic countries, as it has its own unique vocabulary and grammar rules. In Saudi Arabia, older generations of Saudi Deaf individuals are more likely to use SASL naturally in various settings, while younger generations may be more influenced by technology and social media. This difference in language usage can have an impact on the development and evolution of the language. Nonetheless, SASL remains an important tool for communication and expression within the Saudi Deaf community.^[2] Figure 1

Deaf student in Saudi Arabia learning SignWriting in 2002

History and Development

The history of Saudi sign language in Saudi Arabia still needs to be adequately documented and researched. It is essential to analyze and document its linguistic aspects, historical development, and cultural significance^[1]. Despite progress made, users of Saudi Sign Language still need help with several challenges, such as recognition, access to education and employment opportunities, and social inclusion. Significant barriers must be addressed to integrate Saudi Sign Language fully into all aspects of society and ensure equal opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in Saudi Arabia. ^[3] have identified these barriers as being substantial. The field of Deaf education in Saudi Arabia lacks documentationand research about the origins of Arabic Sign (AS) and Saudi Arabian Sign Language (SASL). There needs to be more historical documentation and research about the origins and development of these sign languages. Although elderly deaf individuals try to pass on the history and culture of AS and SASL, there is a lack of necessary documentation to support their personal experience and knowledge^[1]. Moreover, research needs to be done about the historical development of these sign languages. However, the first two schools for the deaf in Saudi Arabia were established in 1964 in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. One institution was for boys, and the other was for girls, reflecting the gender-segregated nature of the Saudi education system.^[4]

The Development

The emergence of Saudi Sign Language has led to the creation of a vibrant deaf community in Saudi Arabia. What began as a communication tool among deaf people has evolved into a rich cultural and linguistic identity. Deaf individuals in Saudi Arabia are establishing deaf clubs, organizing cultural events, and advocating for their rights and inclusion in society^[4]. The Ministry of Health has implemented initiatives to support the deaf community. While there are challenges posed by emerging SASL interpreting services and poorly developed SASL skills among teachers, the government and King Saud University have recognized the unique linguistic and communication challenges faced by the deaf community and made efforts to improve accessibility. This includes developing the largest Saudi Sign Language database  ^[5]. Standardizing the interpretation profession, unifying Saudi Sign Language, and establishing qualifications and certifications for Saudi Sign Language interpreters have also been some of the efforts to improve communication and education for the deaf community in Saudi Arabia. Such efforts have led to improved accessibility and opportunities for the deaf community, fostering a sense of empowerment and inclusivity^[2]. The King Salman Center for Disability Research and the Saudi Association for Hearing Impairment have supported the spread and development of Saudi Sign Language through training, resources, and research^[2].

SASL has been influenced over the years by other types of sign languages, such as British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL), when teachers came to Saudi Arabia or when Saudi specialists studied in England or the United States. However, SASL has its own unique grammar, syntax, and lexicon^[4].SASL has been developed over time through interactions between deaf individuals in Saudi Arabia. As students communicated, they noticed each other's signs and diversified their own languages, eventually using these new signs as part of SASL. Furthermore, teachers from other Arab countries, such as Jordan and Egypt, affected the nature of SASL by adding some signs related to their culture. Some Arab teachers used Arabic signs to teach children in elementary schools, which created a few vocabulary differences between signs used by boys and girls that still exist today as they attend gender-segregated schools ^[2]

Efforts have been made to unify SASL into a single sign language to be used by deaf individuals throughout the League of Arab Nations (approximately 22 countries)^[4]. This sign language is composed of signs from several Arab sign languages, including Saudi, Egyptian, and Jordanian sign languages, and has been compiled into a dictionary by the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs (CAMSA). However, deaf individuals have largely rejected or resisted this effort to create one unified sign language because they cannot make sense of the compiled signs ^[4]

Specific Saudi deaf individuals, sign language interpreters, and educators have made documented efforts to unify SASL. For example, in 1993, the principal of the Secondary Institute for the Deaf in Riyadh and adjunct professor at King Saud University, Alturki Abdullah, created a SASL handbook with language assistance from his high school Deaf students. This handbook was the first document of SASL and was used as part of the only course at the time in the KSA, which taught sign language in the degree plan of teachers for deaf individuals . The Princess Alanood Foundation collaborated with Alomary in 2013 to publish the Saudi Arabia Sign Language Dictionary. ^[6] Figure 4. The dictionary contains the alphabet, pronouns, verbs, nouns, and adjectives. Alomary worked with 60 Deaf individuals throughout the process of compiling the dictionary. The dictionary is available for free on the website. In 2018, The Saudi Association for Hearing Disability prepared and published the Saudi Dictionary ^[7]which includes thousands of signs from 28 fields, including medical, social, and religious.

