Sign language and Braille Books

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Book SynopsisThis practical, illustrated guide is designed for students who want to improve their use of British Sign Language (BSL), helping them to manage some of the more challenging aspects of BSL learning in an accessible way. Written by a highly experienced sign language speaker, it contains around 750 photos of signs, including examples of common mistakes alongside the corresponding correct signs. Each chapter is accompanied by video demonstrations of all the signs it exemplifies, showing BSL in action. The book is based on the latest research on BSL within theoretical linguistics, since understanding the latest advances in this fast-moving field is known to help improve the skills of non-native speakers. It is intended primarily for self-study, allowing students to work at their own pace on articulation accuracy, recognise the kinds of errors they are likely to make, and gain a better understanding of the visual nature of BSL.

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Book SynopsisThis practical, illustrated guide is designed for students who want to improve their use of British Sign Language (BSL), helping them to manage some of the more challenging aspects of BSL learning in an accessible way. Written by a highly experienced sign language speaker, it contains around 750 photos of signs, including examples of common mistakes alongside the corresponding correct signs. Each chapter is accompanied by video demonstrations of all the signs it exemplifies, showing BSL in action. The book is based on the latest research on BSL within theoretical linguistics, since understanding the latest advances in this fast-moving field is known to help improve the skills of non-native speakers. It is intended primarily for self-study, allowing students to work at their own pace on articulation accuracy, recognise the kinds of errors they are likely to make, and gain a better understanding of the visual nature of BSL.

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Book SynopsisIncluding a wide range of fascinating examples taken from social media, this unique book provides a comprehensive framework for analysing how we use emoji to convey meaning, and how emoji function in social bonding. It is essential reading for anyone wishing to investigate the role of emoji in digital communication.Table of ContentsNote on the text; Abbreviations; 1. Social media paralanguage and emoji; 2. Technical dimensions: the encoding and rendering of emoji; 3. Modelling emoji-text relations; 4. Emoji SYNCHRONISING with textual meaning; 5. Emoji CONCURRING with ideational meaning; 6. Emoji RESONATING with interpersonal meaning; 7. DIALOGIC AFFILIATION: the role of emoji in negotiating social bonds; 8. COMMUNING AFFILIATION: the role of emoji in communing around bonds; 9. Beyond emoji-text relations: factoring in images and other semiotic resources; 10. Conclusion; Glossary.

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Book SynopsisThis Handbook provides the first comprehensive overview of sign language translation and interpretation from around the globe and looks ahead to future directions of research.Divided into eight parts, the book covers foundational skills, the working context of both the sign language translator and interpreter, their education, the sociological context, work settings, diverse service users, and a regional review of developments. The chapters are authored by a range of contributors, both deaf and hearing, from the Global North and South, diverse in ethnicity, language background, and academic discipline. Topics include the history of the profession, the provision of translation and interpreting in different domains and to different populations, the politics of provision, and the state of play of sign language translation and interpreting professions across the globe.Edited and authored by established and new voices in the field, this is the essential guide for advanced students and researchers of translation and interpretation studies and sign language.

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1988, this was the first book-length study ever to be published on the subject of sign language as a means of communication among Australian Aborigines. The work presented in this book filled an important gap in Aboriginal ethnography and linguistics. It also marked a major advance in the understanding of the relationship between medium of expression, code structure and communication; the processes by which spoken language may be represented in a non-vocal medium; and native speaker awareness of spoken language structure. Based on fieldwork conducted over a span of nine years, the volume presents a thorough analysis of the structure of sign languages and their relationship to spoken languages.Table of ContentsList of illustrations; Preface; Orthographic conventions and descriptive terms; 1. Introduction; 2. Aboriginal sign languages observed: a history; 3. Aboriginal sign languages observed: geographical review; 4. North central desert background; 5. Sign structures; 6. Sign forming and sign meaning; 7. Sign organization and word structure; 8. Signing spoken language grammar; 9. Discourse in sign and speech; 10. Signing and speaking simultaneously; 11. Signs of kinship; 12. Comparing Aboriginal sign languages; 13. Australian Aboriginal sign languages and other semiotic systems; 14. Aboriginal interaction and Aboriginal sign language; Appendix I. Sign notation symbols; Appendix II. Two versions of a Warlpiri story; References; Index of signs; General index.

