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Thesis (Ph.D.)—Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1981. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 185-192). / This electronic version was scanned from a copy of the thesis on file at the Speech Communication Group. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Whitaker Health Sciences Fund.

Thesis (Masters Diploma (Electrical Engineering) -- Cape Technikon, Cape Town,1991 / Communication in all its various forms, has always played an important role in both the business and social environments. The conventional telephone, taken more often than not for granted, is responsible for keeping over five million people in South Africa alone, in daily contact. For the deaf and mute society, of which their are approximately 300 000 in South Africa, the telephone, on its own, has remained a useless gadget. Without the aid of a personal computer or terminal and a modem, communication for the deaf via the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) has been impossible. Use of computers may be one way of overcoming this obvious problem, but expense now becomes the more important issue. To analyse the situation, two issues had to be taken into consideration. The first is, what makes the above solution so expensive, and the secondly, is thi!t expensive equipment necessary to complete the relatively simple task of interactive communication. The technology built into todays personal computers is continuously changing and in order to keep up with these changes, regular upgrades to the computer are necessary if one intends being able to recover ones investment at a later stage. The cost of a modem, with its sophisticated error-eorrection routines and auto-dial software, can also increase the initial outlay considerably. Bearing these costs in mind, it must now be investigated how one can achieve the objective of communicating with only the bear essential. By replacing the PC's monitor with a Liquid Crystal Display, the powerful processor with a relatively simple one, eliminating the disk storage entirely, reducing the on-board ROM!RAM memory, and finally, substituting a single-chip low speed modem for the free standing modem, the cost can be drastically reduced. By combining all these components together and developing a program to control them, the result is the 'Voiceless Telephone".

Deaf people in South Africa are no longer a minority group and their needs regarding communication and interaction must therefore be taken into consideration. This demographic does not communicate and interact in the same way as hearing people, which means that any existing usability or accessibility guidelines do not apply. As a result, Deaf people do not have access to information in the same way that a hearing person does. Providing proper access to Information and Communications Technology services, which meet their particular needs, will help the hearing impaired to better integrate into society. The importance of demolishing the communication barrier between the hearing and the hearing impaired is very important. Many people assume that sign language is somehow based on oral language. However, this is not the case. Sign languages are natural visual-spatial languages, and form a contrast with spoken languages which are auditory-vocal based. Acknowledging this fact in 2008, the South African Sign Language Policy Implementation Conference together with several governmental bodies suggested that South African Sign Language should become recognized as the 12th official language of South Africa. Due to the fact that cell phone technology continues to evolve, it will remain a tool of communication upon which Deaf people heavily rely on. The cell phone fulfils a basic need for everyone, but especially for the Deaf demographic as they rely on the short message system to communicate. Deaf people are currently faced with a lack of appropriate mobile phone applications, which would allow them to communicate with hearing as well as deaf people. The primary objective of this research was therefore to make mobile technology equally accessible meaning usable to members of the Deaf demographic. The focus of the research was to investigate the communication barrier and a range of variables that can influence the deaf user’s experience. Topics such as user interface design, usability and interaction were investigated. The outcome of this research was to propose a set of guidelines that, when applied to the design of a website or to phone application accessibility, would ensure communication and interaction from a deaf user. The proposed set of guidelines was then applied to the design of the high fidelity prototype of a mobile phone application. The specific application is a messaging phone application that allows deaf users to communicate with other deaf and hearing users via short message system. A mobile phone application that allows Deaf people to send and receive messages based on the sign language alphabet. The application was named Signchat. Purpose of this was to visibly display how the guidelines were implemented in Signchat. While Signchat’s main purpose is to accommodate the needs of Deaf people, it is also a learning tool and an application that bridges the gap by allowing deaf and hearing users to communicate.