The Importance of Saudi Sign Language

In Saudi Arabia, there are around 100,000 people with hearing disabilities, out of which 229,541 individuals have hearing impairments and often face neglect in public places due to the lack of interpreters. Recent statistics by the General Authority for Statistics indicate that efforts are being made to improve accessibility and opportunities for deaf individuals in the country^[8]. Saudi Sign Language is now recognized as a cultural and linguistic heritage, and various initiatives such as sign language dictionaries, interpreter training programs, and inclusive policies in education and employment have been implemented^[2]. For instance, post-secondary education is now accessible to deaf people with 396 self-contained classrooms and institutions. The College of Home Economics for Women and the College of Communication and Technical Information were the first to offer higher education programs for Deaf male and female students. The King Abdullah Scholarship Program provided deaf students with the opportunity to study abroad in 2005. In 2006, the Arab Open University (AOU) began admitting deaf individuals. Finally, King Saud University began accepting deaf and hard-of-hearing students in 2012. In 2017, King Saud University celebrated the graduation of 32 students who were deaf or hard of hearing. They had completed the bachelor's degree program in Deaf education, which included 11 male and 21 female graduates^[2]. These educational advancements have resulted in better access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities for deaf individuals in Saudi Arabia. However, challenges still need to be addressed due to limited interaction with the hearing/speaking community. To address this, efforts are being made to promote greater interaction and understanding between the deaf and hearing communities in Saudi Arabia, including providing sign language interpreters and visual aids for communication in public spaces.^[2]

Classification

Saudi Sign Language is visually expressed and has unique grammar and syntax compared to spoken languages. This sign language is different from the Unified Arabic Sign Language that is used by 18 Arab countries. It serves as a prototype for sign languages in the Arab world, such as Arab sign-language family according to (Wittmann ,1991), [9] who suggests that SSL may be considered a language isolate developed through stimulus diffusion from an existing sign language. This indicates that Saudi Sign Language has its own distinct characteristics and is not simply a derivative of spoken Arabic or other sign languages in the region.^[3] There is a difference between Saudi Arabian Sign Language (SASL) and other Arab sign languages. Each Arab country has its own sign language, such as Jordanian and Egyptian Sign Language. SSL is the sign language of Saudi Arabia and is used by approximately 750,000 deaf people. SSL is a stand-alone language, not a translation of the Arabic language spoken in Saudi Arabia.^[3]

The Grammar of Saudi Sign Language

The grammar of Saudi Sign Language includes non-manual markers and spatial agreement, which are crucial in conveying meaning and expressing complex ideas^[10].

The Morphology of Saudi Sign Language

Saudi Sign Language's morphology refers to how signs are structured and formed. This includes using handshapes, movement, and facial expressions to convey meaning. In addition, the morphology of Saudi Sign Language utilizes iconicity, where signs resemble objects or actions they represent.^[10]

Morphemes

According to the study^[10], SASL has various aspectual markers similar to the ones found in ASL and other European sign languages. These markers are distinct from the verbs and indicate temporal aspects. The research identified two phonological variants of the continuous/durational aspect marker and a single form for the habitual/regular aspect marker. This form was consistently produced by all four consultants involved in the study^[10].

Continuous/durational aspect marker:

Habitual/regular aspect marker:

The consultants utilized several adverbial signs in various constructions which gave a sense of regular or habitual aspect. These adverbs included every day, weekly (or every week), and all-day/all-night. It is worth noting, however, that these adverbs were used in conjunction with the sign depicted in Figure 3.All of these markers are categorized as manual morphemes^.[10]

The study has identified two non-manual adverbials in Saudi Arabian Sign Language (SASL): the intense-face adverbial and the intense-face-wide non-manual adverb of degree. The intense-face adverbial is produced with a specific facial expression that involves raising the eyebrows, widening the eyes, and tensing the mouth. It can modify a manual adjective, a manual verb, and a classifier predicate^.[10]

Examples  

•PRO. I COUSIN RECENTLY BORN BABY. YOUNG PRO. X BABY YOUNG.

  “My cousin just had a baby; the baby is young.”

• POSS. I  SISTER  INDEX-LF  STILL  SCHOOL  STILL. YOUNG PRO. X.

“My sister is still in school; she is young.”

•POSS. I FATHER INDEX-RT, RECENTLY RETIRE. PRO. X OLD.

“My father recently retired; he’s getting old.”

