It often comes as a surprise to people that many deaf people refer to themselves as being members of Deaf culture. The American Deaf culture is a unique linguistic minority that uses American Sign Language (ASL) as its primary mode of communication. This tipsheet provides a description of Deaf culture and suggestions for effective communication.

The 1849 edition of this textbook is a course in elementary surveying. All instruments needed for plotting and their uses have been described. Conventional signs adopted by the U.S. Topographical Bureau are provided. Surveying public lands and maritime navigation are covered.

Conceptually Signed English is advocated as a sign system for hearing impaired persons that reduces the confusion of other sign languages and takes idiomatic usage into account. (CL)

Gives the text of an interview with James Woodward on the use of American Sign Language in the classroom. Also discusses the teaching of English in deaf and hearing situations. Available from the English Department, Gallaudet College, Washington, DC 20002. (EKN)

Discusses how to use currently available standard ESL material with deaf students. Available from the English Department, Gallaudet College, Washington, DC 20002. (EKN)

Discusses the special problems of interpreting hymns written in archaic English and then matching words of a translation to music. Addresses the question of whether competence in ASL and knowledge of signs for religious terms are sufficient for hymns to be of value to deaf worshippers. (EKN)

A communication program of Amer-Ind (a gestural communication system based on American Indian Hand Talk) was developed for 21 severely and profoundly mentally retarded children (8 to 18 years old). (Author)

American Sign Language (ASL), the native language of the deaf, should be used in the classroom to assess its value in the overall educational development of deaf children. Other sign systems in greater use fail to account for the cultural effect of ASL in the deaf community. (Author)

Reports on an investigation of American Sign Language signs relating to the deaf gay community or used exclusively by its members. Both heterosexual and homosexual informants were used to determine which signs were known only to the gay community. Attitudes of both groups toward these words was also explored. (Author/PJM)

One year after the first evaluation, teachers rated 18 hearing impaired children on their frequency of use of the Signed English markers. On the average, the group showed a slight improvement in their use of the marker system. Additionally, frequency of use of each of the 14 markers was also rated by the teachers. (Author)

Discusses Providence Island Sign Language (PSL), an autochthonous and relatively immature language of about 20 speakers. It is a nascent and evolving language whose description can produce rich results for linguistic theory. Such a description will also be an explanation of the phylogeny of a linguistic system. (Author/PJM)

Two experiments examined whether Deaf signers or hearing nonsigners exhibit categorical perception (CP) for hand configuration or for place of articulation in American Sign Language. Findings that signers and nonsigners performed similarly suggests that these categories in American Sign Language have a perceptual as well as a linguistic basis.…

Discusses the Brazilian Sign language digital encyclopedia, which contains a databank of 5,600 signs glossed in Portuguese and English, along with descriptions and illustrations of their signed form. (Author/VWL)