Ongoing Projects

Research Project on Corpus Creation in Indian Sign Language

Presently FDMSE is conducting a research project on corpus creation in Indian Sign Language in collaboration with Central Institute of Indian Language (CIIL), Mysore, an organization fully governed by MHRD, Govt. of India. CIIL has instantly been working to coordinate and promote Indian languages through scientific and interdisciplinary researches for contributing the mutual enrichment of Indian languages. The focus areas of CIIL are to advise and assist central as well as state govt. in all the matters of language, to contribute to the development of all Indian languages by creating content and corpus and to protect and document minor and minority and tribal language. Since ISL is the minority language of Deaf persons, it also needs to be given due recognition. Keeping the same need in view the CIIL took initiative to create corpora in ISL. Since FDMSE, RKMVU is the pioneer institute in the field of Sign language; the faculty is proactively involved in it. The research project to create corpora in Indian Sign language is undertaken keeping in view the following points:

  • On the basis of created corpora of ISL CIIL can give advice to Central Govt. for recognition of ISL as a language of minority.
  • It will be the representative language sample.
  • The storage of corpus will be in machine readable form.
  • The corpus of annotated Indian Sign Language will provide digital video data which can function as standard reference for ISL researchers and teachers.
  • It will provide metadata about the corpora.
  • It will provide an evidence base for ISL research and teaching, helping to answer many questions and begin to ask new ones.