Swiss-German Sign Language

Spoken in

  • Sign Language French sign languages Swiss sign languages Swiss German Sign Language

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The Swiss German Sign Language ( DSGS ) is a sign language used by the deaf and the German Swiss trained interpreters there.

Dialects

In German-speaking Switzerland, a distinction between five gestures dialects, the Zurich, Berne, Basel, Lucerne and the St. Gallen dialect. In each of these regions, there is a school for the deaf, so sign language is passed on by the local children with each other (although this was in some schools have banned until recently).

The dialects are similar to each other. Nevertheless, there are distinct differences, so that you can see which part of Switzerland comes the signer. With the increasing mobility of these dialects are mixed, however, more and more.

The DSGS is related to the Austrian sign language and of German sign language because sign language has been influenced in part by the German spoken language.

Characteristics of DSGS

The DSGS is still strongly emphasizes oral as compared to American Sign Language (ASL ). Thus, the corresponding lip movements " played a part " to almost every gesture silently. In other words, using an example: If the ( right-handed ) Deaf clenches his right hand into a fist and with this two to three times knocking on his right cheek (all fingers except the thumb touching the cheek), then you know the other person, he says " mother". Nevertheless, he moves his mouth and says flatly as "Mother ". This is a side effect of oral education ( see next section). In ASL, however, the mouth remains closed.

DSGS in schools

At the beginning of the 19th century, the period of the schools for the deaf, was the sign language, even an artificial, approximated to the syntax of spoken language sign system taking cue used in part to the Signes conventionals French origin in deaf education of the German and French-speaking Switzerland. After the 1830s, however, behave oriented pedagogy of the Swiss-German institutions was deaf and dumb ( and later only in the French-speaking Switzerland ) is prohibited, and this until the 1990s. The sign language was, as in other countries, as " monkey language" devalued and to this day by many circles, even in deaf education, stigmatized.

A tentative rethinking did not occur until the millennium. Since then, projects are underway to educate deaf children bilingually or in noisy spoke accompanying sign language in Switzerland. This means that in these schools, both the spoken language as sometimes the sign language may be used. However, this development is at the beginning, and there is a need in the German-speaking Switzerland of political will, the necessary knowledge and experience to implement bilingual projects. Still favor many parents of deaf children, and she advisory medical profession and those working in the early education teachers and therapists usually the oral education model to the exclusion of sign language so that little money is invested in the bilingual research.

At the universities lacking in the area of ​​special education training, which is a real alternative to conventional oral deaf bilingual teacher training program; the deaf educators working in Switzerland are German sign language usually only deal with limited powerful and can behave grammatical terms neither theoretical nor practical. In French-speaking Switzerland, the schools are open ( and have more experience than in German-speaking Switzerland ) for the inclusion of sign language in the deaf education; also on the high school level is dedicated to be due this topic. In the Italian-speaking Switzerland, where in the last 30 years of the 20th century have led to the integration of deaf children into normal schools also the local residential school for the deaf strong efforts lacking at the moment a real educational and socio- cultural basis for a bilingual deaf education.

Even if was detected in some studies that the sign language deaf promotes rather than a disadvantage and they pull a major social, cognitive and integrative advantage of the natural communication in sign language, but little deaf children the blessings benefit in Switzerland so far bilingual deaf education and culture. However, there are studies that prove the exact opposite. They show that the benefits at a auditory- verbal education is greater; an end to this debate is in sight.

Schools for the deaf in general in Switzerland

Schools for the deaf are available in Wollishofen ( Zurich ), Riehen ( near Basel ), Münchenbuchsee ( near Bern ), High Rain ( near Lucerne ) and the Rosenberg in St. Gallen. Only in Zurich there is a secondary school, the remaining content with secondary schools. Gifted Deaf are thus almost forced to complete the advanced level in Zurich. Another possibility is the center and Swiss school for the hearing impaired Landenhof in Unterentfelden in Aarau. There, deaf people can attend the secondary school and the district. This school is but rather for hard of hearing and deaf people there have more trouble to integrate themselves among the hearing impaired.

In German-speaking Switzerland there are only a vocational school for the hearing impaired, the BSFH in Zurich Oerlikon. The school trains its students in all professions and provides a BMS ( vocational high school) at.

Recognition by the state

At the federal level

The DSGS is not yet officially recognized by the state as opposed to the sign languages ​​of neighboring nations. The Swiss Deaf fight so that sign language is recognized in the Swiss constitution as an official national language. It was pointed out among other things that a sign language interpreter by the state are not properly supported and Switzerland therefore has a chronic shortage of sign language interpreters.

Switzerland has a need to around 150 sign language interpreters. Currently, however, only about 40 interpreters are available, so that many interpreters orders can not be fulfilled. Before the summer of 2004 did only 25 interpreters were available. A further increase of interpreters Number is 2007 at the earliest possible as the training of new interpreters lasts four years and the next completion date of 2007 is. Problem is aggravated by the fact that Switzerland has four national languages ​​and three sign languages ​​. Thus need interpreters for German, French and Italian Swiss sign language and are formed in the respective spoken languages ​​.

At the cantonal level

At the cantonal level, the Canton of Zurich recognizes sign language since the assumed referendum on 27 February 2005 constitutionally as the only canton in Switzerland. When dealing with the authorities of the Canton of sign language must therefore be used on demand.

Tutorials and Books

  • Swiss German sign language dictionary with 3000 videos, CD- ROM, GS Media, Zurich 2003, ISBN 3-906152-06-5
  • CD -ROM 1, German Swiss Sign Language for children basic vocabulary for communication with deaf children, sign 740 and 250 example sentences GS Media, Zurich 2001
  • Penny Boyes Braem: Introduction to Sign Language and their research, 3rd edition, Signum Verlag, Hamburg 1995, ISBN 3-927731-10-2
  • Marina Ribeaud: The Search Sign Book: A playful introduction to the Swiss gestures, publishing fingershop.ch, Allschwil 2006, ISBN 978-3-9523171-0-5
  • Marina Ribeaud: learn sign language 1, Publisher fingershop.ch, Allschwil 2011, ISBN 978-3-9523171-5-0
  • Johanna Krapf: " hands move ," a workshop to learn about the sign language ( with DVD), SCOLA Verlag, Zurich 2011, ISBN 978-3-905902-70-9
Language family Auditory-verbal therapy Hohenrain Africa British Sign Language International Sign
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