Croatian Sign Language in the Light of Contemporary Social Trends

Jezici izumiru onda kada se broj govornika smanjuje, kada jezici nisu dokumentirani i ne prenose se na nove generacije, kada manjina koja govori taj jezik nije čvrsta i povezana i ne njeguje svoj jezik pa postepeno preuzima jezik dominantne zajednice. Iz istih, ali i brojnih drugih razloga i znakovnim jezicima prijeti izumiranje, a nikako ne pomaže činjenica da u većini zemalja nisu ni prepoznati kao pravi, prirodni jezici. Osim što su ugroženi znakovni jezici, ugrožena je kultura i zajednica Gluhih. Glavni trendovi koji su trenutno na sceni u većini zemalja, pa tako i Hrvatskoj, su medicinska dostignuća (kohlearni implantati i genetski inženjering), manjak škola za gluhe i naglasak na inkluzivnom obrazovanju (oralizam i pitanje socijalnog identiteta) te pojava društvenih mreža s kojima nastaje „virtualna zajednica Gluhih“. Sve su to čimbenici koji bi mogli prouzročiti da znakovni jezici u, ne tako dalekoj, budućnosti izumru. Ovaj rad želi dati potencijalne odgovore o tome kakav je status zajednice Gluhih u suvremenom dobu, općenito u svijetu, a onda i u Hrvatskoj; kako suvremeni društveni trendovi (medicina, obrazovanje i društvene mreže) utječu na (hrvatski) znakovni jezik; ugrožavaju li zajednicu Gluhih i utječu li na izumiranje znakovnog jezika.There are many variables that can lead to language extinction, such as language dependency on population, the ease of documentation, the ability for language to be transmitted to the next generations, having the minority that speaks that language perserve its coherence and nurture it. Without these factors the population of the minority language tend to adopt the language of the dominant group. For the same, and many other reasons sign languages are also very close to becoming extinct. It doesn't quite help that in many countries sign languages are not recognized to be as true and natural as spoken languages. It's not only that these sign languages are endangered, but the Deaf Culture and its community is actively shrinking. The main trends that are current in many countries, as well as in Croatia, are medical advancements (cochlear implants and genetic engeneering), lack of schools for the deaf and the emphasis on inclusive education (oralism and the matter of social identity) and the emergence of social networks creating a „virtual Deaf Community“. These are some of the factors that could cause the exctinction of sing languages in the not so distant future. This paper aims to answer some questions about the status of the Deaf Community in a modern era, not only in the world, but in Croatia as well; how do contemporary social trends (medicine, education and social network) affect (Croatian) Sign Language; is the Deaf Community in danger and losing its language to the point that it becomes extinct