Transcription systems for sign languages: a sketch of the different graphical representations of sign language and their characteristics

Résumé En

Sign languages are natural languages developed and used in all parts of the world wherethere are deaf people. Although different from each other, these languages, that have beenexposed to varying degrees of communitisation and institutionalisation, share a significantnumber of common structures. As in the study of any other language, the linguisticstudy of visual-gestural languages, now a scientific field in its own right, faces theunavoidable problem of their graphical representation. This paper provides an overview,albeit non-exhaustive, of existing solutions to this challenge.We begin by reviewing themain difficulties posed by the graphical representation of these languages, which haveno writing system of their own, taking into consideration their modal and structural characteristics(section 2). We then present the major types of graphical representations thathave been developed for sign languages, noting their respective strengths and limitations(sections 3 and 4). In section 5, we outline the problems that remain unsolved at thispoint, if one aims to achieve transcription of a growing number of sign language corporathat would meet research needs while respecting the original features particular to theselanguages.