Update cookies preferences

E-book: Language in Space: The Story of Israeli Sign Language [Taylor & Francis e-book]

  • Format: 352 pages
  • Pub. Date: 07-Sep-2007
  • Publisher: Psychology Press
  • ISBN-13: 9780429235511
  • Taylor & Francis e-book
  • Price: 244,66 €*
  • * this price gives unlimited concurrent access for unlimited time
  • Regular price: 349,51 €
  • Save 30%
  • Format: 352 pages
  • Pub. Date: 07-Sep-2007
  • Publisher: Psychology Press
  • ISBN-13: 9780429235511

This English version of A Language in Space: The Story of Israeli Sign Language, which received the Bahat Award for most outstanding book for a general audience in its Hebrew edition, is an introduction to sign language using Israeli Sign Language (ISL) as a model. Authors Irit Meir and Wendy Sandler offer a glimpse into a number of fascinating descriptions of the ISL community to which linguists and other researchers may not have access. An underlying premise of the book is that language is a mental system with universal properties, and that language lives through people.

A clear and engaging read, A Language in Space addresses relevant aspects of sign language, including the most abstract questions and matters related to society and community. Divided into three parts, the book covers:

  • the linguistic structure of Israeli Sign Language;
  • the language and its community; and
  • a broad depiction of ISL and the contribution of sign language research to linguistic theory.

This book is intended for linguists (with or without a background in sign language), psychologists, sociologists, educators, students, and anyone with an interest in the human capacity for language.

List of Figures ix
Acknowledgments xv
Chapter 1 Introduction: Language and the People Who Use It 1
Languages of Signs
2
Goals of this Book
4
PART I THE LINGUISTIC STRUCTURE OF ISRAELI SIGN LANGUAGE 11
Chapter
2. The Basic Components of the Word in Sign Language
19
The Meaningless Building Blocks of Words
19
The Meaningless Building Blocks of Signs
22
Additional Formational Characteristics of Signs
26
Signing It Right
30
The Phonology of Sign Language as a System
32
Sequentiality and Simultaneity in Phonology of Signed and Spoken Languages
35
Conclusion
36
Suggestions for Further Reading
36
Chapter
3. Vocabulary: Simple and Complex Words
37
Difficulties in Finding and Recording the Words: The Lexicographer's Lament
39
The Expressiveness of the ISL Lexicon: Words of Communication
43
Adding New Words and Building Complex Words
46
Novel Word Formation in Poetry
55
Suggestions for Further Reading
58
Chapter
4. Grammar in Space: The Pronominal System
59
Points of Reference: The Basis of the Pronoun System in Sign Language
60
The Pronominal System in Sign Languages
61
Reference Points as a Means of Avoiding Ambiguity
63
Other Pronouns in ISL
66
Marking Number in the Pronominal System
68
Indicating Reference with the Body: Role Shift
69
Pronouns in Other Sign Languages
71
Conclusion
72
Suggestions for Further Reading
73
Chapter
5. Grammar in Space: Verb Agreement
75
What Is Verb Agreement?
76
Verb Agreement in Sign Languages
78
The Form and Meaning of Sign Language Verb Agreement
81
Verb Agreement: Signed versus Spoken Languages
85
Marking Number with Agreement Morphemes
86
Conclusion
87
Suggestions for Further Reading
88
Chapter
6. Tenses and Aspects
89
Tense versus Aspect
90
The Aspectual System of ISL
91
The Expression of Time
100
Conclusion
106
Suggestions for Further Reading
106
Chapter
7. Shapes, Locations, and Motion in Space: Classifier Constructions
107
What Are Classifiers?
108
When Do You Use Classifiers?
112
Classifiers in Different Sign Languages
117
Classifiers in Spoken Languages
118
Conclusion
119
Suggestions for Further Reading
120
Chapter
8. Word Order
121
Topics First, and Then Comment
123
How Is the Topic Determined?
126
Word Order in Possessive Constructions
127
Topic-Comment in Other Languages
129
Conclusion
131
Suggestions for Further Reading
132
Chapter
9. Negative and Interrogative Sentences
133
Negative Sentences
134
Interrogative Sentences
147
Conclusion
156
Suggestions for Further Reading
156
Chapter
10. Beyond the Hands: Facial Expression in ISL
159
How We Say What We Say: The Prosodic Structure of Language
160
Prosodic Structure in ISL and Intonation on the Face
163
Facial Expression as Part of a Word
171
Facial Expression as a Modifying Morpheme
173
Mouthing
176
Nonlinguistic Facial Expression: The Intonation of Emotions
179
Conclusion
179
Suggestions for Further Reading
180
Part I Summary and Conclusion
181
PART II THE LANGUAGE AND ITS COMMUNITY 183
Chapter
11. The History of the Deaf Community in Israel
185
The Origins of the Community: A Few Friends and a School
185
The Educational System and its Changing Attitudes toward Sign Language
197
Deaf Society and Culture Today
210
Snapshot of the Community
213
Suggestions for Further Reading
216
Chapter
12. The Emergence and Development of ISL
217
The Impact of Other Sign Languages on Israeli Sign Language
218
Stages in Vocabulary Development
224
Conclusion
235
Suggestions for Further Reading
236
Chapter
13. Voices from the Community
239
Story 1: A Student's Journal
240
Story 2: From Bad Girl in Class to Honored Teacher
244
Story 3: The Awakening
248
PART III THE BIG PICTURE: ISL AND LINGUISTIC THEORY 253
Chapter
14. Similarities and Differences Across Sign Languages
255
The View that Sign Language is Universal
256
Comparative Studies of Sign Languages
259
Differences Across Sign Languages
270
Communication among Deaf Signers of Different Languages
271
Conclusion
274
Suggestions for Further Reading
274
Chapter
15. The Contribution of Sign Languages to Linguistic Research
277
The Goal of Modern Linguistics: Characterizing Human Linguistic Ability
278
How Sign Languages Help to Identify Universal Characteristics of Language
284
Language out of Nothing: Communication Systems that have Developed Without a Language Model
292
The Contribution of Research on Israeli Sign Language
298
Conclusion
304
Suggestions for Further Reading
304
Appendix A List of Handshapes of Israeli Sign Language 307
Appendix B Main Places of Articulation of Israeli Sign Language 309
Appendix C Notational Conventions 311
References 313
Author Index 323
Subject Index 327


Irit Meir, Wendy Sandler