Building AslNet, a wordNet for American sign language

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

We discuss the creation of ASLNet by aligning the Princeton WordNet (PWN) with SignStudy, an online database of American Sign Language (ASL) signs. This alignment will have many immediate benefits for first- and second- sign language learners as well as ASL researchers by highlighting semantic relations among signs. We begin to address the interesting theoretical question of to what extent the wordnet-style organization of the English lexicon (and those of wordnets in other spoken languages) is applicable to ASL, and whether ASL requires positing additional, language- or modality-specific relations among signs. Significantly, the mapping of SignStudy and PWN provides a bridge between ASL and the worldwide wordnet community, which comprises speakers of dozens of languages working in academic and language technology settings.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 10th Global WordNet Conference
EditorsChristiane Fellbaum, Piek Vossen, Ewa Rudnicka, Marek Maziarz, Maciej Piasecki
PublisherOficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Wroclawskiej
Pages315-322
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9788374931083
StatePublished - 2020
Event10th Global WordNet Conference, GWC 2019 - Wroclaw, Poland
Duration: Jul 23 2019Jul 27 2019

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 10th Global WordNet Conference

Conference

Conference10th Global WordNet Conference, GWC 2019
Country/TerritoryPoland
CityWroclaw
Period7/23/197/27/19

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Computer Networks and Communications

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