British sign language corpus

The British Sign Language (BSL) Corpus is a collection of video clips showing Deaf people using BSL, together with background information about the signers and some written descriptions of the signing in ELAN. The video clips were collected as part of the original BSL Corpus Project, funded between 2008 and 2011 by the Economic and Social Research Council. An initial set of annotations were uploaded in 2014.
http://www.bslcorpusproject.org/cava<p>The aim of this project is to use the sign language data collected under the BSL Corpus Project, and to conduct an investigation into variation and change in the use of directional verbs in BSL. Directional verbs like ASK or GIVE in BSL move in the signing space between locations associated with the subject and object noun (e.g., the person asking and the person being asked). Because these verbs incorporate an element of pointing within them, they are unique to sign languages, yet the way they are used in everyday conversation is not well understood.

Using data from the BSL Corpus, this project relates the use of directional verbs to different factors involved in their context of use in order to study how they vary. This will help answer questions about linguistic factors such as: To what extent is modification of these verbs obligatory, and to what extent is verb directionality influenced by how often the sign occurs in conversation? (Are verbs that are more frequent more or less likely to be modified for directionality?) What is the role of re eyegaze and constructed action (also known as role shift) with directional verbs? (Compare the eyegaze in SUPERVISE vs. GIVE and HELP below – what factors determine these different eyegaze patterns? With SUPERVISE, is the signer looking to his right because he is imagining the person being supervised? Or because the grammar of BSL requires it?) How often do signs move from or toward the signer (e.g. SUPERVISE and GIVE below) vs. between two locations away from the signer (e.g. HELP below)? This project will also help to answer questions about social factors (such as a signer's language background, age, or region). For example, is verb directionality more common in some regions than others? Do native signers modify directional verbs more or less often than non-native signers? Do younger signers modify directional verbs more or less often than older signers?

Answers to these questions will help address: (a) theoretical issues related to the relationship between pointing and grammar (a key area of interest within sign language linguistics), (b) the contribution of sign languages to core issues and areas of debate in linguistic theory, such as the relative importance of linguistic diversity and language universals, and (c) the relevance to sign linguistics of an understanding of sociolinguistic variation and change in deaf communities. Furthermore, improved descriptions of the structure and use of BSL together with a greater understanding of linguistic change and sociolinguistic variation will more accurately describe how the language is used by a range of subgroups within the British deaf community which will in turn lead to more appropriate training of sign language teachers, sign language interpreters, and educators of deaf children.</p>

英国手语（British Sign Language，以下简称BSL）语料库是一组展示聋人使用BSL的视频片段集合，同步收录手语使用者的背景信息，以及部分经ELAN标注的手语书面描述。该视频片段采集自2008至2011年间由经济和社会研究理事会（Economic and Social Research Council）资助的初代BSL语料库项目，首批标注集于2014年上传。项目官方网址：http://www.bslcorpusproject.org/cava

本项目旨在依托BSL语料库项目采集的手语数据，探究BSL指向动词的使用变异与演化规律。BSL中的ASK（询问）、GIVE（给予）等指向动词，会在与主语、宾语名词对应的位置之间的手语空间内移动（例如，发话者与受话者的对应位置）。由于这类动词内嵌指向性元素，仅为手语所独有，但日常对话中其实际使用方式尚未得到充分阐释。

本研究借助BSL语料库的数据，将指向动词的使用与其使用语境中的各类影响因素相关联，以系统探究其使用变异特征。相关研究将解答以下语言类问题：这类动词的修饰在多大程度上具有强制性？动词的指向性受其在对话中出现频率的影响程度如何？（出现频率更高的动词，其指向性修饰的概率会更高还是更低？）注视行为与构建性动作（亦称角色转换）在指向动词的使用中发挥何种作用？（试比较SUPERVISE（监督）、GIVE（给予）与HELP（帮助）的注视模式——哪些因素决定了这些差异化的注视行为？在使用SUPERVISE时，手语者看向右侧，是因为其正在想象被监督者的形象，还是受到BSL语法规则的强制要求？）指向自身或源自自身的手势（如下方示例的SUPERVISE与GIVE），与在远离自身的两个位置间移动的手势（如下方示例的HELP）的出现频率分别如何？本项目还将探讨相关社会因素的影响，例如手语使用者的语言背景、年龄或地域等。比如，不同地区的使用者对指向动词的使用频率是否存在显著差异？本土手语使用者与非本土使用者对指向动词的修饰频率是否存在差异？年轻手语使用者与年长使用者对指向动词的修饰频率是否存在差异？

上述问题的解答将有助于解决三大类核心议题：（a）与指向性和语法关系相关的理论问题（手语语言学领域的重点研究方向之一）；（b）手语对语言学理论核心议题与辩论的贡献，例如语言多样性与语言普遍性的相对重要性；（c）理解聋人社群的社会语言变异与演化对手语语言学研究的意义。此外，对BSL结构与使用方式的更精准描述，以及对语言变化与社会语言变异的更深入认知，将更准确地呈现英国聋人社群内各类子群体的语言使用现状，进而为手语教师、手语译员及聋童教育者提供更适配的培训依据。