Jordan Fenlon and Julie A. Hochgesang have done fantastic work in their collaboration on this long-awaited book on signed language corpora, which has been much anticipated by sign language researchers. This endeavor aims to propel conversations regarding the role of corpus linguistics as a methodology and its significance in sign language linguistics research. The book offers a practical and all-encompassing initiation into the application of corpus linguistics and corpus-based methodologies within the realm of sign language linguistics and applied linguistics, including sign language acquisition and teaching. The book unfolds across seven chapters authored by twelve well-known researchers and experts in their respective subfields. This collective expertise ensures a thorough exploration of the subject matter, making the book a valuable resource for those delving into the intricacies of signed language research and its practical applications in linguistic studies and language education.
A general introduction in Chapter 1 gives an overview of the theoretical and methodological reasons for using corpora in sign language research. The chapter explains why corpus linguistics is essential for signed language research and outlines the combined efforts of sign language experts and signing community members to support and promote signed languages. Chapter 2 addresses how signed language corpora are created and how data are collected by various elicitation methods, and the chapter includes accessible, representative, large-size, usage-based datasets available for researchers, students, and the community. Chapter 3 provides best practices in the annotation of signed language data for further analysis and discusses tokenization, ID-glossing, transcription, and grammatical tagging, for example, parts of speech and negation. The chapter also addresses various ways to search annotations within the multimodal annotation programs EUDICO Linguistic Annotator (ELAN) and integrated lexicon (iLEX) and exemplifies some difficulties in time-aligned annotation procedures. Different types of corpora of language are collected, for example, acquisition by deaf children, monolingual, bilingual, and interpreting, and these provide various possibilities for broadening language studies. The methodology for searching and utilizing signed language corpora is well described in detail in Chapter 4. Utilizing corpora refers to the practice of employing linguistic corpora, including searching for annotations, such as determining the lengths and frequencies of signs and offering a concise method for extracting specific linguistic features and insights from the signed language corpora.
Chapter 5 delivers a thorough exposition of the practical applications of signed language corpora in language teaching and interpreting, venturing into diverse types of signed language corpora and including unconventional categories like poetry. Moreover, the chapter delves into the application of signed language corpora within the context of sign language as a second language (M2L2), highlighting the versatility of corpus linguistics across a spectrum of linguistic domains and educational environments. Chapter 6 investigates the ethical considerations of engaging with and working within signing communities, exploring the intersection of language endangerment and corpora and examining how corpora can be employed in sign language vitalization or revitalization efforts. This last-named includes initiatives aimed at reversing the decline or potential disappearance of sign languages in several countries. The chapter sheds light on the role of corpora in supporting sign language preservation. In Chapter 7, the future directions of signed language corpora for work and research are discussed and summarized. This section likely encapsulates insights into emerging trends, potential advancements, and evolving methodologies within the field of signed language corpora. It serves as a culmination of the book’s exploration, offering a forward-looking perspective on the role of corpora linguistic work and research.
The seven chapters and twelve authors of this book cover most conceivable topics in signed language corpus and linguistics, especially corpus design, corpus building, different corpus methods for data collection, different types of corpus data, metadata description, ways of annotation, gloss and annotation conventions, mining, searching, and annotation tools. Each chapter gives impressive attention to the topic. Some chapters include case studies or examples of methodology. Furthermore, each chapter ends with a discussion and references for further reading. All seven chapters build on each other. Inevitably, there is some overlap in the chapters of the various contributors, including discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of corpora in linguistic research.
In recent years, corpus linguistics (McEnery & Wilson Reference McEnery and Wilson2001, McEnery & Hardie Reference McEnery and Hardie2012) has been characterized as a methodology, and its position in signed language linguistics research is established. Corpus linguistics has become instrumental in various linguistic domains, including usage-based models, sociolinguistic variation, formal or structural approaches, and theories within cognitive linguistics, such as Construction Grammar (Hoffman & Trousdale Reference Hoffmann, Trousdale, Hoffmann and Trousdale2013). The evolving landscape of corpus linguistics has proven indispensable for shedding light on diverse aspects of language, offering valuable insights across different linguistic theories and applications.
