Signed, sealed and delivered
To document and preserve Singapore Sign Language, NTU and the Singapore Association for the Deaf have joined forces to create an online sign bank and e-book
by Derek Rodriguez
Singlish is a defining feature of our cultural identity, and this extends to the local deaf community. Local terms like Tiong Bahru, alamak and kueh lapis have made their way into Singapore Sign Language, the native sign language of deaf Singaporeans. To document and preserve the language, NTU and the Singapore Association for the Deaf have joined forces to create an online sign bank and e-book, which now has 786 documented signs, and counting.
“Boon Lay” is one of the entries in the sign bank. This is signed by fingerspelling B and then L while moving your hands from left to right.
This story was published in the Jan-Feb 2025 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
