DEPARTMENT OF

GENERAL LINGUISTICS
Faculty of Arts and Social
Sciences
South African Sign Language Acquisition
Module code: 178
Module Framework
Module Coordinator: Dr Kate Huddlestone

Lecturer: Ms Modiegi Njeyiyana

Assistant Lecturer: Ms Zulfah Shabodien
 Welcome to the Department of General Linguistics

As a department, we are committed to teaching and research of high quality in a wide range of both
formal and applied areas of language study, with a specific focus on issues that are relevant to the
linguistic landscape of South Africa. This module framework provides important general information
about the department, as well as specific information about the organisation and content of Sign
Language Linguistics 318.

1. Department Contact Information

The Department of General Linguistics is located on the fifth floor of the Arts and Social Sciences
Building. Kindly email the lecturer to make an appointment before coming in for a consultation.

Lecturing Staff – South African Sign Language Acquisition

Name Room Email

Njeyiyana, Ms Modiegi modiegi@sun.ac.za

Shabodien, Ms Zulfah 513 zulfah@sun.ac.za

SASL Module Coordinator

Dr Kate Huddlestone 504 katevg@sun.ac.za

Administrative Staff

Name Room Email Tel. No.

Joseph, Ms Anthea 509 antheaj@sun.ac.za 021 808 2135

Thompson, Mr Chadley 507 chadleyt@sun.ac.za 021 808 2052

Module Assistant

Name Email

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Note: Although the module coordinator is responsible for the administration of each module, the
lecturer remains the first point of contact for any student queries (see also section 5).

2. Language Specification
The Department is committed to the principle of multilingualism without exclusion as set out in the
Faculty’s language implementation plan, which can be accessed here:
http://www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/arts. Stellenbosch University’s Language Plan can be accessed
here: http://www.sun.ac.za/english/policy.

3. Participation in Module Activities

In South African Sign Language Acquisition 178, the following arrangements hold:

• Lectures are presented in South African Sign Language (SASL), with interpretation into English
when necessary, depending on the availability of interpreters.

• PowerPoint slides, lecture notes, electronic documents on SUNLearn, and other written
lecture-related materials are in English, while video material is in SASL.

• Written assignments, question papers and assessment guidelines are provided and must be
answered, in English.

• Production/comprehension assessments are undertaken in SASL.

4. General Requirements
(i) Class attendance is compulsory and will be regularly checked, e.g., through attendance
registers. A student’s class attendance record may be taken into consideration when calculating
his/her class mark and final mark. Students need to attend all contact sessions where they will be
continuously assessed based on their participation in class. Marks will be deducted for non-attendance
without a valid medical certificate which can be emailed to zulfah@sun.ac.za. Students who are absent
from class will not be able to complete the tutorial and those who assist other students by signing the
class register on their behalf will be penalised with a 5% deduction of tutorial marks. Over 75% of class
absenteeism will not be eligible to enter tests and exams. This means you will have to repeat this
course at the beginning of the following academic year.

(ii) All students are expected to take notes and participate actively in class discussions.
(iii) All students are expected to produce academically respectable work, in the field of SASL. This
entails, amongst others, submitting original work (even if consultations with classmates took
place) and not copying from others (including not from lecture notes) or recording the video
from others who are Deaf inside or outside the university to copy their signs. This holds for all
student work, including tests. Please see Appendices B and C for similar policies regarding
plagiarism and AI use.