Sin Yee Prudence, Lau. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction Page / Chapter 1.1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- Causativity and causative constructions --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- A Typology of causative alternations --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2 --- Research focus: Causative alternation in Hong Kong Sign Language --- p.9 / Chapter 1.3 --- Thesis Outline --- p.9 / Chapter 1.4 --- A brief note on the transcription convention --- p.11 / Chapter 1.5 --- Linguistic research on Hong Kong Sign Language --- p.13 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Argument Structure approach to causative alternation / Chapter 2.0 --- Introduction --- p.16 / Chapter 2.1 --- Various approaches to causative alternations --- p.16 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- The Unaccusativity Hypothesis and Burzio´ةs Generalizations --- p.16 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Various approaches to causative alternations --- p.17 / Chapter 2.2 --- The concept of argument structure --- p.22 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- A semantic approach --- p.23 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- A syntactic approach --- p.27 / Chapter 2.3 --- The semantics of causative alternation --- p.33 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Causative alternation in English --- p.33 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Causative alternation in Chinese --- p.40 / Chapter 2.4 --- Causative alternation in signed languages --- p.44 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Classifiers in signed languages --- p.44 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Causative alternation in American Sign Language (ASL) --- p.50 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Causative alternation in Hong Kong Sign Language / Chapter 3.0 --- Introduction --- p.55 / Chapter 3.1 --- Experiment: picture-description task --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2 --- Results: --- p.58 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Volitional agents as external arguments --- p.58 / Chapter 3.2.1.1 --- Lexical causative variants with unaccusative counterparts --- p.60 / Chapter 3.2.1.2 --- Unaccusative variants without lexical causative counterparts --- p.71 / Chapter 3.2.1.3 --- Lexical causative variants without unaccusative counterparts --- p.85 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Natural forces and instruments as external arguments --- p.92 / Chapter 3.2.2.1 --- Unaccusative variants without lexical causative counterparts --- p.92 / Chapter 3.3 --- More evidence on lexical causative constructions --- p.99 / Chapter 3.4 --- Interim discussion --- p.109 / Chapter 3.5 --- Chapter summary --- p.118 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- The syntax of causative alternation in HKSL / Chapter 4.0 --- Introduction --- p.119 / Chapter 4.1 --- The X-bar theory --- p.120 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- The checking theory --- p.125 / Chapter 4.2 --- The derivation pattern of causative/unaccusative pairs in HKSL --- p.128 / Chapter 4.3 --- The abstract causative morpheme and feature checking --- p.135 / Chapter 4.4 --- Verbal classifiers as a functional projection --- p.140 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Functional categories and lexical categories --- p.141 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- The functional projection - verbal classifier phrase (VCLP) --- p.148 / Chapter 4.5 --- An alternative approach --- p.157 / Chapter 4.6 --- Chapter Summary --- p.163 / Chapter Chapter 5: --- Suggestion for future research --- p.164 / Appendix I: Notational conventions / Appendix II: Verb classes for the experiment / Appendix III: Picture stimuli for the experiment / Appendix IV: Figures / References

Lee Wai-Fung. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [46-51] (3rd gp.)). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgement --- p.iii / Table of Contents --- p.iv / List of Tables and Figures --- p.vii / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.0 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 . --- Aspect: a definition --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Analyses of verb classes --- p.3 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Interim summary of analysis of verb classes --- p.14 / Chapter 1.3 --- Research questions --- p.16 / Chapter 1.4 --- Thesis outline --- p.18 / Chapter 1.5 --- Notation system --- p.18 / Chapter 1.6 --- Previous researches of Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) --- p.20 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- The Study of Aspect --- p.22 / Chapter 2.0 --- Introduction --- p.22 / Chapter 2.1 --- Two-component Theory --- p.22 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Viewpoint Aspect --- p.22 / Chapter 2.1.1.1 --- Perfective Viewpoint --- p.24 / Chapter 2.1.1.2 --- Imperfective Viewpoint --- p.26 / Chapter 2.1.1.3 --- Neutral Viewpoint --- p.27 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Situation Aspect --- p.28 / Chapter 2.1.2.1 --- Temporal features of situation types --- p.29 / Chapter 2.1.2.2 --- Situation Types --- p.31 / Chapter 2.1.2.2.1 --- Activity --- p.31 / Chapter 2.1.2.2.2 --- Accomplishments --- p.33 / Chapter 2.1.2.2.3 --- Achievements --- p.35 / Chapter 2.1.2.2.4 --- Semelfactives --- p.37 / Chapter 2.1.2.2.5 --- States --- p.38 / Chapter 2.1.2.2.6 --- Summary of the temporal features of the five situation types --- p.39 / Chapter 2.2 --- Aspect in signed languages --- p.41 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Viewpoint Aspect in signed languages --- p.42 / Chapter 2.2.1.1 --- Aspectual inflections of viewpoint in signed languages --- p.42 / Chapter 2.2.1.2 --- Aspect Markers in signed languages --- p.47 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Situation Aspect in signed languages --- p.52 / Chapter 2.3 --- Predictions on the movement features of verb types in HKSL --- p.61 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Situations Aspect in HKSL --- p.66 / Chapter 3.0 --- Introduction --- p.66 / Chapter 3.1 --- Background of informants --- p.66 / Chapter 3.2 --- Experiment 1: Comic strips and pictures description task --- p.67 / Chapter 3.3 --- Differentiating verb types in HKSL --- p.67 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Imperative test --- p.67 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Single movement test --- p.70 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Durative adverbial test --- p.71 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Telicity confirmation test --- p.72 / Chapter 3.4 --- Classification of situation types in HKSL --- p.74 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- States --- p.74 / Chapter 3.4.1.1 --- Generalization and statistics of movement features in States --- p.74 / Chapter 3.4.1.2 --- Psychological verbs --- p.75 / Chapter 3.4.1.3 --- Verbs of postures and locations --- p.77 / Chapter 3.4.1.4 --- Mental verbs and verb of possession/existence --- p.83 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Activities --- p.84 / Chapter 3.4.2.1 --- Generalization and statistics of movement features in Activities --- p.84 / Chapter 3.4.2.2 --- Activities with [TM] or [Repeat] --- p.85 / Chapter 3.4.2.3 --- Activities with single movements --- p.89 / Chapter 3.4.2.4 --- Activities without the feature [Path] --- p.91 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Semelfactives --- p.93 / Chapter 3.4.3.1 --- Generalization and statistics of movement features in Semelfactives --- p.93 / Chapter 3.4.3.2 --- Movement features of Semelfactives --- p.94 / Chapter 3.4.4 --- Achievements --- p.98 / Chapter 3.4.4.1 --- Generalization and statistics of movement features in Achievements --- p.98 / Chapter 3.4.4.2 --- Achievements with the feature [Path] --- p.99 / Chapter 3.4.4.3 --- Achievements without the feature [Path] --- p.103 / Chapter 3.4.4.4 --- Multiple-events Activities consisting of Achievements as sub-events --- p.105 / Chapter 3.4.5 --- Accomplishments --- p.108 / Chapter 3.4.5.1 --- Generalization and statistics of movement features in Accomplishments --- p.108 / Chapter 3.4.5.2 --- Type (I) Accomplishments´ؤcomposite of an Activity verb and an outcome --- p.109 / Chapter 3.4.5.2.1 --- Activity and a quantifying particle (QP) --- p.110 / Chapter 3.4.5.2.2 --- Verb series in type (I) Accomplishments --- p.114 / Chapter 3.4.5.2.2.1 --- Serial Verb Construction --- p.114 / Chapter 3.4.5.2.2.2 --- Verbal Compound --- p.117 / Chapter 3.4.5.3 --- Type (II) Accomplishments´ؤsingle Accomplishment verbs --- p.122 / Chapter 3.5 --- Generalizations on the representation of situation types in HKSL --- p.126 / Chapter 3.6 --- Chapter summary --- p.131 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Aspectual Modification --- p.133 / Chapter 4.0 --- Introduction --- p.133 / Chapter 4.1 --- Viewpoint Aspect in HKSL´ؤan overview --- p.133 / Chapter 4.2 --- Experiment 2: Natural conversation --- p.135 / Chapter 4.3. --- The syntactic distributions and grammatical functions of FINISH in HKSL --- p.136 / Chapter 4.4 --- Interaction between Situation Aspect and Viewpoint Aspect in HKSL --- p.144 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- States --- p.144 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Activities --- p.147 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Semelfactives --- p.149 / Chapter 4.4.4 --- Achievements --- p.150 / Chapter 4.4.5 --- Accomplishments --- p.152 / Chapter 4.5 --- Meaning of the perfective marker FINSIH in HKSL --- p.157 / Chapter 4.6 --- Chapter summary --- p.165 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Suggestions for Future Research --- p.166 / Appendix 1 Tables and Figures / Appendix 2 Example of pictures and comic strips for experiment1 / Appendix 3 Transcription of natural conversation of Experiment2 / Appendix 4 Illustrations / Bibliography

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Yim-Binh, Sze. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-235). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgement / Abstract / Table of Contents / List of Tables / Chapter Chapter 1 --- : Introduction Page / Chapter (1.1) --- Research questions --- p.1 / Chapter (1.1.1) --- Space and spoken languages --- p.1 / Chapter (1.1.2) --- Space and sign languages --- p.4 / Chapter (1.1.3) --- Nominals in Hong Kong Sign Language --- p.8 / Chapter (1.1.4) --- Research focus: interaction of space and nominals --- p.11 / Chapter (1.2) --- Thesis outline --- p.12 / Chapter (1.3) --- A brief note on the transcription convention --- p.13 / Chapter (1.4) --- Sociolinguistic background of Hong Kong Sign Language --- p.15 / Chapter (1.5) --- Documentation of Hong Kong Sign Language and Chinese Sign Language --- p.17 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Space and Grammatical Relations / Chapter (2.0) --- Introduction --- p.21 / Chapter (2.1) --- On the grammatical relations 'subject' and 'object' --- p.21 / Chapter (2.2) --- Literature review --- p.28 / Chapter (2.2.1) --- Grammatical relations in American Sign Language (ASL) --- p.28 / Chapter (2.2.2) --- Grammatical relations in Chinese Sign Language (CSL) --- p.35 / Chapter (2.3) --- Experiment 1: Picture description and selection task --- p.36 / Chapter (2.4) --- Results: --- p.39 / Chapter (2.4.1) --- Non-reversible sentences --- p.39 / Chapter (2.4.2) --- Reversible sentences --- p.52 / Chapter (2.4.2.1) --- Linear representation: S V O --- p.52 / Chapter (2.4.2.2) --- "Spatial representation: the use of loci, inflecting verbs and classifiers" --- p.54 / Chapter (2.4.2.3) --- Reversible and non-reversible data: a further discussion --- p.64 / Chapter (2.4.3) --- An extension to dative constructions --- p.71 / Chapter (2.5) --- Chapter summary --- p.77 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Space and NP Referential Properties / Chapter (3.0) --- Introduction --- p.78 / Chapter (3.1) --- On the various referential properties --- p.78 / Chapter (3.2) --- Realization of referential properties in spoken and sign languages --- p.79 / Chapter (3.3) --- Specific NPs: indefinites and definites --- p.89 / Chapter (3.3.1) --- Experiment 2: picture story description and picture reordering --- p.89 / Chapter (3.3.2) --- NPs in subject positions --- p.90 / Chapter (3.3.2.1) --- Specific indefinites --- p.91 / Chapter (3.3.2.2) --- Specific definites --- p.96 / Chapter (3.3.3) --- NPs in object positions: specific indefinites and definites --- p.106 / Chapter (3.4) --- Non-specific indefinites and generics --- p.118 / Chapter (3.5) --- Chapter summary --- p.121 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- Space and Referential Loci --- p.123 / Chapter (4.0) --- Introduction --- p.123 / Chapter (4.1) --- Literature review --- p.1 24 / Chapter (4.1.1) --- Frame of reference in sign languages --- p.1 24 / Chapter (4.1.2) --- Nature of space and loci --- p.129 / Chapter (4.1.3) --- Shift of loci/ frame of reference --- p.133 / Chapter (4.2) --- Observation of Hong Kong Sign Language --- p.138 / Chapter (4.2.1) --- Localization of referents in narrative discourse --- p.138 / Chapter (4.2.2) --- Shift of loci / frame of reference in HKSL --- p.150 / Chapter (4.2.2.1) --- Role-play/ locus shift in HKSL --- p.150 / Chapter (4.2.2.2) --- Three more types of locus shift --- p.153 / Chapter (a) --- Loci contrast exaggeration --- p.153 / Chapter (b) --- Shifted focalization --- p.157 / Chapter (c) --- Token-surrogate alternation --- p.162 / Chapter (4.3) --- Chapter summary --- p.170 / Chapter Chapter 5: --- Suggestions for Future Research --- p.171 / Appendix 1: Notation conventions --- p.176 / Appendix 2: Picture stimuli for experiment1 --- p.179 / "Appendix 3: Topic, Comment and Topicalization in HKSL" --- p.181 / Appendix 4: Picture stimuli for experiment2 --- p.190 / Appendix 5: Illustrations --- p.203 / References --- p.225

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The main aim of this thesis was to explore the maintenance of personhood and self-image in dementia by way of facilitating collaborative communication between people with dementia and their caregivers/interaction partners. As such, the roles of the person with dementia and the interaction partner were examined in each study within the realms of the ‘Collaborative Personhood Model’. Findings of the first study highlighted strategies used by people with mild to severe dementia to maintain social interactions, to save-face and to maintain and project a sense of self-image in a reminiscence situation. The impact of introducing a family member as the interaction partner in a similar reminiscence-based situation using personal photographs was then explored. The findings of this study indicated that the personal nature of the photographs can create conflict between the person with dementia and her family member. Crucially, these studies illuminated the supportive role that the communication partner must adopt in order to successfully facilitate people with dementia to maximise their retained communication skills. Communication and sense of self was then examined in an individual with very severe dementia with some retained speech. The findings of this study illuminated the potential of imitation in communicating with people at this stage of the illness. These findings were then built upon by exploring the use of Intensive Interaction (II) in a person with very advanced dementia with no retained speech. Findings of this study indicated retained awareness of self and functional communication skills at very late stages of dementia. Finally, this study was expanded using a modified version of II (Adaptive Interaction) in a small group of individuals with very severe dementia with very little or no retained speech. These findings indicated an unprecedented desire and ability to communicate in people with such severe dementia. Taken as a whole, these studies highlighted the adaptive and collaborative role that the interaction partner must adopt in order to facilitate the maintenance of personhood and self-image in people with dementia. More specifically, the interaction partner must adjust to the communicative repertoire that is maintained at each stage of dementia and in each individual. The ‘Collaborative Personhood Model’ represents an attempt to explain how this might be achieved.