IDGS
Institute of
German Sign Language and
Communication of the Deaf
German Sign Language and
Communication of the Deaf
International guest lecture by Annelies Kusters
15 May 2024
Photo: UHH/IDGS
On 15 May 2024, Annelies Kusters gave a lecture on the topic of ‘Ideologies of modality’. In the presentation, Annelies Kusters first showed the various multimodal strategies that can be used in communicative situations. Then, she discussed the decision-making process behind the use of multimodal strategies in International Sign to enhance clarity. This included showing how ideologies in relation to different modalities both influence and are influenced by our interactions. Often, when signers do not understand a sign in IS, they use the fingeralphabet and the corresponding English word. Instead, they could switch to a different sign or apply iconic strategies. Many parts of the presentation were illustrated with video examples. At the end, there was a lively exchange on various aspects of the presentation. The presentation took place in International Sign and was interpreted into English.