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(iii) Students have to write and do oral presentations on all formal tests in order to be awarded a
final mark.
For every test, two opportunities will be scheduled. Students can choose to write either the
first or second opportunity. If, for whatever reason, a student fails to write either test
opportunity, no further opportunity will be granted, and the student will receive an incomplete
for the module.
(iv) Students will be given regular class work (e.g., informal class tests and exercises) and
assignments (e.g., tutorial exercises, tasks involving group work, oral presentations) for each
topic in South African Sign Language 178. All prescribed assignments have to be completed,
and all written work required by such assignments must be handed in on the due dates in order
for a student to be given a final mark.
If, for any reason at all, a student fails to hand in the work required for an assignment, it is the
student's responsibility to contact the lecturer concerned before or on the assignment
submission date (during office hours) to request permission to hand in the work at a later
date. If the student does not contact the lecturer timeously, then that student will not, under
any circumstances, be allowed the opportunity to hand in the work later. If the student
contacts the lecturer in time, and if the lecturer agrees, the student may hand in the work on
or before a date set by the lecturer. Late submission is only allowed under exceptional
circumstances and is at the discretion of the lecturer.
(v) Assuming the steps in (iv) have been followed, the mark allocation for late submission of
assignment work is as follows:
(a) Assignment work that has been handed in late for reasons that are officially recognized
by the University is awarded a mark out of 100%.

(b) Assignment work that has been handed in late for any other reasons may be awarded
a mark out of 50%, provided that

– the reasons for the late submission of the assignment work are acceptable to the
lecturer, and

– the late submission has been discussed with the lecturer before the set
submission date.

(c) If assignment work is handed in late for reasons

– that are not acceptable to the lecturer, and/or

– the late submission is discussed with the lecturer after the set submission date,

then the assignment work may be accepted for assessment purposes but may be
awarded a zero mark.

Note: The only acceptable reasons for absence from classes or for late submission of
assignment work, are reasons that are officially recognized by the University. Consult Appendix
A of this framework for the official guidelines for the certification of student illness.

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(vi) Unless otherwise specified, all recording assignment answers are to be signed following
proper use of non-manual and grammar conventions. Furthermore, all recording answers must
be checked for fingerspelling, pause (punctuation) and grammatical correctness before
submission. In addition to the electronic submission of an assignment answer, a soft copy of
the answer may also be required by the lecturer concerned, if necessary, submitted on the
same day as the electronic submission. Students must reduce the recording file size to a
minimum of 22 megabytes due to time consumption and may be accepted as less than 50
megabytes. When using a video camera to record videos, make sure the camera is set to the
following size 16:9 (1920x1080) when recording. Some smartphones can also set the size of
the video to 16:9 (1920x1080). If a device like a smartphone is used to record videos, the screen
must be in landscape mode and not in portrait mode, otherwise, you may be awarded a zero
mark. Please consult the specific assignment guidelines in this regard.

Electronically submitted recording assignment answers must be in the form of an MP4 format
file, submitted via SUNLearn or attached to an email that is addressed to the lecturer
concerned. File names should use the following structure:

Student name and surname_mp4

5. SUNLearn
Students are expected to check SUNLearn on a regular basis throughout the semester for information,
important announcements, study material, quizzes, information about tests/
examinations/assignments, etc. In order to access SUNLearn, you have to do the following:

• Go to learn.sun.ac.za.

• Log in using your student number and password.

• Click on the relevant module in the Course List.

6. Query Procedure
All student queries relating to matters such as class attendance, submission of assignment work, tests
and examinations need to be made in writing (email) so that all relevant parties have proof of
correspondence. Note that the lecturer teaching a particular section of a module remains the first
point of contact for any student queries. If you need to discuss a matter in person, please email a brief
version of your query to the lecturer concerned when arranging an appointment, to allow the lecturer
to prepare for the consultation and arrange for a SASL interpreter.

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7. Module Outline
Please note that a student may not register for undergraduate modules presented by the
Department of General Linguistics where there are class, test or exam clashes with any other
module. Note also that the content and organisation of the module as indicated in this section may be
altered at short notice should this be necessitated by unforeseen circumstances. Any changes will be
communicated during lectures and via SUNLearn.

8. Module Goals and Outcomes

The overall goal of this module is to learn basic South African Sign Language and hold an introductory
conversation with a Deaf person.

After successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Ask for clarification or repeat the question.

• Ask permission of a Deaf person in SASL,

• Offer thanks and apologies involving a Deaf person,

• Make a request of a Deaf person, and

• Offer assistance to a Deaf person using South African Sign Language (SASL).

