PART I: First Language Learning The Deaf and Language: Sign, Oral, Written SEM I 2013-2014

Sign Languages? Is it a true language without speech ? Is a sign language a true language? Is it a true language without speech ? Are the gestures part of language? Do people who use sign language truly have a language? Are the fundamental abilities of speakers fulfilled by sign language?

Sign language… If a signing person can communicate by sign whatever that can be communicated by speech – isn’t that language then a true language? Language acquisition requires some physical mode of acquisition which can be visual (signing) or touch (deaf-blind).

Criterion for a true language… This complex sentence… “If the weather had been fine, then Mary’s uncle could have come and given her the money.” …can be expressed in sign language.

Complete and Incomplete Sign Languages Research shows that signers using any developed sign language (ASL, French, British, etc) can communicate in sign whatever is expressed in speech. Japan prohibits the use of sign language. (though now things are changing)

Complete and Incomplete Sign Languages ASL, British Sign Language, French Sign Language are complete sign languages. Other sign languages are incomplete SLs Syntactically incomplete or limited vocabulary Think! What is meant by complete and incomplete sign languages?

Speeds of Signing and Speaking Sentences Signers of complete sign languages -- communicate at about the same speed as “speakers”. Does not matter if information is conveyed in speech or sign form -- there is an optimum speed for humans to be comfortable in processing information. Not all sign languages are mutually intelligible

Gestures of Hearing People Gestures are used with or without speech. Gestures used by hearing people are just a collection of body movements, with little or no syntax. These gestures do not form a true language.

Gestures without Speech Gestures are used to convey messages or to emphasize speech. Gestures’ body parts: using arms, head, torso e.g. in greetings, request/commands, insults. Gestures are specific to linguistic, cultural, geographic contexts/areas – rarely universal e.g. pointing to chest using index finger to mean the “self” (me/I) for Westerners; index finger pointing to the nose (Japanese)

Gestures without Speech… 2. Facial gestures Used to convey a wide range of emotions/feelings States of confusion, attention, distress, love, annoyance, admiration, belligerence, doubt, bewilderment, determination, etc --- conveyed using facial expressions and supplemented by hand movements or body posture.

Gestures without speech… 3. Iconic gestures Gestures which represent or suggest the ideas they are intended to represent e.g. hand & arm gesture to indicate “come”; pointing to own body for “self”; a smile for “friendliness” Show close relationship between gestures and meaning

Gestures without speech… 4. Specialized Communities and Gestures Restricted gestures used within small groups e.g. Stock Trading Betting at a race track Music Sports Television

Gestures with Speech Distinctive gestures coordinated with speech (used with speech) Beat a common gesture Hand or finger kept in motion and synchronized with what a person is saying

Gestures with speech… Hands are moved up and down or back and forth. Done in the periphery of gesture space e.g. to the side and not in central portion Purpose of beat – to emphasize the discourse function of concurrent speech Use of beats may be more pronounced in some cultures e.g. Italians and Jews compared to Japanese and British

Gestures with speech… 2. Iconic gestures Content gesture – occurs once in each clause e..g. when you say “he’s trying to go up the drain-pipe…” you make an upward gesture

Conclusion: Gesture and Sign Language Gestures used by hearing people do not form a language. They are limited, restricted to certain occasions or specialized communities. Gestures cannot construct complex sentences.

Types of Sign Languages (SLs) Speech-based SLs -- SLs that stand for spelling or speech Independent SLs – independent of ordinary spoken language

Speech-Based Sign Language Finger-spelling (letter-by-letter) Words are spelled out letter-by-letter via individual signs. Use of hand and finger configurations to to indicate the letters Order of letters correspond to that of ordinary writing Each sign stands for a letter of alphabets

Speech-Based Sign Language… One-hand or two-hands finger-spelling systems e.g. Americans & Swedes use one hand; British use two The two-handed system is faster and provides more identifiable letters. Finger-spelling can be learned without knowing how to read based on speech-based language.

Morpheme by Morpheme (MnM) SLs A whole sign to stand for each speech word/meaningful part (morpheme) True language – because they represent morphemes of true speech-based languages Theoretically, finger-spelling could be learned as a native language. Based on spoken form of speech-based language This system is considered a true language since it represents the morphemes of speech-based language.

Speech-Based Sign Language… Signing Exact English Seeing Essential English Sign systems before ASL created Follows the linear flow of speech e.g. walked – 1 sin for “walk” and another for past tense What are the advantages of MnM systems? (see pp43 -44, Steinberg & Sciarini, 2006)

Speech-Based Sign Language… Some advantages of MnM systems: Can acquire the morphology and syntax of both sign and speech-based language Easier for adults to learn MnM and later

Independent Sign Languages 3 Basic Components: Hand configuration (how hand is formed) Place of articulation (where the hand is formed) Movement (how the hand moves)

Independent Sign Languages… Speed or tension or rate of repetition signal morphological changes or variation in SL e.g. changing nouns to verbs. Differences in words can be signaled by manner of movement (see pp 76-77 Steinberg) Hand configurations can differ resulting in an “accent” ( in ordinary language term)

Sign Language In Deaf Education Oral Approach teach the hearing-impaired to produce and understand speech to enable them to communicate with the hearing community Focuses on teaching of speech production Emphasis on speech reading or lip reading

Sign Language In Deaf Education Written Approach Focus on literacy Written forms of speech-based languages are associated directly with objects, events, situations in the environment Various advantages (see Steinberg 1996:88)

That’s all for today! Thank You! (Let’s do the tasks!)

TASKS 2. What is Esperanto? 3. Is there a universal sign language? 1. In what way is a sign language a true language?’ 2. What is Esperanto? 3. Is there a universal sign language? 4. Are gestures of hearing people considered a language? Why? Why not? 5. What are the types of gestures used by hearing people as part of communication?

Tasks… 7. Describe the following: speech-based sign language 6. What are the two types of sign language? 7. Describe the following: speech-based sign language independent sign language 8. Briefly explain sign language based on speech of ordinary language (e.g. finger- spelling and morpheme-based) pp. 42-44

Tasks… hand configuration place of articulation Movement (pp.45-48) 9. Independent Sign Language (ISL) can be analyzed into 3 basic parts: hand configuration place of articulation Movement (pp.45-48) Explain each.

Tasks… Discuss the Oral approach. 10. What is the aim of the Oral Approach to teaching sign language? Discuss the Oral approach. 11. Discuss the Total Communication Approach. 12. Explain the Steinberg Written Language Approach. What are the advantages of the written approach for the hearing-impaired?

Tasks… 13. Describe the four-phase program for teaching written language to the hearing-impaired.