Deaf linguist and educator Tashi Bradford will present a lecture exploring the themes behind Uta Eisenreich’s recent video installation, It Goes Without Saying. The installation mirrors the artist’s curiosity and ongoing learning process, informed by collaborations with Bradford and other Deaf signers. A collection of insights and observations gathered during this collaboration form the foundation of her ‘Glossary of Signs’, which explores poetic, humoristic and cultural dimensions of sign languages.
In their talk, Bradford will delve into key aspects of signed languages, including iconic and arbitrary signs, the evolution of signs across languages and the grammatical structures unique to signed communication. How do signs mirror changing attitudes of a society?
The evening, will also include an opportunity to engage in Language Portraits, a creative research tool used to map the multilingual repertoires of Deaf signers. This hands-on activity invites reflection on personal language experiences and the ways we navigate communication.
Tashi Bradford is a Deaf linguist and language teacher with expertise in sign language research, multilingualism, and language contact. They have worked in university, nonprofit, and community sectors and conducted research on Cambodian Sign Language and international sign language contact.
The talk is (mostly) given in American Sign Language, interpreted into English by Gerdinand Wagenaar and Lissa Zeviar.