•POSS. I GRANDMOTHER INDEX-RT, OLD NINETY-SIX ­ (SEVEN).

VERY-OLD PRO. X.

“My grandmother is ninety-six years old; she is very old.”[10]   VERY-OLD is shown in figure 4 ^[10]  

On the other hand, the intense-face-wide adverbial is exclusive to SASL at this point. Both adverbials have been found to have the same form and function as in American Sign Language (ASL) and Polish Sign Language (PJM).^[10]  

The study has identified three different tongue movements in the Sign Language of Saudi Arabian (SASL): forward tongue protrusion, side tongue protrusion, and tongue flap. Forward tongue protrusion serves as an intensifier that modifies the meaning of a sign, and also as an instance of Arabic mouthing. ^[10]  

It has been discovered that the side tongue protrusion is a distinguishing characteristic of Saudi Arabian Sign Language (SASL). Based on the available data, it appears that side tongue protrusion serves as an intensifier. All recorded instances of side tongue protrusion have been linked to negative emotions, intensity, or taboo topics.^[10]  

The tongue flap gesture has two functions in American Sign Language (ASL). The first is to indicate affect, while the second is to act as an intensifier or indicator of degree. In Saudi Arabian Sign Language (SASL), the tongue flap is also used as an intensifier to indicate the small size of an object or individual. However, more research is needed to determine other forms and functions of tongue movements in SASL.^[10]  

Arguments Strucrure in Saudi Sign Language

Research on Saudi Sign Language's argument structure has identified three main types of arguments: subject, verb, and object. These arguments convey thematic roles and linguistic features, such as person, number, and gender^[3]. The subject can be overt or inverted within the discourse and can even stand alone as a single sign. Verbs are present and can identify both the object and the subject through the direction and orientation of movement, along with spatial verbs. In contrast, objects can be oblique in terms of location and time^[11].Example

PRO-I   FLY-TO   EGYPT

  S                  V                    O

“I flew to Egypt.”                                                       Samir 0210 5:51

PRO-I   SEARCH-FOR   SIX-MONTH

 S                        V                         O

“I searched for six months.”                                       Hafi 0310 1:33^[11]

In a study conducted on SASL, the authors identified sentences that contained subject-predicate structures. They found that SASL has indicating verbs that can serve as predicates. However, the authors noted that further investigation is required to understand the syntactic structures of SASL fully^[11].

The Syntax of Saudi Sign Language

Word order

According to (Sprenger 2012), ^[11] It has been observed that the word order in Saudi Arabian Sign Language (SASL) reflects the main syntactic roles of subjects, verbs, and objects. SASL appears to have a flexible word order, as personal narratives have shown that basic word order sentences can start with one sign. For example :

TRY

  V

“(I) try.”                                                 Fata 0224 33:45

GRADUATE

         V

“(I) graduated.”                                     Abar 0224 13:21^[11]

Predicate standing as a complete sentence:

          SOPHOMORE

              Pred. (N)

“(I) was a sophomore.”           Abar 0224 12:52

EMBARRASSED

            Pred. (Adj)

“(She) was embarrassed.”     Hafi 0310 3:02^[11]

Verbs modify the path of movement to indicate subjects and objects. Example:

PRO-3-HELP-PRO-I

    (S)-   V-     (O)

“(She) helped (me).”                           Abar 0217 3:09^[11]

Spatial verbs that indicate the source and goal of motion.Example:

    GO-INTO

    (S)-V-(O)

“(We) went in.”                                  Hafi 0210 1:30 ^[11]

SV order :

PRO-I        SENIOR

S Pred.          (N)

“I was a senior.”                                             Abar 0224 13:20

PRO-I        PRO-3       COUSINS

  S             S                Pred. (N)

“I and he are cousins.”                                    Hafi 0210

PRO-I        SURPRISE

  S             Pred. (Adj)

“I was surprised!”                                           Samir 0210 6:04

PRO-I        YOUNG

   S            Pred. (Adj)   Hafi 0210 1:02^[11]

“I was young.”                                                                                                                                              

OV order :

APARTMENT   NOT-WANT

    O                             V

“The apartment, (I) didn’t want it.”                            Fata 0331b 0:31^[11]

Indirect object overtly produced :

I-20 FORM   _rt-SEND-TO-_PRO-1   PRO-I

     O                         (S)-V-(O)                  O

“The I-20 form, (they) sent it to me!”            Samir 0310 5:44^[11]

SVO order:

PRO-I   GO-TO  HOTEL

S                   V                   O

“I went to the hotel.”                                      Abar 0217 3:27

PRO-I   DEVELOP   ENGLISH

S                          V                         O

“I will improve my English.”                            Fata 0224 33:41^[11]

SOV order :

PRO-I   UNIVERSITY  GRADUATE

  S                       O                        V

“I graduated from the university.”                  Hafi 0310 2:36^[11]

OSV order :

CAMERA   PRO-I   DV_{-‘open camera’}

  O                      S                V

“The camera, I opened it.”                                Samir 210 8:19^[11]

Embedded clauses

PRO-I   NOT-KNOW   [MOTHER  VAGUE]

   S                      V                         [S               Pred. (Adj.)]