The handbook serves as a counterbalance to other methodologies, such as experimental and formal linguistics, and it offers a comprehensive framework for individuals aiming to develop a sign language corpus for their particular sign languages or sign language varieties. Its scope extends beyond the mere creation of a corpus; it encourages the establishment of an open-access resource, facilitating corpus-based research initiatives. This dual focus not only contributes to the methodological diversity within sign linguistic studies but also promotes accessibility and collaboration in advancing corpus-based research across linguistic domains. Sign languages in existing signed language corpora include American Sign Language (ASL), Australian Sign Language (Auslan), British Sign Language (BSL), Irish Sign Language (ISL), Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT), and Swedish Sign Language (STS), as well as a few languages used in Global South countries like Kenya, Haiti, and Indonesia, and not least Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). While the majority of authors are English speakers or hail from English-speaking countries, it is gratifying to note the inclusion of contributors who are deaf and use sign language. This diversity in authorship not only enriches the perspectives presented but also broadens the cultural and linguistic context addressed within the work. The presence of authors from various linguistic backgrounds enhances the global relevance and inclusivity of the content, fostering a more comprehensive and representative approach to corpus linguistics.
The book offers a well-structured guide for students and researchers in sign language linguistics using corpus methods and can also help with other fields. Corpus building and corpus-based research are also needed in less developed countries, which have fewer signed language corpora, educational and research opportunities, resources, educated (Deaf) researchers, and researcher-community relationships. Corpus linguistics in sign language reached its zenith in 2010–2020 (e.g., Hodge & Goico Reference Hodge and Goico2022, Wehrmeyer Reference Wehrmeyer2023, Wille et al. Reference Wille, Beukeleers, Van Herreweghe and Vermeerbergen2022). Preserving the corpus description as foundational information is crucial, as these will serve as a cornerstone for understanding the initial corpora, their research applications, and their pioneering role in shaping the trajectory of sign language linguistics research. By highlighting these first corpora and their utilization, the groundwork is laid to showcase their pioneering significance and illuminate potential avenues for further exploration within the realm of sign language linguistic research.
This work serves as a valuable resource for a diverse audience beyond the specific field, catering to scholars in various disciplines, general readers, students with more than 2 years of sign language learning, and those engaged in sign language/Deaf studies. Some chapters may be a little advanced for students, and some concepts, such as lemmatization and tokenization, will be hard to follow for beginners in sign language corpus work. It is desirable that there be more practice examples, for example, annotation practice, statistics, and corpus-based analysis, which could be added at the end of the book (or as supplementary materials online).
Furthermore, the book holds relevance for pedagogy, sociology, and anthropology, particularly in cultural studies. It also provides insights into language technology and other linguistic studies, emphasizing the significance of signed language corpora compared to both written and spoken corpora. Positioned as a practical handbook, it proves indispensable for professors, educators, and higher-level students in sign language linguistics, offering comprehensive guidance on corpus methods and corpus-based studies. The intended purpose is to facilitate the systematic and data-driven investigation of language, enabling the extraction of insights from observed patterns within the collected texts. Its applicability extends to sign language interpretation and Deaf studies, depending on specific issues and interests.
Fascinating discussions unfold on the significance of signers in metadata considerations, with a strong emphasis on privacy concerns and the use of personal data. The acknowledgment that entire signing communities encompass signers with varied language backgrounds, social networks, and language ecologies emphasizes the complexity of linguistic landscapes. The study demonstrates a synergistic approach by combining methods from both corpus linguistics and linguistic ethnography, showcasing the potential for a holistic understanding of language use in diverse communities.
Another intriguing topic delves into the challenges of semi-automated annotation as a response to the time-intensive nature of manual (human) annotation, attracting attention also for gesture researchers, while the advent of generative Artifical Intelligence (AI) introduces promising opportunities for automatic translation and recognition of hand, head, and body movements, including small gestures like blinks. The success of these applications will hinge on proper execution and input from the Deaf communities. In the realm of signed language corpora, there is an acknowledgment of the evolving landscape that extends beyond a single signed language or country. Corpus-based approaches are indispensable in sign language research, not only pivotal in and of themselves but also playing a crucial role in preservative methodologies.
