Deaf around the World

Deaf around the World is a compendium of work by scholars and activists on the creation, context, and form of sign languages, and on the social issues and civil rights of Deaf communities. Renowned contributors such as James Woodward, Yerker Andersson, and Paddy Ladd offer new histories and overviews of major topics. Each chapter is followed by a response from a pre-eminent thinker in the field. The volume includes studies of sign languages and Deaf communities in Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar, Nicaragua, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States.

Gaurav Mathur is Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Gallaudet University. Donna Jo Napoli is Professor of Linguistics at Swarthmore College.

Introduction: Why Go around the Deaf World? Gaurav Mathur and Donna Jo Napoli Part I: Sign Languages: Creation, Ccontext, Form 1. Sign Language Geography, Carol A. Padden Response: Some Observations on Research Methodology in Lexicostatistical Studies of Sign Languages, James Woodward 2. Two Types of Nonconcatenative Morphology in Signed Languages, Gaurav Mathur and Christian Rathmann Response: Some Observations on Form-Meaning Correspondences in Two Types of Verbs in ASL, Paul Dudis 3. Sources of Handshape Error in First-Time Signers of ASL, Deborah Chen Pichler Response: Modality and Language in the Second Language Acquisition of American Sign Language, Russell S. Rosen 4. Getting to the Point: How a Simple Gesture Became a Linguistic Element in Nicaraguan Signing, Ann Senghas and Marie Coppola Response: A Point Well Taken: On the Typology and Diachrony of Pointing, Roland Pfau 5. Acquisition of Topicalization in Very Late Learners of Libras: Degrees of Resiliency in Language, Sandra K. Wood Response: A Critical Period for the Acquisition of a Theory of Mind? Clues from Homesigners, Cyril Courtin 6. Interrogatives in Ban Khor Sign Language: A Preliminary Description, Angela M. Nonaka Response: Village Sign Languages: A Commentary, Ulrike Zeshan 7. Sign Language Humor, Human Singularities, and the Origins of Language, Donna Jo Napoli and Rachel Sutton-Spence Response: Gesture First or Speech First in Language Origins? Adam Kendon Part II: Social Issues/ Civil Rights 8. Best Practices for Collaborating with Deaf Communities in Developing Countries, Amy Wilson and Nickson Kakiri Response: Deaf Mobilization around the World: A Personal Perspective, Yerker Andersson 9. HIV/AIDS and the Deaf Community: A Conversation, Leila Monaghan and Deborah Karp Response: HIV/AIDS and Deaf Communities in South Africa: A Conversation, John Meletse and Ruth Morgan 10. The Language Politics of Japanese Sign Language (Nihon Shuwa), Karen Nakamura Response: Pluralization: An Alternative to Existing Hegemony in JSL, Soya Mori 11. Social Situations and the Education of Deaf Children in China, Jun Hui Yang Response: Social Situations and the Education of Deaf Children in India, Madan M. Vasishta 12. Do Deaf Children Eat Deaf Carrots? Paul Scott First Response: "We're the Same, I'm Deaf, You're Deaf, Huh!" Donna West Second Response: Deafhood and Deaf Educators: Some Thoughts, Paddy Ladd