Cross-signing in the UK and Japan.
Lead Research Organisation:
Heriot-Watt University
Department Name: Sch of Social Sciences
Abstract
[Background] Individuals unfamiliar with sign language are often unsure if it is universal. In fact, sign language is not a universal language: each country, (and sometimes different regions within countries) has its own sign language. In mainland Europe, which is characterised by landlocked countries, International Sign is used during meetings. In the UK and Japan, which are island nations, research has focused more on regional sign language than on contact between different sign languages.
In Deaf people's folklore, when deaf individuals who use different sign languages encounter one another, they are capable of engaging in basic conversation after around 30 minutes. This is likely because sign language is a highly visual language and deaf people are skilled in visual communication. This phenomenon has recently been labelled 'cross-signing', and has attracted considerable attention in the fields of cognitive linguistics and communication (Zeshan, 2015; Byun et al., 2017).
[Target] This study focuses on how deaf people from different regions and different countries participate in translanguaging when cross-signing, which is a specific feature of communications among deaf people, and analyses improvisations and changes in sign language communication styles in the context of video conferencing systems.
[Research Methods] We will perform surveys, and language and interaction analyses. Also, a next-generation sign language corpus will be devised, with movements detected using AI techniques for annotation purposes. Interviews will be performed to clarify deaf people's attitudes towards video conferencing communications, and a large-scale questionnaire will be distributed to determine the time spent using video conferencing systems, the number of people communicated with via this modality, and the type of sign language used (according to region and generation) before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This research will focus on changes in sign language expressions due to language contact during video conferences, considering translanguaging and cross-signing practices. The interaction analysis will consider basic CA concepts, such as turn-taking and repair sequences.
[Scientific Significance] The scientific significance of this research is to understand how sign language users have been affected by the major changes in the communication environment precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation is a rare example of rapid penetration of information technology into a community using a specific language, and has significance in terms of cultural anthropology and linguistic anthropology, especially given that humanity may encounter a similar situation in the future.
In Deaf people's folklore, when deaf individuals who use different sign languages encounter one another, they are capable of engaging in basic conversation after around 30 minutes. This is likely because sign language is a highly visual language and deaf people are skilled in visual communication. This phenomenon has recently been labelled 'cross-signing', and has attracted considerable attention in the fields of cognitive linguistics and communication (Zeshan, 2015; Byun et al., 2017).
[Target] This study focuses on how deaf people from different regions and different countries participate in translanguaging when cross-signing, which is a specific feature of communications among deaf people, and analyses improvisations and changes in sign language communication styles in the context of video conferencing systems.
[Research Methods] We will perform surveys, and language and interaction analyses. Also, a next-generation sign language corpus will be devised, with movements detected using AI techniques for annotation purposes. Interviews will be performed to clarify deaf people's attitudes towards video conferencing communications, and a large-scale questionnaire will be distributed to determine the time spent using video conferencing systems, the number of people communicated with via this modality, and the type of sign language used (according to region and generation) before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This research will focus on changes in sign language expressions due to language contact during video conferences, considering translanguaging and cross-signing practices. The interaction analysis will consider basic CA concepts, such as turn-taking and repair sequences.
[Scientific Significance] The scientific significance of this research is to understand how sign language users have been affected by the major changes in the communication environment precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation is a rare example of rapid penetration of information technology into a community using a specific language, and has significance in terms of cultural anthropology and linguistic anthropology, especially given that humanity may encounter a similar situation in the future.
Publications

Adam R
(2022)
Geographies and circulations: Sign language contact at the peripheries
in Journal of Sociolinguistics




O'Brien D
(2023)
Deaf professionals' perceptions of 'trust' in relationships with signed language interpreters
in The International Journal of Translation and Interpreting Research
Title | Cross signing in the UK and Japan - UK dataset |
Description | Deaf people in the UK who do not know each other in conversation online using cross-regional variations of British Sign Language. A total of 39 conversations of 20-30 minutes recorded from 12 BSL signers have been recorded for annotation and analysis, and follow-up interviews for each participant. Work in progress. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | Development of a corpus of cross-signing within a sign language, for comparison with a corpus of cross-signing between two unrelated sign languages. |
Title | Cross signing in the UK and Japan - UK-Japan dataset |
Description | Deaf people in the UK and Japan who do not know each other in conversation online using cross-signing to communicate. A total of 14 conversations of 30-45 minutes recorded from 6 BSL signers have been recorded for annotation and analysis, and follow-up interviews for each participant. Work in progress. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2024 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | Development of a cross-signing corpus across two sign languages. |
Description | Cross Signing project - Signs@HWU research meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation on the Crosssigning in UK and Japan, sharing the research question and discussing the methodology used, with preliminary data findings discussed. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Cross Signing seminar - between Heriot-Watt University and the National Institute of Informatics (Tokyo, Japan) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Both research teams met to discuss (1) prior research experience, (2) research methodology for cross-signing research, and (3) preliminary data analysis and discussion. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Cross regional signing in British Sign Language: some early observations - a hybrid presentation to researchers in Japan |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A discussion of cross- signing, and how Deaf people have historically found it a challenge conversing with other deaf people from different regions in the UK. Since the advent of deaf television programmes and now social media activities cities, anecdotally it might seem that deaf people do not have this difficulty in communicating. This research based on video conferencing systems will examine how deaf people from different regions in the UK will converse with each other, and what strategies they use when difficulties arise in these interactions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Presentation to the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre, University College London |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 20-30 researchers and postdoctoral researchers attended this presentation to hear about plans for the Cross-Signing in UK and Japan project and to discuss the research questions and the methodology to be used in this project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |