>Magister Scientiae - MSc / This thesis presents a system for performing whole gesture recognition for South African Sign Language. The system uses feature vectors combined with Hidden Markov models. In order to construct a feature vector, dynamic segmentation must occur to extract the signer's hand movements. Techniques and methods for normalising variations that occur when recording a signer performing a gesture, are investigated. The system has a classification rate of 69%.

Due to the specialist nature of their use of a visual language, Deaf and hard of hearing students have unique experiences at institutions of higher education. This research explored the experiences of Deaf teachers as students at Wits University. I employed a qualitative research design in the study. In -depth interviews and documentary information were used to collect data from twelve current and past Deaf and hard of hearing students. Current theory, practice and legislation designed to guide the creation of an inclusive education society were examined in order to explore the implications they have for Deaf students in terms of inclusion and access to education. The findings showed high level of academic competitiveness among the Deaf and hard of hearing students but low social participation. Their academic success was driven by factors such as commitment to Deaf education, the availability of interpreting services, having Deaf peers and their pre-university experiences.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Machine translation, especially machine translation for sign languages, remains an active research area. Sign language machine translation presents unique challenges to the whole machine translation process. In this thesis a prototype machine translation system is presented. This system is designed to translate English text into a gloss based representation of South African Sign Language (SASL). In order to perform the machine translation, a transfer based approach was taken. English text is parsed into an intermediate representation. Translation rules are then applied to this intermediate representation to transform it into an equivalent intermediate representation for the SASL glosses. For both these intermediate representations, a tree adjoining grammar (TAG) formalism is used. As part of the prototype machine translation system, a TAG parser was implemented. The translation rules used by the system were derived from a SASL phrase book. This phrase book was also used to create a small gloss based SASL TAG grammar. Lastly, some additional tools, for the editing of TAG trees, were also added to the prototype system. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Masjienvertaling, veral masjienvertaling vir gebaretale, bly ’n aktiewe navorsingsgebied. Masjienvertaling vir gebaretale bied unieke uitdagings tot die hele masjienvertalingproses. In hierdie tesis bied ons ’n prototipe masjienvertalingstelsel aan. Hierdie stelsel is ontwerp om Engelse teks te vertaal na ’n glos gebaseerde voorstelling van Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal (SAG). Ons vertalingstelsel maak gebruik van ’n oorplasingsbenadering tot masjienvertaling. Engelse teks word ontleed na ’n intermediˆere vorm. Vertalingre¨els word toegepas op hierdie intermediˆere vorm om dit te transformeer na ’n ekwivalente intermediˆere vorm vir die SAG glosse. Vir beide hierdie intermediˆere vorms word boomkoppelingsgrammatikas (BKGs) gebruik. As deel van die prototipe masjienvertalingstelsel, is ’n BKG sintaksontleder ge¨ımplementeer. Die vertalingre¨els wat gebruik word deur die stelsel, is afgelei vanaf ’n SAG fraseboek. Hierdie fraseboek was ook gebruik om ’n klein BKG vir SAG glosse te ontwikkel. Laastens was addisionele nutsfasiliteite, vir die redigering van BKG bome, ontwikkel.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Technology: Language Practice, Department of Media, Language and Communication, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / IsiZulu is a previously marginalized language and is spoken by 78% of people in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa.info 2012). Signed language on the other hand, is not an official language in South Africa, although it is recognised despite the profession having undergone major transformation since democracy. This study hypothesizes that isiZulu and South African Sign Language interpreters both face challenges when given interpreting assignments. This study aims to create an awareness of the needs of the isiZulu speakers and deaf people when seeking judicial assistance and also to contribute towards the provision of quality interpreting services in some of the courts in KwaZulu-Natal. With this study it is hoped to assist the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to be able to see where they can still improve on their system. This study was conducted only in four courts, therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to be the same in all the courts in South Africa. IsiZulu kusewulimi obelucindezelwe, kanti lusetshenziswa abantu abangamaphesenti angama-78 KwaZulu-Natali (SouthAfrica.info 2012). Ulimi lwezandla ngakolunye uhlangothi, akulona ulimi olusemthethweni eNingizimu Afrika nangale koshintsho oluningi olwenziwe kusukela kwaqala intando yabantu. Lolu cwaningo lucabangela ukuthi otolika besiZulu kanye naboLimi Lwezandla babhekana nezingqinamba uma benikwe umsebenzi wokutolika. Lolu cwaningo Iuhlose ukwazisa ngezidingo zabantu abakhuluma isiZulu kanye nabangezwa uma bedinga usizo lwezomthetho kanye nokuxhasa ekunikezeleni ukutolika okusezingeni elifanele kwezinye zezinkantolo KwaZulu-Natali. Ngalolu cwaningo kuthenjwa ukuthi luzosiza uMnyango Wobulungiswa kanye nokuThuthukiswa koMthethosisekelo ukuba ubone ukuthi yikuphi la okungalungiswa khona inqubo yokwenza yawo. Lolu cwaningo lwenziwe ezinkantolo ezine kuphela, ngakho-ke okutholakele ngeke kuze kuthathwe ngokuthi kuyafana ezinkantolo zonke zaseNingizimu Afrika. / M

This study documents and analyses the first established record of taxi hand signs and their respective destinations in South Africa. It demonstrates how taxi hand signification developed into a useful language over time, out of a desperate need for transport amongst black, multi-cultural and multi-lingual people living in South Africa. Its central objective is to recognise taxi hand signs as metaphors for processes of history in pre- and post-apartheid South Africa. This is a study that crosses disciplinary boundaries and marries fine art, anthropology and philosophy in exploring new meanings and understandings of taxi hand signs. In this way, it demonstrates the extent to which art informs other disciplines in extraordinary ways, adding to the value of inter-disciplinary research. The research indicates that taxi signs are part of an evolving, well-functioning, gestural language for sighted commuters. It goes further to probe the question of how blind commuters might have access to the signs, thereby enhancing their independence and movement. The study responds to this question through the design of a new, tactile shape-language of taxi hand signs for blind people. Qualitative research techniques were employed throughout the three phases of the research, namely: preliminary research, research design, and social and fine art responses. The methodologies utilised in the phases were sampling, semistructured interviews and participant observation. These were each employed at specific times to meet specific needs of different phases. I, along with some coresearchers, applied these in taxi ranks, taxi associations and on the streets of Gauteng. The methods used attest to the fact that when new knowledge was sought with key informants in the taxi industry, the different methodologies could be used to verify and corroborate the informants’ information, which in turn become the keystones of knowledge distribution in the thesis. With limited documentation on the emergence of taxi hand signs in the industry, the informants furnished unexplored background information, which I have interpreted in my artworks, films, books, stamps, maps and the blind shape-language. 16 The anthropological research also probed the function of signification through literary criticism. This involved an investigation of the components of the process of signification into its constituent parts in order to conceptualise and contextualise taxi hand signing and its particular relations and narrative content within the greater field of gestural signification. The response of art and artists to anthropological, historical and current approaches was also explored, again to provide context to my art that evolved out of the research. These involved conceptual and graphic art interpretations probing movement, time, space and signification, which led to an art exhibition at the Wits Art Museum (henceforth referred to as WAM) from 12 June to 14 July 2013. Taxi hand signs are continually evolving as new destinations and narratives arise. Together with the art responses document, this thesis records and promotes the established body of the current taxi hand signs, destinations and narratives, for both sighted and blind people, by providing written, visual and sensory evidence of a cultural phenomenon that was previously uncharted.

Thesis (MSc (Computer Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Sign Languages such as South African Sign Language, are proper natural languages; they have their own vocabularies, and they make use of their own grammar rules. However, machine translation from a spoken to a signed language creates interesting challenges. These problems are caused as a result of the differences in character between spoken and signed languages. Sign Languages are classified as visual-spatial languages: a signer makes use of the space around him, and gives visual clues from body language, facial expressions and sign movements to help him communicate. It is the absence of these elements in the written form of a spoken language that causes the contextual ambiguities during machine translation. The work described in this thesis is aimed at resolving the ambiguities caused by a translation from written English to South African Sign Language. We designed and implemented a preprocessor that uses areas of linguistics such as anaphora resolution and a data structure called a scene graph to help with the spatial aspect of the translation. The preprocessor also makes use of semantic and syntactic analysis, together with the help of a semantic relational database, to find emotional context from text. This analysis is then used to suggest body language, facial expressions and sign movement attributes, helping us to address the visual aspect of the translation. The results show that the system is flexible enough to be used with different types of text, and will overall improve the quality of a machine translation from English into a Sign Language.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / In South Africa, Deaf people communicate with one another and the broader community by means of South African Sign Language. The majority of Deaf people who have access to a mobile phone (cell phone) use Short Message Service (SMS) to communicate and share information with hearing people, but seldom use it among themselves. It is assumed that video messaging will be more accessible to Deaf people, since their level of literacy may prevent them from making effective use of information that is disseminated via texting/SMS. The principal objective of the esearch was to explore a cost-effective and efficient mass multimedia messaging system. The intention was to adapt a successful text-based mass notification system, developed by a local nongovernmental organization (NGO), to accommodate efficient and affordable video mass messaging for Deaf people. The questions that underpin this research are: How should video- streaming mass-messaging methods be compared and evaluated to find the most suitable method to deliver an affordable and acceptable service to Deaf people? What transport vehicles should be considered: Multimedia Message Service (MMS), the web, electronic mail, or a cell phone resident push/pullapplication? Which is the most cost effective? And, finally: How does the video quality of the various transport vehicles differ in terms of the clarity of the sign language as perceived by the Deaf? The soft-systems methodology and a mixed-methods methodology were used to address the research questions. The soft-systems methodology was followed to manage the research process and the mixed-methods research methodology was followed to collect data. Data was collected by means of experiments and semi-structured interviews. A prototype for mobile phone usage was developed and evaluated with Deaf members the NGO Deaf Community of Cape Town. The technology and internet usage of the Deaf participants provided background information. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyse the quantitative data, and content analysis was used to analyse the documents and interviews. All of the Deaf participants used their mobile phones for SMS and the majority (81.25%) used English to type messages; however, all indicated that they would have preferred to use South Africa sign language on their mobile phones if it were available. And they were quite willing to pay between 75c and 80c per message for using such a video-messaging service.Of the transport vehicles demonstrated, most Deaf people indic indicated that they preferred to use the SMS prototype (with a web link to the video) rather than the MMS prototype with the video attached. They were, however, very concerned about the cost of using the system, as well as the quality of the sign language videos. / South Africa

