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SUMMARY:Arctic Signs and the Questions They Raise: An Introduction to Inui
 t Sign Language and Its Possible Avenues of Future Research - Bethany Balj
 ak\, BA Linguistics graduate\, University of Cambridge
DTSTART:20251106T140000Z
DTEND:20251106T150000Z
UID:TALK237955@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Emilie Canova
DESCRIPTION:Inuit Sign Language (IUR) is an indigenous sign language found
  in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Its age is undetermined\, though th
 e use of signing as a means of communication by Inuit is attested as early
  as the 18th century. The language is used as the sole means of communicat
 ion by fewer than 40 individuals and so is considered threatened with exti
 nction. Local revitalisation efforts have been in place since the 1990s\, 
 and as such\, the language is being taught in various communities througho
 ut Nunavut. IUR is vastly understudied\, and so little is known about its 
 linguistic features\, historical significance\, or geographic spread outsi
 de of Nunavut.\n\nThis talk aims to introduce listeners to the history of 
 IUR research\, the language's demographic prevalence\, and its linguistic 
 features as currently understood in the literature. This includes findings
  from my undergraduate dissertation\, 'Selected Aspects of Inuit Sign Lang
 uage Syntax: A Typological Perspective'. It then turns to the question of 
 what researchers can realistically uncover about the language\, given its 
 scarce documentation and low signer count. Despite these concerns\, I will
  attempt to show that archive materials and online sources point towards p
 romising avenues of research regarding the language's historical presence 
 and geographical spread in the North American Arctic. More generally\, thi
 s evidence may also help us understand the historical prevalence of sign s
 ystems in the North American Arctic.
LOCATION:Hybrid: Seminar room\, SPRI &amp\; Teams - email organiser for de
 tails
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