Check out the new "online, browser-based tool, aimed at deaf students and professionals who are conversant with sign languages like ASF (American Sign Language) but are not very fluent in English. It detects and simultaneously corrects any grammatical errors found in the user’s written English composition."
And how they developed this grammar software is interesting as well.
The writing skills of the deaf are sometimes poorer compared to that of their non-deaf peers. This leads to disparities in their professional and social standing. The CC gives them the accessibility and resources to excel in both of these arenas. The user types an English sentence into the browser window and the system immediately gives an analysis of grammatical errors and corrections in Standard English. Other programs, like the ICICLE and the Microsoft Grammar Checker, facilitate grammar support to the deaf, however they are not as exhaustive and effective as the CC.Yet, they even acknowledged that sometimes sign language interfered/influenced some deaf/hh people's English skill development.
The creators of the CC have been diligent in the selection of their source data. It was made sure that the algorithms were developed based on data representative of the eventual users. To this end, a special data collection tool was devised, through which 8233 sentences and an additional 1239 sentences in a free essay task were harvested. This has made the CC the only system with a unique body of data in the textual language arena, specifically for the deaf.
The basic premise of CC’s design is to take into consideration the “non-standard patterns” of English grammar used by the deaf, instigated by the influence of sign language.Instigated by the influence of sign language? Is that a good premise? Whether good or bad, at least this is a step in the right direction.
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