Saudi Sign Language

The history of Saudi sign language in Saudi Arabia has not yet been adequately documented and researched. have identified these barriers as being substantial. Although elderly deaf individuals try to pass on the history and culture of SSL, there is a lack of necessary documentation to support their personal experience and knowledge. 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. 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. The dictionary contains the alphabet, pronouns, verbs, nouns, and adjectives. Alomary worked with 60 Deaf individuals to compiled the dictionary, which is available for free online. In 2018, The Saudi Association for Hearing Disability prepared and published the Saudi Dictionary which includes thousands of signs from 28 fields, including medical, social, and religious. == Importance ==

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. 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. == Education in SSL ==

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 deaf or hard of hearing students (11 men and 21 women) who had completed the bachelor's degree program in Deaf education. 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. ==Classification==

SSL is distinct from the Unified Arabic Sign Language that is used by 18 Arab countries. A 1991 paper suggested that SSL may be 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 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] == Grammar ==

The grammar of Saudi Sign Language includes non-manual markers and spatial agreement, which are crucial in conveying meaning and expressing complex ideas. Morphology 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 SSL utilizes iconicity, where signs resemble objects or actions they represent. Example PRO-I FLY-TO EGYPT S V O “I flew to Egypt.” PRO-I SEARCH-FOR SIX-MONTH S V O “I searched for six months.” SSL sentences contain subject-predicate structures, and SSL has indicating verbs that can serve as predicates. == Syntax ==

Word order Word order in SSL reflects the main syntactic roles of subjects, verbs, and objects. SSL 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 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." The data presented indicates that SASL displays the word orders of SVO, OSV, and SOV. In SSL, 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] Interrogative sentences in Saudi Sign Language (SSL) are indicated by nonmanual grammatical markers, such as raised eyebrows and a forward head tilt For example, raising eyebrows and tilting the head forward and the hand sign indicate yes/no questions. (7) YOU LIKE CANDY "Do like candy?" ==References==