New Zealand Sign Language Online Dictionary

I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language. Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the evening (Sign)

I then specifically greet you: Professor Penny Boumelha, Acting Vice-Chancellor; Professor Paul Warren, Head of the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies; Associate Professor David Crabbe, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Academic); Dr David McKee, Director of the Deaf Studies Unit; Hemi Hema, President of Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand and your chief executive Rachel Noble;  Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen. 

Thank you for inviting Susan and me to the launch of the Online Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language.  I have been asked to launch the website and will do so presently.  Just before doing that I would like to take an opportunity to speak a little of the significance of this event.

Upon starting in the Governor-General role almost five years ago in August 2006, Government House undertook a review of all the organisations that held vice-regal patronage.  This was done because we wanted to ensure that the number of patronages would be manageable where a meaningful contribution might be made.

The requests of two organisations—Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand and the New Zealand Federation for Deaf Children—were quickly accepted with the latter holding joint patronage from both Susan and myself. 

We have enjoyed a number of connections with the deaf community and I have had the pleasure of investing several people who are deaf with Royal New Zealand Honours.   Susan had the pleasure of launching New Zealand Sign Language Week in May 2009.

A second perspective is that when taking on the Governor-General role, I was conscious that I was more than just the representative of the Head of State of the islands of New Zealand itself.  The wider realm of New Zealand includes Tokelau, and Niue and the Cook Islands, the latter two being self-governing in free association with New Zealand. 

Therefore, in addition to traditional greetings in English and Māori, I added greetings in Niuean, Tokelauan and Cook Island Māori.  Coincidentally, when I did this, the then Minister of Disability Issues, Hon Ruth Dyson, brought to my attention that the New Zealand Sign Language Act had come into force in April 2006 and that New Zealand Sign Language was an official language.  With a little bit of training, I added greetings in New Zealand Sign Language as well and have proceeded to open every public speech since that time in all the languages, including New Zealand Sign Language.

The Act was important for more reasons that simply because it recognised New Zealand Sign Language as an official language.  Equally as important is that it recognised people who are deaf as a community rather than as individuals with a disability.  As Section 4 of the Act says, the term Deaf community means, and I quote: “the distinct linguistic and cultural group of people who are deaf and who use New Zealand Sign Language as their first or preferred language.”

In the past, the use of New Zealand Sign Language by deaf people had been actively discouraged, based on long standing misconceptions that sign languages were little more than improvised set of gestures that were somehow inferior to spoken languages.

Modern linguistic research, however, has confirmed something that deaf people knew all along, that sign languages are real languages. The point was well made by linguist Professor David Crystal in his book, How Language Works, where he emphasises there is no single sign language and the different languages are not mutually intelligible, even between countries with the same spoken language. Writing from a British perspective he added:

“It sometimes surprises people to learn that British Sign Language and American Sign Language are not mutually intelligible.  When Mark Medoff’s play about deafness, Children of a Lesser God, was first shown in London, the actors used American Sign Language.  British Sign Language members of the audience had to have the signs interpreted.”

Much like New Zealand English, New Zealand Sign Language has evolved from original British roots.  It has signs for New Zealand place names and for Māori concepts that cannot be found anywhere else.  New Zealand Sign Language is a unique language with its own vocabulary and grammatical structure.  According to the last Census, more than 24,000 New Zealanders use New Zealand Sign Language as their first language.

The passage of the New Zealand Sign Language Act in 2006 was an important step in countering the injustices that the Deaf community had endured.  That included not being provided with interpreters in court proceedings and facing disorderly conduct charges where use of New Zealand Sign Language by them was misinterpreted as aggressive behaviour.   For example, it was not until 2005 that Dr David McKee became the first profoundly deaf person to serve on a jury in Australasia, ironically with many of the interpreters having been trained by yourself.

But as the move to officially make Māori an official language of New Zealand in 1987 showed, for laws to be more than just words on a piece of paper, they require active engagement and a commitment to the language.  To that end, I understand the Office of Disability Issues is undertaking a statutory review of the implementation of the New Zealand Sign Language Act and that it is due to report to Parliament later this year.

Languages are living things that are constantly evolving.  Another way of giving real meaning to any language is for its changing forms to be recognised through being compiled in dictionaries.  Two dictionaries of New Zealand Sign Language have been published: the first in 1997, followed by the Concise Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language in 2002.  In both cases, they were created in the Deaf Studies Unit and published by Bridget Williams Books.  Dictionaries are important because they allow languages to be systematically taught in an academic setting as well.  They also encourage research into the language, how it may be taught, and, more widely, research into Deaf culture.

Printed dictionaries are, however, inevitably frozen in time as languages develop.  In the same way that text messaging and vibrating cell phones have allowed Deaf people to quickly communicate, the internet is ideally suited to the dynamic and visual nature of sign language as well as providing much interactive functionality.  Creating an online New Zealand Sign Language dictionary further raises its standing and makes it more widely available to the wider public.

I therefore want to congratulate the Deaf Studies Research Unit and its partners for developing this Online Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language and the Tertiary Education Commission for funding this initiative. 

And on that note I will close in New Zealand’s first language offering everyone greetings and wishing you all good health and fortitude in your endeavours.   No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.