“I didn’t know that Mother was hedging.”     Hafi 0310 1:53

MOTHER           THINK               [CAN’T]

    S                         V                     [(S)-V]

“Mother thought that I couldn’t.”                     Samir 0310 5:35^[11]

Other data:

JEFF   LIKE   ICE-CREAM

 S               V                        O

“Jeff likes ice cream.”

LESA     CL-I   ANIKA   CL-I    WALK-TO   HUG

          O                              S                            V                  V

“Anika hugs Lesa.”^[11]

The data presented indicates that SASL displays the word orders of SVO, OSV, and SOV.^[11] According to ^[3] In Saudi Sign Language, declarative sentences generally follow a Subject-Verb-Object word order, which is similar to the word order used in many spoken languages. However, other word orders such as SOV and VSO are also available. When producing declarative sentences in SSL, no additional nonmanual markings are used, and the most common order is SVO. OVS word order is typically used in locative sentences, while OSV is relatively rare. SOV word order is rarely observed in SSL. Here are some examples :

(5) He GO SCHOOL

“He is going to school” [3]

(6) CHAIR ON BALL

“The ball is on the chair”[3]

According to a study^[3], interrogative sentences in Saudi Sign Language (SSL) are indicated by nonmanual grammatical markers, such as raised eyebrows and a forward head tilt For example Figure 15, while raising eyebrows and tilting the head forward and the hand sign indicated yes/no questions. ^[3]

(7) YOU LIKE CANDY

“Do like candy?”^[3]

External Links

• The Deaf and Sign language in the Ministry of Health
• Saudi Sign Language Association
• SignWriting in the Arabic Nations
• Sign Puddle Online Dictionary Saudi Arabia
• Moataz Ghalib YouTube Channel
• Saudi Sign Language Dictionary (1)
• Saudi Sign Language Dictionary (2)
• Saudi Sign Language Dictionary in Princess Alanood Foundation

Further reading

• Abdo, M. Z., et al. (2015). "EMCC: Enhancement of Motion Chain Code for Arabic Sign Language Recognition." IJACSA) International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications 6(12).
• Al-Megren, S. and A. Almutairi (2019). "Analysis of user requirements for a mobile augmented reality application to support literacy development amongst hearing-impaired children." Journal of Information and Communication Technology 18(1): 97-121.
• Al-Obodi, A. H., et al. (2020). "A Saudi Sign Language recognition system based on convolutional neural networks." Department of Information Technology, College of Computer, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
• Alawajee, O. (2021). "Influence of COVID-19 on students’ sign language learning in a teacher-preparation program in Saudi Arabia: Moving to e-learning." Contemporary Educational Technology 13(3): ep308.
• Aljedaani, W., et al. (2021). "I Cannot See You—The Perspectives of Deaf Students to Online Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic: Saudi Arabia Case Study." Education Sciences 11(11): 712.
• Alqarni, F. (2017). Hearing Parents of Deaf Children in Saudi Arabia: Communication Modes and Challenges. United States -- Texas, Lamar University - Beaumont: 131.
• Alzahrani, A. (2022). "The Role of Fingerspelling in Saudi Arabian Deaf Culture." International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education 69(6): 2155-2171.
• Alzahrani, A. A. (2022). "Roles and responsibilities of sign language interpreters in Saudi deaf society." Cogent Education9(1): 2150004.
• Elhadj, Y. O. M., et al. (2012). Towards a unified 3D animated dictionary for Saudi sign language. Proceedings of the International Conference on Advances in Computing, Communications and Informatics.
• Kozak, L. V. and N. Tomita (2012). "On Selected Phonological Patterns in Saudi Arabian Sign Language." Sign Language Studies 13(1): 56-78.
• Stephen, A. and G. Mathur (2012). "Bringing the Field into the Classroom: A Field Methods Course on Saudi Arabian Sign Language." Sign Language Studies 13(1): 37-55.
• Young, L., et al. (2012). "Selected Lexical Patterns in Saudi Arabian Sign Language." Sign Language Studies 13(1): 79-102.