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A concise overview of key findings and ideas in sign language phonology and its contributions to related fields, including historical linguistics, morphology, prosody, language acquisition and language creation. Working on sign languages not only provides important new insights on familiar issues, but also poses a whole new set of questions about phonology, because of the use of the visual communication modality. This book lays out the properties needed to recognize a phonological system regardless of its modality. Written by a leading expert in sign language research, the book describes the current state of the field and addresses a range of issues that students and researchers will encounter in their work, as well as highlighting the significant impact that the study of sign languages has had on the field of phonology as a whole. It includes lists of further reading materials, and a full glossary, as well as helpful illustrations that demonstrate the important aspects of sign languag

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Book SynopsisWith contributions from world-renowned scholars, this book explains how both modern linguistics and individual languages differ in their methods for describing two fundamental categories of reality: things and stuff. With its novel take on mass-count distinction, it is essential reading for researchers in formal semantics and linguistic typology.Table of Contents1. Editorial Introduction: Background to the Count-Mass Distinction Franics Jeffry Pelletier, Tibor Kiss and Halima Husić; 2. Mass vs Count: Where Do We Stand? Outline of a Theory of Semantic Variation Gennaro Chierchia; 3. Counting, Plurality and Portions Susan Rothstein; 4. Count/Mass Asymmetries: The Importance of Being Count Jenny Doetjes; 5. Divide and Counter Hagit Borer and Sarah Ouwayda; 6. Mass to Count Shifts in The Galilee Dialect of Palestinian Arabic Christine Hnout, Lior Laks and Susan Rothstein; 7. Object Mass Nouns as an Arbiter For The Mass/Count Category Kurt Erbach, Peter Sutton and Hana Filip; 8. Bare Nouns and the Mass-Count Distinction: A Pilot Study Across Languages Kayron Bevilaqua and Roberta Pires de Oliveira; 9. Counting (on) Bare Nouns: Revelations from American Sign Language Helen Koulidobrova; 10. Ontology, Number Agreement and the Mass-Count Distinction Alan Bale; 11. The Semantics of Distributed Number Myriam Dali and Éric Mathieu; 12. Container, Portion and Measure Interpretations of Pseudo-Partitive Peter Sutton and Hana Filip; 13. Overlap and Countability in Exoskeletal Syntax: A Best-Of-Both-Worlds Approach to the Mass/Count Distinction Hanna de Vries and George Tsoulas; 14. The Role of Context and Cognition in Countability: A Psycholinguistic Account of Lexical Distributions Francesca Franzon, Giorgio Arcara and Chiara Zanini; 15. Plurality Without (Full) Countability: On Mass- Like Categories in Lexical Plurals Constructions Peter Lauwers; 16. Determining Countability Classes Scott Grimm and Aeshaan Wahlang; 17. Polysemy and the Count/Mass Distinction: What Can We Derive from a Lexicon of Count and Mass Senses? Tibor Kiss, Francis Jeffry Pelletier, and Halima Husić.

