Reviews and compares two CD-ROMs designed to teach sign language skills: "The American Sign Language Dictionary on CD-ROM" and "Sign Language for Everyone." The first is seen to be the better reference tool whereas the second is judged the better choice for computer users wanting to learn sign language in a structured way. (DB)

Reviews Thomas A. Sebeok's "Signs: An Introduction to Semiotics." This book teaches the reader to use terms like "sign,""icon,""index," and "symbol" with greater precision and effect. Sebeok's work spans more than three decades and strongly contributes to a number of related disciplines, especially…

Reviews research on "homesign" systems, i.e., the gestural communication of deaf individuals who do not learn a spoken language and who are not exposed to a signed language. The article touches on how iconicity affects language structure and use, the role of input in language development, and the nature of the critical period for…

Maintains that language as humans now produce and comprehend evolved from languagelike precursors in the communication systems of nonhuman primates. The article reviews "Gesture and the Nature of Language" (GNL) (1995) and notes that GNL derives syntax incrementally without diluting it to an element not recognizable as a property of language. (37…

Reviews six interactive videodisc programs designed to meet the challenges of special education. Videodiscs for deaf or hearing impaired learners, mentally retarded students, and special education support personnel are described, and background information on special education and handicap classifications is provided. (19 references) (Author/LRW)

Suggests how insights from Paul Bohannon's book, "How Culture Works" (1995), could be used to address such questions as, "How do deaf people learn their culture?" and "How do deaf children learn (what) culture?" Bohannon's idea of cultural dynamics is applied to deaf culture to trace how that culture evolved, how it…