Postdoctoral Researcher in Sign Language and Deaf

Vacaturenr.

15217

Functie-categorie

Omvang (fte)

0,7

Extern/intern

Extern

Locatie

Leiden

Geplaatst op

15 oktober 2024

Sluitingsdatum

3 november 2024

Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University Centre for Linguistics:
Vacancy for a Postdoctoral Researcher in Sign Language and Deaf Studies (0.7 FTE, 2 years)

**Project overview/ Key responsibilities**

**Project goals**
The historical linguistics of sign languages remains significantly underexplored. Our project aims to bridge this gap through a comprehensive study of the social and linguistic histories of sign languages in Europe and West Africa. By developing a cross-linguistically validated model, we seek to enhance understanding of how sign languages evolve over time and inform broader historical linguistics beyond spoken languages.

In communities with hereditary deafness, family-based transmission predominates, while deaf schools often serve as hubs for the dissemination of signs. This project investigates the complex interplay between patterns in transmission and the evolution of sign languages, addressing the questions: How do sign languages change and spread over time, and what influences these processes?

Utilizing linguistic and historical-ethnographic fieldwork, machine learning techniques, and newly discovered historical sign lists, this project aims to uncover the dynamics of sign language transmission.

**Role of the Postdoctoral Researcher**:

- We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher who will use their linguistic expertise to analyse the gestural landscape of European sign languages, using historical and contemporary data._

**Tasks within the project**
This project aims to investigate the gestural and signing landscape in Europe prior to the establishment of deaf schools, focusing on the interplay between historical gestures and contemporary sign language lexicons. The research will involve analyzing both published and unpublished historical sources to document gestures and signs, addressing existing gaps with newly collected data. The project will assess contemporary and historical sources that describe both monastic and non-monastic gestures, evaluating their relevance and differences in scope and quality. Additionally, it will explore how sign lists from the 18th and 19th centuries, created by early deaf educators, reflect the natural signing practices of the time.

A searchable and annotated database of gestures and signs used before the introduction of deaf education will be compiled in collaboration with research assistants. This database will ensure comprehensive coverage of historical data and will include annotations for features such as handshape, orientation, location, and movement, incorporating items from a new 200-item list developed by a fellow researcher.

Engaging with the deaf community is another crucial aspect of the project. A citizen science approach will be employed to gather current uses, forms, and meanings of specific gestures through social media, acknowledging the expertise of deaf signers in observing and understanding gestures.

The research will also involve supervising the re-enactment and filming of selected gestures based on historical verbal descriptions. This process will facilitate analysis and enhance understanding of the historical context of these gestures.

Finally, the project will evaluate the relationships between emblems, monastic signs, and historical sign lists to construct a coherent account of the gestural landscape before and after the establishment of deaf education. The principal investigator will collaborate with the postdoctoral researcher to compare results from the sign and gesture studies, leading to new insights into the historical relationships between sign languages, including those with limited linguistic evidence.

Through these comprehensive research activities, the project aims to deepen our understanding of the evolution of sign languages and their connections to broader linguistic contexts.

**Expected outputs**
The postdoc is expected to produce:

- Four scholarly articles on the gestural landscape.
- Collaborative outputs, including:

- A database of emblems and monastic signs
- Recordings of re-enacted historical gestures
- Interactive map of sign spread for selected signs

Additionally, the researcher will contribute to a joint online archive for historical resources, assist in editing and publishing historical sign language lists, and participate in organizing conferences and community workshops.
- have completed their PhD, preferably in Deaf Studies, gesture studies, or sign language studies, at the start of the employment
- be fluent in at least one sign language, and have the ability to work in both the lab and the field with the sign language(s) used there
- Demonstrate independent thinking and strong teamwork skills.
- Exhibit creativity and the ability to produce theoretically engaging analyses of the gestural landscape of European sign languages and