This study investigates the cultural and educational ideas of the French deaf poet-teacher Pierre Pelissier (1814-1863) who was an instructor at the Paris Deaf Institute from the early 1840s until his death in 1863. As a young man, Pelissier became interested in composing poetry and through his verse, captured many of the social frustrations…

This article examines the acquisition and use of Australian Sign Language (Auslan) by 53 profoundly deaf adults (31 male, 22 female) who attended educational units for deaf and hard of hearing children. The results indicate that, regardless of age, the acquisition of sign language, particularly Auslan, by deaf people occurred primarily through…

Reports on a study of the acquisition of fingerspelling, a manual system for representing the alphabet, by young deaf children whose first language is American Sign Language. Describes the system of fingerspelling and its use in the American deaf community and discusses the interaction of fingerspelling and signed language. (SED)

Presents a list of classifiers in American Sign Language and describes a study of their semantic characteristics. Classifiers are defined as certain hand shapes in particular orientations that stand for certain semantic features of noun arguments and which may substitute for particular nouns in various semantic environments, thereby functioning as…

Investigates sign learning as a function of sign translucency (ease of relating a sign to its referents) and referential concreteness. Naive sign learners attempted to learn a list of sign-referent pairs. Signs high in translucency and referents high in concreteness facilitated learning; low levels of each variable inhibited learning. (Author/PJM)

A comparison of terms from the lexical domain of color naming across 10 different sign languages from 7 different sign language groups suggested that, for naming colors, sign languages follow universal patterns not dependent upon the channel of language expression and reception. (Author)

Carol Padden's influential framework for observations of deaf culture is examined. Some potentially potent socio-anthropological ideas are used to sketch implications for revisions of such a framework, adjusting concepts of culture and asking how notions of deaf culture are constructed. (Contains 55 references.) (Author/LB)

Examines a traditional Mayan village in the Yucatan where deaf inhabitants use a sign language that is distinct from that used in other Mexican communities. Because the hearing villagers are able to communicate in this sign language, the deaf inhabitants are almost fully integrated into the social and economic life of the village. (22 references)…

Twenty master Sign Language interpreters transliterated monologue containing normal speech pausing and then transliterated same passage with inappropriate pausing and reduced intonation. When transliterating, interpreters render source message pauses with visible signals. Interpreters render different kinds of auditory pauses with different kinds…

Discusses the work of William Stokoe who not only made the claim that American Sign Language is in fact language, but who also questioned the view of linguists of the time and built a unique account of the gestural theory of language. Suggests that semantic phonology is the true legacy of Stokoe's lifelong study of language. (Author/VWL)

Looks at what William Stokoe taught educators about teaching deaf children. Among his ideas were that signing is more than just a away to communicate, deaf children should begin to acquire sign language during their infant years, teaching begins with a commitment to one's beliefs, good teachers are innovative thinkers, and it is important to look…

Suggests that various parts of the grammar of American Sign Language--particularly its verb and pronoun system--give convincing evidence that such grammar cannot have derived from the grammars of spoken languages; rather the continuity is from cognitive activity expressed in gSigns toward linguistic organization both of the expressive material and…

Explores the role and status of hearing people within the Deaf community, in particular sign language interpreters. Indicates that hearing people and sign language interpreters in particular can become members of the Deaf community. (Author/VWL)

Hearing children from deaf families, Codas, represent a relatively invisible linguistic and cultural minority. Many hearing people are unaware of the fact that American Sign Language (ASL) is a separate language with its own grammatical structure unlike that of English. This misconception has led to an emphasis on oral education for deaf people in…

Many moments that humans see naturally suggest something other than themselves. This is a legacy from the remotest time. Among animals, movements of prey and predator give each an indication of what may happen next and a basis for choosing their own actions. As species evolved, the movements that could be made and the meanings that could be…