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This is the first textbook dealing specifically with British sign linguistics. It provides essential support for learners of British Sign Language and others interested in the structure and use of BSL, and assumes no previous knowledge of linguistics and sign language. Technical terms and linguistic jargon are kept to a minimum. The book contains over three hundred illustrations and an index of signs and sign phrases. There are also exercises and a reading list for further independent study.
Every once in a while nature gives us insight into the human
condition by providing us with a unique case whose special
properties illuminate the species as a whole. Christopher is such
an example. Despite disabilities which mean that everyday tasks are
burdensome chores, Christopher is a linguistic wonder who can read,
write, speak, understand and translate more than twenty languages.
On some tests he shows a severely low IQ, hinting at ineducability,
yet his English language ability indicates an IQ in excess of 120
(a level more than sufficient to enter university). Christopher is
a savant, someone with an island of startling talent in a sea of
inability. This book documents his learning of British Sign
Language, casting light on the modularity of cognition, the
modality neutrality of the language faculty, the structure of
memory, the grammar of signed language and the nature of the human
mind.
Every once in a while nature gives us insight into the human
condition by providing us with a unique case whose special
properties illuminate the species as a whole. Christopher is such
an example. Despite disabilities which mean that everyday tasks are
burdensome chores, Christopher is a linguistic wonder who can read,
write, speak, understand and translate more than twenty languages.
On some tests he shows a severely low IQ, hinting at ineducability,
yet his English language ability indicates an IQ in excess of 120
(a level more than sufficient to enter university). Christopher is
a savant, someone with an island of startling talent in a sea of
inability. This book documents his learning of British Sign
Language, casting light on the modularity of cognition, the
modality neutrality of the language faculty, the structure of
memory, the grammar of signed language and the nature of the human
mind.
This is the first detailed explanation of the way British Sign
Language works and is the product of many years' experience of
research and teaching sign linguistics to deaf and hearing people.
It assumes no previous knowledge of linguistics or sign language,
and is not structured around traditional headings such as
phonology, morphology and syntax. Instead it is set out in such a
way as to help learners and their teachers understand the
linguistic principles behind the language. There are sections on
BSL grammar and also on the use of BSL, including social
acceptability in signing, variation, and poetry and humour in BSL.
Technical terms and linguistic jargon are kept to a minimum, and
the text contains many examples from English, BSL, and other spoken
and sign languages. The book is amply illustrated and contains
exercises, as well as a reading list for further study. An
accompanying 90-minute video is available from CACDP, Durham
University Science Park, Block 4, Mountjoy Research Centre,
Stockton Road, Durham, DH1 3UZ. Tel: 0191 383 1155, or e-mail:
[email protected]
The discovery of the importance of sign language in the deaf
community is very recent indeed. This book provides a study of the
communication and culture of deaf people, and particularly of the
deaf community in Britain. The authors' principal aim is to inform
educators, psychologists, linguists and professionals working with
deaf people about the rich language the deaf have developed for
themselves - a language of movement and space, of the hands and of
the eyes, of abstract communication as well as iconic story
telling. The first chapters of the book discuss the history of sign
language use, its social aspects and the issues surrounding the
language acquisition of deaf children (BSL) follows, and the
authors also consider how the signs come into existence, change
over time and alter their meanings, and how BSL compares and
contrasts with spoken languages and other signed languages.
Subsequent chapters examine sign language learning from a
psychological perspective and other cognitive issues. The book
concludes with a consideration of the applications of sign language
research, particularly in the contentious field of education. There
is still much to be discovered about sign language and the deaf
community, but the authors have succeeded in providing an extensive
framework on which other researchers can build, from which
professionals can develop a coherent practice for their work with
deaf people, and from which hearing parents of deaf children can
draw the confidence to understand their children's world.
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