Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The deaf community; 2. British Sign Language; 3. Historical aspects of BSL; 4. Sign language acquisition; 5. The building blocks of sign language; 6. The structure of signs; 7. Sign morphology and syntax: the grammar of BSL; 8. Comparing sign languages; 9. Learning and using BSL; 10. The psychology of sign; 11. Sign language interpreting; 12. Sign language in schools; 13. Which sign language?; 14. Developments for sign language; Appendix; References; Subject index; Index of signs in the text; Index of names in the text.

Reviews

'There is a deplorable lack of books which relate the language questions of hearing-impairment to sound linguistic study in the wider field of general language development. However, [in Sign Language] we have such a book which is to be commended for its rooting in linguistic theory, linguistic writings and linguistic research … Its recognition that this field can only be properly tackled on an international basis is one that will profit the reader and increase the outlook of serious students. Similarly the book should encourage further examination of minority languages and minority language learning together with mother-tongue language studies, both fertile fields of modern educators of deaf children … This is a book to buy. Overlooking, or neglecting it, would be to fail to recognise its general excellence.' Journal of the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf