Show of hands : a natural history of sign language / David F. Armstrong.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Armstrong, David F.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sign language.

Sign language--History.

Gesture.

Language and languages--Origin.

Language and languages.

History.

Physical Description:

ix, 116 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Gallaudet University Press, [2011]

Summary:

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the late William C. Stokoe's groundbreaking work, Sign Language Structure, Armstrong (anthropology, Gallaudet U., Washington, DC) explores what we can learn about the human capacity for language and communication by analyzing examples of human signing within a broad range of social contexts and geographic locations. The diverse terrain covered includes language theory work of Noam Chomsky, Steven Pinker, and Stokoe; discussion of the anatomy of early human ancestors; evidence found in excerpts from the writings of Shakespeare, Dickens, and Pound; observations from Socrates, Lucretius, and Abbe de l'Epee on signing among deaf people; and the development of sign languages in isolated Bedouin communities and indigenous peoples of North America and Australia. Finally, Armstrong considers the concept of "deaf gain"--what the experiences of signing deaf communities over many centuries has contributed to knowledge about the human condition in general, and how humans might communicate optimally in a primarily visual medium. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents:

Seeing is believing

Signing heritage

Signing communities

Signing and the language faculty

Deaf gain : visible language in the modern world.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781563684883

1563684888

9781563684876

156368487X

OCLC:

682895117