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From:
Michael Everson Date: Sun Aug 8, 1999 12:05 pm Subject: Re: proper names | ||||||||
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Judy wrote: >>This is a quickie and I haven't read all but here is the deal with Nicaragua >>on the acronym front. Please, they use the term Idioma de Señas de >>Nicaragua. When I speak of it in translation I use the term "Nicaraguan >>Sign Language" but I NEVER use the acronym NSL. If an acronym were to be >>used I would use ISN, but I prefer to avoid that. Why? If you look at the >>Signed languages of the world most of them have had their SIGN supplanted by >>a signed acronym from the dominant language label for the language. But say a person speaks only English, and doesn't sign. What do you want that person to call the sign language of Nicaragua when speaking English? Darlene wrote: >Thanks so much for saying to leave to Deaf communities to make decision >with the proper names. It is Deaf's languages that we need to make our own >decisions So, for America....American Sign Language (ASL) is a true language. I'm not quite sure what the problem is. English speakers we tend to use (for good or for ill) acronyms for long phrases. ASL and BSL are common acronyms for "American Sign Language" and "British Sign Language" respectively. In Spanish you might call them "Idioma de Señas Estadounidense" and "Idioma de Señas Británico". One might, consequently, expect ISE and ISeB to be used in Spanish, but as noted, Spanish tends to treat acronyms as words, . You can't expect English speakers to call Nicaraguan Sign Language "Idioma de Señas de Nicaragua". What would you do if Welsh Sign Language existed? You couldn't expect people to call it "Iaith Gymraeg Arwyddion, IGA", could you? Surely "Japanese Sign Language, JSL" is preferable to "Nihon Shuwa" in English. Maybe I've missed the point? Maybe the point is that in sign one can either say a name in sign itself or finger spell the acronym of the name in another language? Does the name for American Sign Language differ when Signed (i.e., does it not contain the sign for "American" and the sign for "sign language")? An interesting note. We call French "French" and not "Français". Nobody worries about that.... One of the languages of northern Europe we used to call "Lappish" but they feel that name (at least the Norwegian version "lappisk") to be pejorative so they prefer us to call it "Sámi". In doing so we show them respect for how they wish to be called. Sorry for the ramble..... -- Michael Everson * Everson Gunn Teoranta * https://www.indigo.ie/egt 15 Port Chaeimhghein Íochtarach; Baile Átha Cliath 2; Éire/Ireland Guthán: +353 1 478 2597 ** Facsa: +353 1 478 2597 (by arrangement) 27 Páirc an Fhéithlinn; Baile an Bhóthair; Co. Átha Cliath; Éire | ||||||||
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