Languages exhibit variation, which may reflect ethnic, geographic, social or age- or gender-based differences between language users. Many sign languages are known to exhibit lexical variation, with multiple sign forms being used for the same concept. Such lexical variation may derive from (historical) schools for the deaf, having resulted in school-based “dialects”. In this paper, we present our findings from a two-part study on lexical variation in Swedish Sign Language (STS) based on responses from a combined in-person and online survey and available corpus data. The survey approach consisted of a diverse group of STS signers providing their preferred sign variants for concepts within different domains (e.g., colors, numbers and place names). We focus on age as an important sociolectal factor for lexical variation in STS, and show that there may be a tendency towards leveling (convergence of forms; less variation) over time, although the results are inconclusive. We observe an increased use of borrowed forms for countries over time. Additionally, signers with similar social profiles with regard to age, gender and schooling exhibit slightly more overlap in their lexical choices, on average.

The Swedish Sign Language Dictionary [Svenskt teckenspråkslexikon] is one of the most visited websites at Stockholm University, with four million visits each year. The dictionary is an easy-to-use resource for the community, families, relatives, students, educators, researchers and other stakeholders that can be accessed through the website, app, and mobile platforms. STS-korpus is an online interface for the Swedish Sign Language Corpus that is linked to the STS Dictionary, enhancing its utility. Other applications, like TSP Quiz and the STS transcription tool, will also be evaluated. In January 2024, we conducted a survey to explore how users utilise Swedish sign language resources in their everyday lives, studies and work, regardless of hearing status and sign language skills. The purpose is to evaluate these resources from a user’s perspective, including aspects such as user-friendliness, relevance, comprehensibility and effectiveness in aiding language learning or communication.

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