Masters of Science / The communication barriers between deaf and hearing society mean that interaction between these communities is kept to a minimum. The South African Sign Language research group, Integration of Signed and Verbal Communication: South African Sign Language Recognition and Animation (SASL), at the University of the Western Cape aims to create technologies to bridge the communication gap. In this thesis we address the subject of whole hand gesture recognition. We demonstrate a method to identify South African Sign Language classifiers using an eigenvector approach. The classifiers researched within this thesis are based on those outlined by the Thibologa Sign Language Institute for SASL. Gesture recognition is achieved in real time. Utilising a pre-processing method for image registration we are able to increase the recognition rates for the eigenvector approach.

Signed language interpreting in South Africa has not received much academic attention, despite the profession having undergone major transformation since the advent of democracy. This study aims to create a better understanding of signed language interpreters’ behaviour in one specific setting in South Africa – post-secondary education. During the researcher’s own practice as an educational interpreter at a post-secondary institution, she experienced role conflict and found little information available to assist her in making professional decisions on which direction to take. This provided the impetus to embark on this research. The study begins by outlining the field of liaison interpreting and educational interpreting, and examining the existing literature regarding the interpreter’s role and norms in interpreting. It then goes on to examine authentic interpreted texts, filmed in actual lectures in post-secondary settings. These texts are analysed with reference to interpreter shifts and deviations from the source text, with particular focus on interpreter-generated utterances (additions), borrowing (fingerspelling), omissions (both errors and conscious choice) and various types of collaboration between the interpreter and primary participants. These shifts are examined in more detail to explore whether they indicate any change in the interpreter’s role. Further, interpreters’ own views about their practice, elicited from individual interviews, enable the reader to understand how the interpreters view the role(s) that they fulfil. The research will provide information for interpreter trainers about the roles assumed by SASL interpreters in higher education and provide a platform from which to scaffold future educational interpreter research and training. / Linguistics / M.A. (Linguistics)

Thesis (MScIng)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: We designed a generic avatar animator for use in sign language related projects. The animator is capable of animating any given avatar that is compliant with the H-Anim standard for humanoid animation. The system was designed with the South African Sign Language Machine Translation (SASL-MT) project in mind, but can easily be adapted to other sign language projects due to its generic design. An avatar that is capable of accurately performing sign language gestures is a special kind of avatar and is referred to as a signing avatar. In this thesis we investigate the special characteristics of signing avatars and address the issue of finding a generic design for the animation of such an avatar. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ons het ’n generiese karakteranimasiestelsel ontwikkel vir gebruik in gebaretaal verwante projekte. Die animasiestelsel het die vermo¨e om enige karaktermodel wat met die H-Anim standaard versoenbaar is, te animeer. Die animasiestelsel is ontwerp met die oog op gebruik in die South African Sign Language Machine Translation (SASL-MT) projek, maar kan maklik aangepas word vir ander gebaretaalprojekte te danke aan die generiese ontwerp. ’n Karaktermodel wat in staat is om gebare akkuraat te maak is ’n spesiale tipe karaktermodel wat bekend staan as ’n gebaretaal avatar (Engels : signing avatar). In hierdie tesis ondersoek ons die spesiale eienskappe van ’n gebaretaal avatar en beskou die soektog na ’n generiese ontwerp vir die animering van so ’n karaktermodel.