Sign languages and spoken languages have many fascinating differences, caused primarily by the reaction of the human mind to different modalities, but also by some important social differences. This book examines the effects of these and other differences on sign language phonology and phonetics using observation, experimentation and theory. Languages examined include Asian, Middle Eastern, European and American sign languages, and language situations include home signers and small village signers, children, gesturers, adult signers and non-native signers.
Sign languages and spoken languages have many fascinating differences, caused primarily by the reaction of the human mind to different modalities, ...
The book is a unique collection of research on sign languages that have emerged in rural communities with a high incidence of, often hereditary, deafness. These sign languages represent the latest addition to the comparative investigation of languages in the gestural modality, and the book is the first compilation of a substantial number of different "village sign languages."Written by leading experts in the field, the volume uniquely combines anthropological and linguistic insights, looking at both the social dynamics and the linguistic structures in these village communities. The book...
The book is a unique collection of research on sign languages that have emerged in rural communities with a high incidence of, often hereditary, de...
