Standardizing Chinese Sign Language for use in post-secondary education

Abstract

There are over 100 languages in China, including Chinese Sign Language. Given the large population and geographical dispersion of the country's deaf community, sign variation is to be expected. Language barriers due to lexical variation may exist for deaf college students in China, who often live outside their home regions. In presenting an analysis of data collected from first-year Chinese deaf post-secondary students and administrators, this article investigates the need and develops a preliminary plan for standardization of signs for use in post-secondary institutions in China.