Based on the Second International Symposium of Sign Language Research of 1981, Language in Sign explores the growing recognition of sign language as a systematic and complex form of communication. Originally published in 1983 and now featuring a new preface, this book offers a uniquely international perspective.
The emergence of international interest in the sign language of deaf people reflects a significant advancement in understanding minority groups. Historically, the reliance of sign language on the hands and body led to its dismissal as merely a basic gestural system, deemed suitable only for individuals with disabilities. The possibility of sign language being systematic and complex had rarely been explored.
In the United States, growing awareness and human rights legislation enabled deaf individuals to actively participate in community decisions. This involvement brought their language to the attention of linguists, sparking academic interest and study. A pivotal moment occurred in 1981 in Bristol, UK, during the Second International Symposium of Sign Language Research. The symposium showcased studies from eight countries, examining sign language through traditional frameworks: as a feature of child development, a marker of community identity, and a psychological process. These studies have deepened our understanding of deaf people, their role in society, and the evolving education of deaf children.
Based on the Second International Symposium of Sign Language Research of 1981, Language in Sign (originally published in 1983 and now featuring a new preface by the authors) remains a valuable resource for researchers and educators, offering a uniquely international perspective on the research of the time.
Foreword and Acknowledgements Part 1: Language Introduction
1. Verbs and
Adjectives: morphological processes in Swedish Sign Language
2. Marking Time
in British Sign Language
3. Levels of Analysis in Sign Language Research
4.
The Semantics of British Sign Language Signs
5. Compounds in Swedish Sign
Language in Historical Perspective
6. Is British Sign Language an SVO
Language?
7. The Sign Language of the Deaf as a Colloquial System
8. Lip
Movements in Norwegian Sign Language
9. Multi-Channel Signs Part 2:
Development Introduction
10. Gestures, Signs and Words at Two Years
11. Early
Sign Language Acquisition and its Relation to Cognitive and Motor Development
12. Communication Interactions between Hearing-Impaired Infants and their
Parents Part 3: Community Introduction
13. The Status of Sign Language in
Education in Europe
14. British Sign Language and West Indian Creole
15. The
Specific Situation of the Flemish Deaf People and their Attitudes towards
Sign Language
16. Manual English and American Sign Language: where do we go
from here?
17. Sociolectal Judgements of Deaf Children Part 4: Psychology and
Communication Introduction
18. Looking for Meaning in Sign Language Sentences
19. Sign Meditation in a Word Recognition Task
20. Sentence Repetition in
American Sign Language
21. Perpetual Confusions in ASL under Normal and
Reduced Conditions
22. A Story Chain: sign language communication skills in
children and adults
23. Referential Communication among Scottish Deaf Pupils
24. Open Communication or Catastrophe Part 5: Overview
25. Sign Language,
Linguistics and Related Arts and Sciences
Jim Kyle is a renowned academic and researcher in Deaf Studies, with a distinguished career dedicated to advancing the understanding of deaf communities and sign language linguistics. He is currently secretary at the Deaf Studies Trust, UK.
Bencie Woll is Honorary Professor at University College London, Division of Psychology & Language Sciences. She has been involved in research on sign language for nearly 40 years. Her research and teaching interests embrace a wide range of topics related to sign language, including the linguistics of British Sign Language (BSL) and other sign languages, the history and sociolinguistics of BSL and the Deaf community, the development of BSL in young children, sign language and the brain, including developmental and acquired sign language impairments, and end-to-end machine translation between BSL and English.