The following knowledge is embedded within the module, and will be assessed directly or implicitly
through assessment of the specific outcomes in terms of the assessment criteria:

• use basic, everyday SASL vocabulary.

• interact using simple phrases and sentences to describe, discuss and ask about everyday
topics and things you may need or use immediately.

• recognise visual input and understand the gist of that input relating to familiar words and
basic phrases that deal with things that you or your conversational partner may need or
use immediately.

• be aware of and respect Deaf culture when using SASL in various everyday social contexts.

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9. Lectures and Contact Sessions
There are three scheduled lecture slots per week and one online tutorial exercise per week. The
scheduled lecture times are:

o Mondays 09:00
o Wednesdays 12:00
o Thursdays 08:00

The mode of delivery will be a combination of online videos and readings, uploaded weekly for you to
work through in your own time, and face-to-face discussion sessions and transcription tutorials. Finally,
there will be weekly SASL teaching videos uploaded to SUNLearn accompanied by a (bi-)weekly SASL
tutorial.

Depending on the size of the group, the class may be split into two main groups, however, the class
times will remain the same for all groups and only the venue will be different. Details of venues will be
communicated as soon as the classes are finalised.

10. Notional Hours and Credits

‘Notional hours of learning’ refers to the learning time that it would take a student to meet the
outcomes defined in a module. It includes concepts such as contact time (face-to-face); time spent in
structured learning opportunities; individual learning (self-study, and time for completing assignments
etc.); and time spent in assessment processes.

During this course, you will spend your time as follows (this may vary for individuals):

- three face-to-face sessions per week of 50 minutes each

Approximately three hours per week of self-paced lecture notes reading and completing tasks,
activities and assignments.

‘Credits’ are a measure of the notional hours or learning time, including class attendance as part of
SASL practical learning it would take a student to meet the prescribed outcomes and the SASL
Acquisition 178 module will be worth 24 credits.

11. Study Materials and Resources

PRESCRIBED TEXTBOOKS

There is no prescribed textbook; however, all learning material will be available on SUNLearn.
SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND LITERATURE

Students interested in the linguistic aspects of sign language can consult the following book (not
prescribed):

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Baker, A.E. et al. (eds). 2016. The Linguistics of Sign Languages: An Introduction. Amsterdam: John
Benjamins.

Various online resources (videos, dictionaries, etc.) will be shared during the year, but YouTube videos
or dictionaries from other countries e.g. American Sign Language (ASL) or British Sign Language (BSL)
will not be accepted for use in class because lexicons are not the same in the South Africa context.

12. Learning Methodology

Method of Instruction
Instruction will be conducted in South African Sign Language and students will be expected to
participate in peer conversational exercises, presentations, and video recordings of own work.
Learning to understand Glossing (transcribing of sign language) will also facilitate the students’ learning
of sentence structure in South African Sign Language. The module will be interactive where class
discussions and group activities will be a fun way to implement new vocabulary. A SASL interpreter
will be used only for purposes such as an explanation of the theory of language use. Do not use your
voice in class unless asking questions. The reason for this is to assist students in acquiring non-verbal
and visual language with eye contact and sign language input during practical conversations will
improve visual skills. There are peer-to-peer facilitators and practical learning activities which will be
conducted during classes.

13. Assessment
Test Dates

• Test 1: Friday 22 March 24 hours online Submission

• Test 2: Tuesday 04 June 09:00 (Supplementary test 2: TBC)

• Test 3: The date between August and September will be communicated in due course.
(24 hours online Submission)

• Test 4: Tuesday 19 November 09:00 (Supplementary test 2: TBC)

Assessment is by means of:

• an oral examination/presentation at the end of each semester, conducted in South African

Sign Language, assessing receptive and expressive language skills in this language; and
• written and signed tests and assignments, including online tutorial assessments on SUNLearn.