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Book SynopsisVisual-Gestural Communication is a truly unique volume in non-language communication devoted to the study of universal gestures, facial expressions, body language, and pantomime. Readers develop the skill and confidence to interact -- sans shared language -- with individuals, such as someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, or who speaks a foreign language. The text and accompanying online resources feature a wealth of icebreakers, sequenced yet modular activities and assignments, as well as resources, student exercises, and teacher-guided tasks that explore aspects and amalgamations of nonverbal communication, theatre, and sign language. It is a tremendous resource for students of visual-gestural communication, sign language interpretation, American Sign Language (and other foreign sign languages), nonverbal communication, theatre, and performance studies, as well as community educators in deaf awareness and advocacy. In addition to the text''s vital use in the theaTrade ReviewAs one of Gil Eastman’s VGC students in the 1970s, this book evoked warm nostalgic memories. Conley, Eastman’s successor, expertly crafted a historical source with numerous thought-provoking activities for BOTH learners & instructors in a polyvalence of interdisciplinary fields. A must for many purposes!-Dr. Arlene B. Kelly, Chair/Professor: Department of ASL & Deaf Studies, Gallaudet UniversityConley's book is an important and inspiring guide that will enable and improve your nonverbal communication skills, no matter your background or specific goals. The wealth of exercises and activities listed provide a fun and practical framework to create positive growth and bring participants closer together.-Eric Beatty, Director, Homewood Arts Programs, Johns Hopkins UniversityWith this book, Willy Conley shares the history of visual, gestural communication and presents a cogent argument for its place in modern society and education. Visual-Gestural Communication serves as a valuable tool for educators and theatre artists. By applying the concepts and tools provided here in cultural and work settings, practitioners enable participants to find common ground and consequently build a sense of community.-Tim McCarty, President/Artistic Director, Quest Visual TheatreThis is the perfect book that Mr. Bean, Jim Carrey, the Marx Brothers, Garfield, Lucille Ball, Laurel and Hardy will endorse with me. I find the chapters, lesson plans, exercises, and activities to be fun, relaxing, enjoyable and sometimes hilarious. Conley’s opus is the antithesis to the Tower of Babel! The world needs this book to communicate more effectively.-Steve C. Baldwin, Ph.D., Texas, USATable of ContentsPart 1: Introduction 1. Inherent Benefits 2. An Abridged, Concise, (Perhaps Quirky) History On Gestures 3. Gesture-Sign Language Connections 4. Gesture and Pantomime in Theatre 5. Nonverbal Applications 6. Some Iconic Gestures in Culture, Film, and TV 7. Self-Awareness Part 2: Warm-ups, Icebreakers, & Exercises 1. Physical Warm-Ups and Icebreakers 2. Facial Expression Exercises 3. Visual Exercises 4. Visual-Gestural Exercises Part 3: Visual-Gestural Communication Assignments 1. Your Gestural Introduction 2. Personal Coat of Arms 3. Universal Gestures 4. International Sign 5. Random Universal Phrases/Questions 6. Weekend Highlight in Universal Gestures 7. Cirque du Soleil: Nouvelle Experience 8. Body Language 9. Some Basic Hand Orientations for Two-Dimensional (2D) Gestures 10. Developing a Pantomime With Two-Dimensional (2D) Gestures 11. Abstract Two-Dimensional (2D) Gestures 12. Practice With Basic Three-Dimensional (3D) Hand Shapes: Objects 13. Creating Three-Dimensional (3D) Objects 14. Continued Practice With Three-Dimensional (3D) Hand Shapes: Buildings and Structures 15. Arrangement of Related Objects 16. Repeating Patterns 17. Angles & Perspectives 18. Environmental Gestures 19. Cooking Up a Storm 20. Character Description 21. Character Icons 22. Animal Character Description 23. Vehicle Gestures 24. Visual Vernacular -- an Aspect Using Body Movement Designators Part 4: Projects 1. Playwriting, and Performing With Gestures and Movement 2. Gestures in the Work World 3. Creating an Original, Visual, Nonverbal, Comical Script a la Mr. Bean 4. Assessing Your Facial Expressions 5. Facial Storytelling 6. Visual Nonverbal Comical Script a la Mr. Bean 7. Performance Reaction Paper 8. Visual-Gestural Translation of a Haiku 9. Re-enacting Little Miss Muffet in Gestures & Movement 10. Two Crows Project 11. Visual Theatre Project 12. Research Project 13. Final Project Part 5: Bibliography

