Projects

Preparation Project for an ‚iLex-Corpus-Lexicon' for Swiss German Sign Language (2011)

(Deutschschweizerische Gebärdensprache, DSGS)

Background

Any archive of video documents of a sign language is only useful for researchers, teachers or other interested persons if somewhere it is clearly noted what and where specific content is on the video. In other words, the video has to have some form of written 'annotation' directly referring to the content of the video.

By means of the 'iLex corpus lexicon' software, developed specifically for sign languages at the University of Hamburg, it is possible to link videos from different sign language projects directly to a common lexicon. This makes it possible not only to archive important already existing and future sign language video archives stemming from different sources, but also makes more effective and efficient searches of these videos possible, and hence more useable, for a variety of teaching and research purposes.

A large lexical databank for Swiss German Sign Language has been developed since 1995 (through a number of SNF projects and sign language projects) in a FileMaker format. This FileMaker lexical databank is currently housed in a computer at the HfH.

Aims of this project

The specific aims of this short-term 'iLex Preparation project' are the following:

1. To make the adaptations of the current FileMaker databank which are necessary preparations for an export of all its data into a new 'iLex' corpus lexicon form;
2. To find a host server for the new iLex lexicon;
3. To prepare the design of a larger future research project which will utilize this new iLex technology;
4. To provide this project's team members with an introductory training for the new DSGS iLex corpus lexicon.

Cooperation

The iLex project is supported by an active cooperation with the University of Hamburg where the iLex Software was developed, with the Institute for Computer Linguistics at the University of Zürich, which is providing the host server for the iLex Lexicon, as well as with the Center for Sign Language Research in Basel.

Duration

05/2011 – 12/2011

Financial Support

The HfH
The Max-Bircher Foundation (Zürich)
The Center for Sign Language Research (Basel)

Team

1. Dr. phil. Penny Boyes Braem is director of this project, as well as of several previous Swiss Science Foundation-DORE sign language research projects that have been carried out at the HfH, as well as director of the Center for Sign Language Research in Basel.
2. Katja Tissi is a native DSGS signer, an experienced sign language researcher and a teacher in the Sign Language Interpreter Training program (GSD) at the HfH.
3. Naomi Sonetto is a native DSGS signer and a student in the HfH training program for sign language teachers (AGSA).
4. Simone Groeber is a doctoral student at the Center for Applied Linguistics of the University of Neuchâtel and has been on the linguistic team of previous HfH- Swiss Science Fondation sign language projects at the HfH.
5. Prof. Dr. phil. Tobias Haug ist Co-Director of and teacher in the training program for sign language interpreters (GSD) at the HfH.