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Calculation of Marks

(i) The June progress mark for SASL 178 is calculated as follows:

SUNLearn quizzes (online tutorials) and tests 50%

Test 2 (June) 25%

Oral presentation/exam (June) 25%

TOTAL 100%

(ii) The final mark for South African Sign Language Acquisition 178 is calculated as follows:

SUNLearn quizzes (online tutorials) and tests 50%

Test 2 (June) 12.5%

Test 3 (November) 12.5%

Oral presentation/exam (June) 12.5%

Oral presentation/exam (November) 12.5%

TOTAL 100%

Pass Requirements
Please note that a student’s class attendance record may be taken into consideration when calculating
the student’s class mark/final mark.

A student must achieve a final mark of at least 50% to pass South African Sign Language Acquisition
178. A student who achieves a final mark of 75% or higher passes South African Sign Language
Acquisition 178 with distinction.

Student Concessions
Special arrangements, like the allocation of extra writing time or the provision of documents in large
fonts, may be made for tests and exams. However, the SASL test (comprehension test video) will have
15 minutes of extra time for the concession students while writing the test together with non-
concession students in the same venue, unless there are students who need their own space for darker
light, which can be arranged separately. It means that Applications in this regard are managed by the
SU Disability Unit and close annually in February, April, August, and September. Contact the SU
Disability Unit to find more information regarding closing dates and feedback on the outcome of your
application.

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14. Work Programme
This schedule for the first semester is subjected to change, but the second semester will be subject
to change.

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15. Final Note
Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this document is correct at
the time of going to print, some changes may need to be made during the semester. These changes
may be in response to class needs, personnel, timetable or departmental needs, or other situations
outside of the module co-ordinator’s control. Any changes will be communicated in class and
through SUNLearn, and the most recent version of this document will be available on the module’s
SUNLearn.

Student Support

Please consult the ‘Student Support’ document on SUNLearn for helpful guidance regarding student
support.

Plagiarism

Please consult ‘Appendix B and C’ for Stellenbosch University’s Policy on plagiarism and rules for
dealing with plagiarism.

Use of AI in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Please consult ‘Appendix C’ for the ‘Guidelines on AI Use’ set out by Stellenbosch University and the
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

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 Appendix A

Guidelines of the Executive Committee (Senate) regarding the illness certification of students,
approved by the Senate at its meeting on 5 June 1992

An acceptable certificate must contain at least the following:

(a) The relevant date(s) of examination by, or consultation with, the medical doctor or registered
psychologist.

(b) The name of the student.

(c) A clear diagnosis of the illness (headaches, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, etc. are regarded as
symptoms, not illnesses).

(d) An indication of the duration of the illness with relevant date(s) of incapacitation for
classes/tests/examinations.

(e) In the event of a problem of an emotional nature, or stress, the following guidelines exist:

(1) A certificate from a medical doctor or a clinical psychologist registered with the SAMDC is
required, with the abovementioned information and an indication of a specific diagnosis of
a recognized psychological disturbance, such as anxiety disturbance or depression.

(2) If circumstances exist, besides the examination situation, that are regarded by the
Executive Committee (Senate) as sufficiently emotionally stressful (e.g. death at home,
serious illness at home, disruption at home caused by alcohol abuse or divorce), a

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 declaration by a medical doctor and/or minister, depending on the situation, is required,
and an allowance of one week around the critical incident will be deemed adequate.

At its meeting on 8 October 1997, the Executive Committee (Senate) once again confirmed that illness
certification applicable to class tests and other academic work falls under the same criteria as that
applicable for examination purposes.

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 Appendix B
Plagiarism Declaration

1. Plagiarism is the presentation of another’s ideas, material and other intellectual property as
my own.

2. I agree that plagiarism is a punishable offence, because it constitutes theft.

3. I also understand that direct translations are plagiarism.

4. Accordingly, all quotations and contributions from any source whatsoever (including the
internet) have been fully cited. I understand that the reproduction of text without quotation
marks (even when the source is cited) is plagiarism.

5. I declare that the work contained in this assignment, except where otherwise stated, is my
original work and that I have not previously (in its entirety or in part) submitted it for grading
in this module/assignment or another module/assignment.

Initials & surname:

Student number:

Signature:

Date:

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 Appendix C
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Guidelines: Turnitin AI detector

These guidelines are to be read together with the Draft SU Guidelines on Allowable AI Use, and aim to
provide clarity on the use of the Turnitin AI detector.

Key concerns with the Turnitin AI detector:

1. False positives and negatives

The detector has a 1% false positive rate (mistaking human-authored for AI-generated texts) and a 15%
false negative rate (failing to identify AI-generated text).

2. Compounded false positives

Tools like Grammarly or Quillbot, which are used for grammar and spelling, may increase false positives
without having generated any content.

3. Compounded false negatives

Advanced AI technologies may make AI-generated texts undetectable to Turnitin.

4. No source text for comparison

Unlike plagiarism detection, there is no AI-generated corpus to which students’ submissions can be
compared.

5. Limitations of Turnitin scores

The Turnitin AI score is, at best, an indication of possible AI use. Such a score cannot prove or disprove
the use of generative AI conclusively.

6. No student access to Turnitin score on AI text

While students can see the result of Turnitin’s plagiarism detection, the percentage of suspected AI-
generated text is displayed only to lecturers. This limits formative learning, since it deprives students
of an opportunity to redraft their text to comply with the standards of academic integrity. Turnitin’s

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AI-text detector thus represents a change in how the tool is (normally) used. At the very least, students
should be informed of this change in use in advance rather than after the fact.

In light of the above, no AI detector, checklist or blueprint can be mechanically applied to determine
whether AI has been used, the extent to which it has been used or what the appropriate penalty
ought to be. The appropriate response on the part of lecturers is (a) to develop assessments that are
not susceptible to AI cheating and (b) to exercise sound judgment when determining whether a
Turnitin score does or does not merit disciplinary measures.

Procedure in case of suspected AI misconduct

Allegations of AI misconduct are investigated and managed at departmental or faculty level,

depending on the severity. These procedures must be fair, consistent and transparent. The FASS
advocates a developmental and remedial approach, which includes a discussion with the student
before the matter is finalised and an outcome is determined.

Steps for handling suspected AI misconduct – whether based on a Turnitin AI score or on other
evidence:

1. Email the student to discuss suspected AI use in their work.

2. Provide the student with the following information:

2.1. the allegation(s),

2.2. details of the work under scrutiny, and

2.3. a marked-up copy of the work.

3. For first-time suspects, focus the discussion on learning. The student must bring the following to
the discussion:

3.1. their declaration of AI use, and

3.2. relevant AI chat history.

4. During the discussion, the following is expected of the student:

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 4.1. to explain their AI use and choice of technology;

4.2. to show relevant AI chat history; and

4.3. to respond to content-related questions.

5. If the student admits to unauthorised AI use, consequences may include having to rewrite the
assignment or the deduction of marks. The severity of the sanction will vary according to the
following factors:

5.1. the nature and clarity of assignment instructions,

5.2. the student's level of study, and

5.3. whether or not it is a first offence.

6. If the student denies AI use, an oral or closed-book assessment might be undertaken. The
lecturer awards a grade, which could range from full marks to zero, according to their
judgement.

7. Disputes are escalated to the departmental chair and, if unresolved, to the Vice-Dean: Teaching
and Learning.

Resources

• http://www.sun.ac.za/english/learning-teaching/learning-teaching-enhancement/ai-in-he
• http://www.sun.ac.za/english/learning-
teaching/ctl/Documents/Auxin/Infographic_AI%20%26TLA_.pdf
• http://www.sun.ac.za/english/learning-
teaching/ctl/Documents/SU%20Procedure%20for%20the%20investigation%20and%20manag
ement%20of%20allegations%20of%20plagiarism_2016.pdf
• FASS Teaching-Learning-Assessment resources

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