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Book SynopsisWhat is eye tracking? Why is it important for linguistics? How can I use it in my own research project?Answering these questions and more, this book guides you through one of the most exciting and innovative research methods in the field of linguistics. Divided into three parts, the chapters first offer an historical introduction and a foundational overview to the neurology and physiology of the eye and the common measurements and tools used in eye tracking. They then provide a guide to the applications of eye tracking most pertinent to linguists (reading, the visual-world paradigm, social eye tracking, and classroom applications), followed by a step-by-step process to plan, execute, analyze and report your research project in eye tracking. The book covers topics such as reading, lexical and syntactic processing, mind wandering, second language acquisition, and AAC devices, and includes statistical tools and how to write up results. Each chapter also includes self-study questions and aTrade ReviewThe handbook is a comprehensive compilation of oculography and its linguistics applications, covering reading, social gaze, joint attention, and language learning. The text is well structured including chapter-relevant glossary study aids and offers a succinct synopsis of planning an eye-tracking study. It is an excellent addition to the eye-tracking bookshelf. -- Andrew T. Duchowski, Clemson University, USASalvatore Attardo and Lucy Pickering have expertly placed their vast experience and teaching knowledge into this informative book on state-of-the-art eye-tracking methods for answering linguistic and applied linguistic research questions. With both foundation and practical topics covered, including an in-depth look at social eye tracking, this book is sure to open minds and will be a must-read for linguists and applied linguists alike. -- Paula Winke, Michigan State University, USATable of ContentsList of Figures List of Tables Preface Introduction Part I: The Basics 1. Historical Development 2. Anatomy and Physiology of the Eye 3. The Visual System in the Brain 4. Eye Tracking Basics Part II: Applications 5. Reading 6. The Visual World Paradigm 7. Social Eye Tracking 8. Classroom attention and Lx Teaching 9. Applications in Related Fields Part III: Using Eye-Tracking 10. Planning an Eye Tracking Study 11. Principles of Statistical Analysis Conclusions Bibliography Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisOne of many natural sign languages in use around the world, British Sign Language (BSL) operates as a fully-fledged semiotic system in the visual-spatial modality, through the simultaneous use of embodied articulators. Filling a gap in current research, this book investigates visual-spatial communications from a functional perspective.Presenting a description and analysis of BSL from the perspective of Hallidayan Systemic Functional Linguistics, Luke A. Rudge explores how BSL users make meaning from three different yet interrelated perspectives:- How exchanges of information are managed at a social level (the interpersonal metafunction)- How experience is encoded in the language (the experiential metafunction)- How communications are organised into coherent parts and wholes (the textual metafunction) Examining these perspectives both separately and together, Exploring British Sign Language via Systemic Functional Linguistics places them within the context of current observationsTrade ReviewA truly impressive contribution to an unfortunately neglected field of study, this volume provides insight into British Sign Language (BSL) from the perspective of functional linguistics. It represents the first major publication to offer a functional description of BSL within Systemic Functional Linguistics. Not only does it provide an important foundation for future work on BSL but also an opening on broader linguistic typological issues and extensions to existing linguistic theory. This is a very important volume for all interested in sign languages and perhaps even more so for anyone working with modes of expression very broadly, including embodied communication. -- Lise Fontaine, Reader in the School of English, Communication and Philosophy, University of Cardiff, UKAn important and timely analysis of signed languages, especially with respect to multi-channel simultaneity. The systemic functional grammar framework used in this volume offers a coherent alternative to formal approaches in sign linguistics and complements recent neo-Peircean approaches to the semiotics of multi-modality in all languages, signed or spoken. -- Trevor Johnston, Honorary Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, AustraliaTable of ContentsList of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations 1. Introducing British Sign Language: A Sociocultural and Linguistic Overview 2. Contextualising British Sign Language within a Systemic Functional Framework 3. Exploring the Interpersonal Metafunction 4. Exploring the Experiential Metafunction 5. Exploring the Textual Metafunction 6. Combining the Metafunctions: Analysing BSL from Three Perspectives 7. Looking Back and Looking Forward References Index

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Book SynopsisIn this newly expanded edition, a renowned baby-signing expert provides more than 300 American Sign Language (ASL) signs, illustrated with the same clear, easy-to-understand photos and descriptions.Since 2004, Baby Sign Language Basics has introduced hundreds of thousands of parents and caregivers around the globe to the miracle of signing with their babies—and left them wanting more!Baby-specific signing techniques, songs, and games are also included to make learning fun and to quickly open up two-way communication. Parents will meet real signing families and learn how to make sign language a part of their everyday interactions with their children. Also included is a video signing dictionary featuring all the signs from the book. Just point and click, and see the sign you want to learn come alive!This is a must-have for all parents, grandparents, and anyone else who spends time with preverbal children. After all, what parent or caregive

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Book SynopsisPresents primary data and typological comparisons across sign languages with respect to three semantic fields: kinship terms, colour terms and quantification. This title is based on a study of 32 sign languages from all over the world. It explores these topics in 10 sign languages, accompanied by an introductory part and an appendix.

