In a book with far-reaching implications, Edward S. Klima and Ursula Bellugi present a full exploration of a language in another mode--a language of the hands and of the eyes. They discuss the origin and development of American Sign Language, the internal structure of its basic units, the grammatical processes it employs, and its heightened use in poetry and wit. The authors draw on research, much of it by and with deaf people, to answer the crucial question of what is fundamental to language as language and what is determined by the mode (vocal or gestural) in which a language is produced.
The burgeoning of research on signed language during the last two decades has had a major influence on several disciplines concerned with mind and language, including linguistics, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, child language acquisition, sociolinguistics, bilingualism, and deaf education. The genealogy of this research can be traced to a remarkable degree to a single pair of scholars, Ursula Bellugi and Edward Klima, who have conducted their research on signed language and educated scores of scholars in the field since the early 1970s. The Signs of Language Revisited has three major objectives: * presenting the latest findings and theories of leading scientists in numerous specialties from language acquisition in children to literacy and deaf people; * taking stock of the distance scholarship has come in a given field, where we are now, and where we should be headed; and * acknowledging and articulating the intellectual debt of the authors to Bellugi and Klima--in some cases through personal reminiscences. Thus, this book is also a document in the sociology and history of science.
"Laura Lynne Jackson is a psychic medium and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Light Between Us. She possesses an incredible gift--the ability to communicate with loved ones who have passed, convey messages of love and healing, and impart a greater understanding of our interconnectedness. Though her abilities are exceptional, they are not unique, and that is the message at the core of this book. Understanding "the secret language of the universe" is a gift available to all. As we learn to ask for and recognize signs from the other side, we will start to find meaning where before there was only confusion, we will see light in the darkness. We may decide to change paths, push toward love, pursue joy, and engage with life in a whole new way. In Signs, Jackson is able to bring the mystical into the everyday. She relates stories of people who have experienced these uncanny revelations and instances of unexplained synchronicity, as well as those drawn from her own experience. There's the producer whose lost child appears to her as a deer that approaches her unhesitatingly at a highway rest stop; the name tag of an ER nurse that lets a terrified wife know that her husband will be okay; the Elvis Presley song that arrives at the exact time of her own father's passing; and many others. This is a book that is both inspiring and practical, deeply comforting and wonderfully motivational in asking us to see beyond ourselves to a more magnificent universal design"--
"Dictionary of all know texts featuring illustrations of early American Sign Language and historical images of French Sign language and linking them with contemporary signs"--
In this his latest book, Sangster presents a comprehensive theory that takes the cognitive view of language in a promising new direction, based upon how linguistic signs relate to one another at different levels of consciousness. At the rational level, where signs are necessarily experienced in context, they are primarily polysemic. At the transpersonal or pre-contextual level, however, they are monosemic, constituting a dynamic and self-organizing relational structure capable of producing a potentially infinite variety of contextual applications. The two levels are united by a stochastic or somatic selection process called contextualization, where feedback from experience assures the evolution of the system. The relational structure itself is composed of archetypes of space and time consciousness that derive from the evolution of the linguistic sign from the signaling behavior of antecedent species. Detailed analyses are provided to explain how the archetypes structure meaning in both the grammatical and lexical spheres, as well as in syntax.
“An inspirational and helpful resource for parents to help them learn how to foster early communication with their children through baby sign language” (Sabrina Freidenfelds, MPH, IBCLC, founder of Then Comes Baby). What does your baby want to say? You can find out even before your baby can verbally speak by using baby sign language. Signs of a Happy Baby gives parents everything they need to start signing with their baby, including a comprehensive dictionary with easy-to-follow photos of fun and practical American Sign Language (ASL) signs, and tips for integrating sign language into their everyday activities. Start signing with your baby now. What your baby has to say will blow you away! “Places everything you need to know about signing with your baby neatly in one place.” —Leah Busque, executive chairwoman and founder, TaskRabbit “Brimming with tips and tools for getting started with baby sign language, Signs of a Happy Baby is a practical resource for any parent who wants to know what’s going on in their baby’s mind.” —Mora Oommen, executive director, Blossom Birth Services “A smart guide that’s not only fun, but filled with research showing how baby sign language helps build your child’s language and cognitive skills, allowing your child’s thoughts and feelings to be expressed, long before verbal communication is possible. This book is a must for anyone who has or is working with a little one.” —Sheila Dukas-Janakos, MPH, IBCLC, owner of Healthy Horizons Peninsula Breastfeeding Center
The burgeoning of research on signed language during the last two decades has had a major influence on several disciplines concerned with mind and language, including linguistics, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, child language acquisition, sociolinguistics, bilingualism, and deaf education. The genealogy of this research can be traced to a remarkable degree to a single pair of scholars, Ursula Bellugi and Edward Klima, who have conducted their research on signed language and educated scores of scholars in the field since the early 1970s. The Signs of Language Revisited has three major objectives: * presenting the latest findings and theories of leading scientists in numerous specialties from language acquisition in children to literacy and deaf people; * taking stock of the distance scholarship has come in a given field, where we are now, and where we should be headed; and * acknowledging and articulating the intellectual debt of the authors to Bellugi and Klima--in some cases through personal reminiscences. Thus, this book is also a document in the sociology and history of science.
The easy way for kids ages 3 to 6 (and parents) to learn American Sign Language There has never been a better way to start learning American Sign Language. Ideal for parents of nonverbal children or children with communication impairments in the preschool or kindergarten age range, American Sign Language for Kids offers a simple way to introduce both of you to ASL. Build your vocabularies with 101 signs perfect for everyday use, all featuring detailed illustrations, memory tips, and hands-on activities. American Sign Language for Kids helps you focus on the types of words you need most with chapters conveniently divided by category. Get chatty with activities that guide you through conversations. You'll be signing together in no time! American Sign Language for Kids includes: 101 Helpful signs—From family and feelings to meals and playtime, work with your child to master subjects that will help the two of you connect. Fun ways to practice—Discover enjoyable activities at the end of each section that make it exciting and engaging to learn signs and start conversing! Practical guides—Get useful advice for introducing signs to a child with autism, helpful primers on deaf culture, and more. Discover an effective and meaningful way to deepen communication with your child—American Sign Language for Kids shows you the way.
As sign language linguistics has become an important and prodigious field of research in the last few decades, it comes as no surprise that the repertoire of methodological approaches to the study of the communication of the Deaf has also expanded considerably. While earlier work on sign languages was often focused on providing arguments for them being full-fledged linguistic systems, current debates do no longer center on whether visual-spatial grammars are worth being researched, but on how this type of research should be conducted. This book contains a selection of papers that could be thought of as a good representative sample of current trends in formal approaches to the study of sign language syntax. It illustrates how generative research on the communication of the Deaf may contribute to our understanding of the syntax of natural languages in general and indicates to what extent it is possible to integrate advances in the analysis of visual-spatial grammar with current spoken language research. Originally published in Sign Language & Linguistics 16:2 (2013).
