Contributors & Acknowledgements
Contributors
Sociolinguistic component (Department of South African Sign Language and Deaf Studies)
- Prof Annalene van Staden (hearing)
Expertise: Language and literacy development for Deaf learners
Role: Head of Department and Principal Investigator
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annalene-van-staden-96351a218/ - Dr Chrismi Loth (hearing)
Expertise: Sociolinguistics and Toponymy
Role: Team Lead for pilot and extended study
Specific contribution to archive:- Develop concept, narrative, content, design and functionality of archive
- Create the linguistic annotation shorthand
- Select entries (place-name variants)
- Dr Patrick Sibanda (hearing)
Expertise: Education for the Deaf and Deaf Studies
Role: Researcher in core team of extended study
Specific contribution to archive:- Develop concept and content of archive
- Create the linguistic annotation shorthand
- Select entries (place-name variants)
- Determine Elan tiers
- Dr Sara Siyavoshi (hearing)
Expertise: Sign Language Linguistics and Deaf Studies
Role: Researcher in core team of extended study
Specific contribution to archive:- Develop concept and content of archive
- Select entries (place-name variants)
- Determine Elan tiers
- Kirsten de Villiers (hearing)
Expertise: Master’s student in SASL linguistics
Role: Research assistant in core team of extended study: Elan analysis and translation, fieldwork
Specific contribution to archive:- Develop content for archive
- Create the linguistic annotation shorthand
- Internal verification
- Select entries (place-name variants)
- Determine Elan tiers
- Nhlanhla Simelane (hearing, CODA)
Expertise: Undergraduate student in SASL and Deaf Studies
Role: Student assistant in core team of extended study: Elan translation, cultural bridge
Specific contribution to archive:- Create the linguistic annotation shorthand
- Select entries (place-name variants)
- Determine Elan tiers
- Susan Lombaard (hearing)
Expertise: Toponymy, Deaf Studies, SASL
Role: Pilot study core team, consultant for extended study, cultural bridge, translations
Specific contribution to archive:- Select entries (place-name variants)
- Internal verification
- Emily Matabane (Deaf)
Expertise: Deaf Studies
Role: Pilot study core team, consultant for extended study, translations
Specific contribution to archive:- Internal verification
- Annemarie le Roux (hearing)
Expertise: Deaf Studies, SASL Linguistics
Role: Consultant for extended study, translations
Specific contribution to archive:- Internal verification
- Jani de Lange (hearing)
Expertise: Deaf Studies, Toponymy
Role: Pilot study core team, consultant for extended study
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jani-de-lange-46579551/ - Donovan Wright (hearing)
Expertise: SASL Linguistics
Role: Consultant for extended study
https://www.linkedin.com/in/donovanfwright/ - Lucia Mamotete Mapeshoane (hearing)
Expertise: Master’s student in Deaf Studies
Role: Research assistant for extended study, fieldwork
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mamotete-mapeshoane-23a1b8294/ - Gloria Motshoeneng (hearing)
Expertise: Master’s student in Deaf Studies
Role: Research assistant for extended study, fieldwork
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloria-rethabile-motshoeneng/ - Anele Kotoyi (hearing)
Expertise: Master’s student in Deaf Studies, interpreter
Role: Research assistant for extended study, fieldwork - Renatha van Reenen (Deaf)
Expertise: Master’s student in SASL linguistics
Role: Research assistant in pilot study
https://www.linkedin.com/in/renatha-van-reenen-78631847/ - Isaac Monchwe (Deaf)
Expertise: Deaf Culture
Role: Ad hoc assistant, translations
https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-monchwe-704bb591/ - Deaf fieldworkers
These individuals acted as intermediaries between the research team and their local Deaf community. They were also trained as interviewers, and were duly compensated for their services.
Computational component (Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures)
- Dr Herkulaas Combrink (hearing)
Expertise: Computational development of South African Sign Language
Role: Overall Project Manager and Principal Investigator of the project, Advancing SASL for 4IR Technological Development Using Place Names
Specific contribution to archive:- Develop concept, design and functionality of archive
- Adapt the linguistic annotation shorthand computationally
- Charné Bornman (hearing)
Expertise: Machine learning and big data
Role: Development of the archive
Specific contribution to archive:- Develop concept, narrative, content, design and functionality of archive
- Adapt the linguistic annotation shorthand computationally
- Nkateko Nkuna (hearing)
Expertise: Computer Science and Informatics
Role: Computational assistance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nkateko-nkuna/ - Priscilla Keche (hearing)
Expertise: Biotechnology
Role: Data management
https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscilla-keche-2b2a3aa0/ - Taylon Colbert (hearing)
Expertise: User experience
Role: Research Assistant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylon-colbert-20a2a9179/ - Aviwe Matoti (hearing)
Expertise: Data Analyst
Role: Assistant Researcher
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aviwe-matoti-2642ab19b/ - Jarryd Trip (hearing)
Expertise: Data Analyst
Role: Data analysis
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarryd-trip/ - Valusha Oelofse (hearing)
Expertise: Data Analyst
Role: Data analysis
https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinaoelofse/ - Molemo Dibe (hearing)
Expertise: Data Analyst
Role: Student Assistant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/molemo-dibe-b7a87b239/
The National Institute for the Deaf (South Africa) is acknowledged for their support. Place-name signs that they collected for their Dictionary are re-recorded and included in the project’s dataset (not yet showcased in this archive). Find the mobile app for their Dictionary on the Google Play Store or subscribe via their website.
Acknowledgement
This research is the product of a project, Advancing SASL for 4IR Technological Development using Place Names, funded by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (South Africa), April 2022 – June 2025. It is a collaborative project between the Department of South African Sign Language and Deaf Studies (DSASLDS) and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures, both at the University of the Free State (South Africa). The collaborative project was preceded by the DSASLDS’ project, Survey of South African Sign Language (SASL) Place Names, which was partially funded by the Sign Language Innovation, Entrepreneurial and Research Projects (Slierp) Committee of the Department of South African Sign Language and Deaf Studies, the Office of the Vice-Rector: Research, and the Office of the Dean: Humanities (all at the University of the Free State).
The following people made notable contributions to the sociolinguistic component of the project: Dr Chrismi Loth, Dr Patrick Sibanda, Dr Sara Siyavoshi, Jani de Lange, Prof Annalene van Staden, Emily Matabane, Susan Lombaard, Prof Theodorus du Plessis, Donovan Wright, Lucia Mamotete Mapeshoane, Kirsten de Villiers, Gloria Motshoeneng, Nhlanhla Simelane, Anele Kotoyi and Annemarie le Roux.
The following people made notable contributions to the computational component of the project: Dr Herkulaas Combrink, Charné Bornman, Nkateko Nkuna, Priscilla Keche, Taylon Colbert, Aviwe Matoti, Jarryd Trip, Valusha Oelofse and Molemo Dibe.
The National Institute for the Deaf (South Africa) is acknowledged for their support and their contribution of place-name signs.
We would like to express our gratitude to the participating Deaf communities for welcoming us into their spaces, for generously sharing their knowledge with us, and for graciously providing solutions and suggestions to improve our protocols.