The author examines the theory and research relevant to educating d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners (DMLs). There is minimal research on this population, yet a synthesis of related theory, research, and practice on spoken-language bilinguals can be used to add to the body of knowledge on these learners. Specifically, the author…

Results of various studies of the transfer of affective and communicative behaviors by both native and second language learners of American Sign Language suggested that facial expressions are used to convey emotions, as they are in spoken language, and that they mark certain specific grammatical structures. (Author/CB)

Discusses the challenges of learning American Sign Language (ASL) for hearing individuals, including social-dominance patterns and attitude, grammatical differences, cultural differences, and motivation. Posits that learning ASL should be approached with respect and with the knowledge that mastery only occurs over a substantial period of time. (CR)

Longitudinal research has demonstrated that English abilities of deaf children remain below that of hearing children. Vygotsky's perspective on language and cognition is used to support an alternative approach for the study of English. (15 references) (LB)

Recent sociolinguistic research is used to show that the American Sign Language (ASL)-English contact situation does not result in the emergence of a pidgin as supposed. Variation along the ASL-English continuum can be accounted for by interplay of foreigner talk, judgments of proficiency, and learners' attempts to master the target language.…

The challenges faced by deaf students learning English are very different from those of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. These differences include the amount of linguistic input, motivation, language attitudes, and the use of a visual-spatial language. (38 references) (Author/CB)

Discusses why and how American Sign Language should be used to teach English literacy skills. It is argued that previous studies have not systematically investigated the effects of American Sign Language on the development of English. (22 references) (CB) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

This paper discusses the use of American Sign Language (ASL) in an English-as-a-Second-Language approach to teaching reading and writing skills to deaf students. The paper poses and answers the following theoretical and practical questions: (1) What is the nature of first language reading? (2) What is the nature of second language reading? (3)…