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Book SynopsisIn Deaf in the USSR, Claire L. Shaw asks what it meant to be deaf in a culture that was founded on a radically utopian, socialist view of human perfectibility. Shaw reveals how fundamental contradictions inherent in the Soviet revolutionary project were negotiatedboth individually and collectively by a vibrant and independent community of deaf people who engaged in complex ways with Soviet ideology.Deaf in the USSR engages with a wide range of sources from both deaf and hearing perspectivesarchival sources, films and literature, personal memoirs, and journalismto build a multilayered history of deafness. This book will appeal to scholars of Soviet history and disability studies as well as those in the international deaf community who are interested in their collective heritage. Deaf in the USSR will also enjoy a broad readership among those who are interested in deafness and disability as a key to more inclusive understandings of being human and of languaTrade ReviewA compelling study of the Soviet deaf community.... Deaf in the USSR deserves to be widely read and suggests ways for the experiences of other minority and marginalized Soviet communities to be re-examined. * Times Literary Supplement *A landmark in the history of disability and the Soviet welfare state. A stunning first book, it covers the entire Soviet experience from a thought-provoking perspective. * AUSTRIAN TIMES *Shaw traces how deaf individuals challenged prevailing notions about their abilities and legal competence while also participating in the underlying goal of the Soviet project to transform "backward" masses into productive and literate citizens.... An important scholarly contribution to the field of deaf history. * Choice *Shaw's approach is, first and foremost, historically rigorous. With this, the first definitive account of deaf political advocacy throughout the Soviet twentieth century, Shaw has proffered a fertile platform for further scholarship. * Slavic Review *An outstanding work. [Deaf in the USSR] will be of considerable interest to a number of different kinds of readers. For historians of the Soviet Union, it addresses a little-known but potentially quite important aspect of Soviet history. For those interested in the history of deafness and the deaf, it offers fascinating insights into the unique case of deafness in post-revolutionary Russia.... The volume is well-written, cogent, and thoroughly grounded in both historical and archival sources. It is a significant contribution to the literature on the history of deafness and Deaf identity, and we have much for which to be grateful to Shaw. * Sign Language Studies *This is an important book for not just historians of Russia and the Soviet Union, nor only scholars of deafness and disability, but for researchers in all of these fields and beyond. * Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences *One of the strengths of Deaf in the USSR is its identification of—indeed, emphasis on—tensions that remained unresolved throughout the Soviet era. It is a testimony to Shaw's analytical rigor that she can keep all these dialectical balls in the air without succumbing to incoherence. * American Historical Review *Deaf in the USSR succeeds best in offering a deaf-centered, unique overview of the development of political identity of deaf people in urban Russia under the Soviet system, and is a significant contribution to the fields of Deaf Studies and Soviet History. * The Russian Review *Claire Shaw's excellent monograph traces a history of deafness—attitudes toward deafness, experiences of deafness—across the Soviet century. It is, above all, a history of shifting discourses about the senses... This is a valuable corrective to oversimplified narratives of Soviet ideology. -- Emma Widdis * KRITIKA *

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Book SynopsisThis practical manual systematically presents the steps necessary to design a curriculum for teaching training interpreters. It is updated and revised to reflect the significant gains in recognition that deaf people and their native language - American Sign Language - have achieved in recent years.

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Book SynopsisIn five compelling chapters, this volume elucidates several key factors of the signed languages used in select international Deaf communities. Kristin Mulrooney studies ASL (American Sign Language) users to delve into the reasons behind the perceived differences in how men and women fingerspell. Bruce Sofinski assesses the current state of transliteration from spoken English to manually coded English, disclosing that competent transliterators do not necessarily produce the desired word-for-sign exchange. In the third chapter Paul Dudis comments upon a remarkable aspect of discourse in ASL-grounded blends. He discusses how signers map particular concepts onto their hands and bodies, which allows them to enrich their narrative strategies. By observing meetings of deaf and nonsigning hearing people in the Flemish Deaf community, Mieke Van Herreweghe determines whether interpreters' turn-taking practices allow for equal participation. The final chapter features a respected team of Spanish researchers led by Esperanza Morales-Lopez who investigate the Catalan/Spanish bilingual community in Barcelona. These scholars measure the influence of recent worldwide, Deaf sociopolitical movements advocating signed languages on deaf groups already familiar with bilingual education. These scholars measure the influence of recent worldwide, Deaf sociopolitical movements advocating signed languages on deaf groups already familiar with bilingual education. Turn-Taking, Fingerspelling, and Contact in Signed Languages takes professional and lay readers alike on a scholarly sojourn of eclectic enrichment for all.

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Book SynopsisBeginning signers now can improve their recognition of the most commonly used signs with this easy-to-follow handbook. The American Sign Language Handshape Starter illustrates 800 of the most frequently used signs, arranging them by the 40 standard handshapes used in American Sign Language (ASL). Carefully chosen for their common use, the signs also have been organized by day-to-day topics, including food, travel, family, sports, clothing, school terms, time, nature and animals, and many others from everyday conversation. The American Sign Language Handshape Starter begins with a confidence-building introduction to ASL use and structure, and tips on basic signing. It also provides a simple guide to finding signs that are either new or familiar to learn their meanings. With the Handshape Starter, new signers, their teachers, and their parents will find improvement in ASL to be faster and even more enjoyable.

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Book SynopsisFrom the authors of ?Baby?s First Signs? and ?More Baby?s first Signs? come two new brightly colored board books depicting the recognizable character with the hat signing all the primary and secondary colors and familiar animals and insects such as ?dog,? ?cat,? ?butterfly,? and ?squirrel.?

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Book SynopsisThis handy guide offers a potpourri of basic signs arranged in 17 common categories that can be learned quickly to communicate with anyone familiar with ASL, deaf or hearing, plus tips on usage and cultural notes.

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Book SynopsisIn developed nations around the world, residential schools for deaf students are giving way to the trend of inclusion in regular classrooms. Nonetheless, deaf education continues to lag as the students struggle to communicate. In the Bua School in Thailand, however, 400 residential deaf students ranging in age from 6 to 19 have met with great success in teaching each other Thai Sign Language (TSL) and a world of knowledge once thought to be lost to them. "The Rising of Lotus Flowers:Self-Education by Deaf Children in Thai Boarding Schools" reveals how their institutionalization allowed them to foster a unique incubator of communication and education.

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Book SynopsisThe sudden discovery of Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL) enthralled scholars worldwide who hoped to witness the evolution of a new language. But controversy erupted regarding the validity of NSL as a genuinely spontaneous language created by young children. Laura Polich's fascinating book recounts her nine-year study of the Deaf community in Nicaragua and her findings about its formation and that of NSL in its wake. Polich crafted "The Emergence of the Deaf Community in Nicaragua" from her copious research in Nicaragua's National Archives, field observations of deaf pupils in 20 special education schools, polls of the teachers for deaf children about their education and knowledge of deafness, a survey of 225 deaf individuals about their backgrounds and living conditions, and interviews with the oldest members of the National Nicaraguan Association of the Deaf. Polich found that the use of a "standardized" sign language in Nicaragua did not emerge until there was a community of users meeting on a regular basis, especially beyond childhood. The adoption of NSL did not happen suddenly, but took many years and was fed by multiple influences. She also discovered the process that deaf adolescents used to attain their social agency, which gained them recognition by the larger Nicaraguan hearing society. Her book illustrates tremendous changes during the past 60 years, and the truth in one deaf Nicaraguan's declaration, "With sign language you can learn so much."

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Book SynopsisEvolving Paradigms in Interpreter Education brings together a cadre of world-renowned educators and researchers who conduct a rich exploration of paradigms, both old and new, in interpreter education. They review existing research, explicate past and current practices, and call for a fresh examination of the roots of interpreter education. Expert commentary accompanies each chapter to provide a starting point for reflection on and discussion of the growing needs in this discipline.

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Book SynopsisThe meaning of any linguistic expression resides not only in the words, but in the way those words are conveyed. Miako N. P. Rankin explores this crucial interrelatedness of form and meaning in the context of American Sign Language, specifically in relation to the concept of non-agent focus - the ASL equivalent of the passive voice in English. Rankin has determined that the pattern of form-meaning correlation characteristic of non-agent focus is used prolifically in day-to-day language and that the recognition of the frequency of this pattern has wide implications for the acquisition of ASL, the development of curricula for teaching ASL, and the analysis of ASL discourse in effective interpretation.

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