Language Erasure

The process by which a language's unique characteristics, variations, dialects, and cultural significance are diminished, homogenized, or eliminated — often through the dominance of a majority language or through technologies that oversimplify linguistic complexity. In the context of sign language AI, language erasure is a significant concern: technologies that reduce sign languages to simplified gesture recognition, translate through spoken language intermediaries (rather than treating sign languages as independent languages), or train on limited datasets risk flattening the rich linguistic diversity of sign languages. This includes erasing regional variations, Black ASL, age-related signing differences, and individual expression styles. Deaf community members have voiced deep concerns that AI technologies could accelerate language erasure by standardizing or oversimplifying sign language, with one researcher characterizing the risk as a "form of genocide" for linguistic diversity.