Three questions regarding the use of sign language as an alternative communication system for nonverbal autistic children are examined. Data on effects on speech, the upper limits of sign acquisition, and effects on adaptive function are discussed. (Author/CL)

Reviews research on cerebral asymmetry in hearing persons, clinical studies on lateralization and sign language, and experimental research on cerebral asymmetry in deaf persons. (AM)

Discusses personal pronoun morphology in Providence Island Sign Language (PROVISL), specifically (1) indexing, (2) pronominalization, (3) person, (4) number, (5) gender, (6) inclusivity, and (7) case. Comparisons are made with other sign languages and spoken languages. (Author/AM)

Presents data on Pakistan Sign Language collected during videotaped interviews with informants. Questions whether nonmanual components of a sign should be included among the language parameters and considered equivalent to the phonemes of spoken languages. (seven references) (Author/CK)

Replies to issues raised by Bouchard and Dubuisson (B&D) (1995) about American Sign Language (ASL), refuting B&D's assertion that visual-gestural languages are not bound by any universal constraints on word order and reaffirming that ASL is a highly configurational language with a basic underlying syntactic structure as well as an…

Notes that incorporating sign language in a diverse curriculum enhances the rate of children's learning, leads to greater motivation for reading, and reaches a broad spectrum of children--some of whom may have had difficulties learning with only visual and auditory approaches. Describes how the author incorporates signing in a kindergarten class.…

Examines one kind of syntactic variation--variable subject pronoun presence with American Sign Language plain verbs. Focuses on narratives that occurred during conversations recorded as part of a larger study. (Author/VWL)

This article reflects on Alexander Graham Bell's 1888 testimony before the Royal Commission of the United Kingdom on the Condition of the Deaf and Dumb, Etc. Excerpts are grouped by reference to (1) language education for the hearing impaired; (2) speechreading; (3) methods of teaching; (4) speech; and (5) sign language. (Author/PB)

Traces the development of name signs, developed within the first month of arrival for each of 21 new resident pupils at a Chinese school for the deaf, identifies initiators of signs, discusses the nature of the name signs, and analyzes their linguistic structure. (Author/CB)

Describes a classroom-based project that examines whether three deaf adults enrolled in an adult literacy program could use American Sign Language to access English and improve their literacy skills. The project focused on their first attempt at reading and discussing a novel. Describes a three-step process that guided the learners toward…

States that ASL (American Sign Language) has recently gained the interest of theater educators as a teaching tool, and that Gallaudet University is the leader in deaf theater education. Discusses sign language interpreting for the theater as a growing field. Explores programs in the New York School for the Deaf and the Cleveland SignStage. (PA)

An overview of current knowledge about Russian Sign Language (RSL) and its use in Russia today notes that linguistic study of RSL is still in the beginning stages, defines issues that need to be studied, and suggests directions for further research. (28 references) (JL)

Spatial referencing in American Sign Language (ASL) functions at both the lexical and the discourse levels. In discourse, it can be used by a signer to produce cohesion in comparisons, performatives, and time mapping. The occurrence and function of spatial referencing in an ASL text as it produces cohesion is examined. (11 references) (Author/JL)

This study examined keyword signing (KWS), a communication approach used with nonspeaking individuals. Acoustic measures and judgments of 20 adult listeners were used to evaluate KWS and Spoken-Only narratives. KWS narratives were produced with a slower articulation rate, because of increased pause and speech segment duration and increased pause…

Pre- and postsurgery analysis of a deaf six-year-old's intelligence quotient, communicative ability, emotional adjustment, and school performance found that, after a surgical procedure that provided her with artificial thumbs, the subject showed improved signing, ability to communicate, and physical abilities. (CB)