This paper discusses how the Nippon Foundation-funded project "Opening University Education to Deaf People in Viet Nam through Sign Language Analysis, Teaching, and Interpretation," also known as the Dong Nai Deaf Education Project, has been implemented through sign language studies from 2000 through 2012. This project has provided deaf adults in…

Reports the results of using techniques of historical-comparative linguistics to determine the extent to which American Sign Language (ASL) has influenced basic vocabulary in Modern Standard Thai Sign Language (MSTSL), and the relationship of MSTSL to sign language varieties used in Thailand prior to ASL influence. (15 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses personal pronoun morphology in Providence Island Sign Language (PROVISL), specifically (1) indexing, (2) pronominalization, (3) person, (4) number, (5) gender, (6) inclusivity, and (7) case. Comparisons are made with other sign languages and spoken languages. (Author/AM)

Although most societies view deaf people as inferior to hearing people and often actively discriminate against deaf individuals and groups, the 3,000 hearing people on Providence Island come closer to an equal acceptance and treatment of deaf people than do those in other societies that have been studied. (Author/HP)

The historically attested change of two-handed signs on the face to one-handed variants, which occurs in two historically related sign languages, French Sign Language and American Sign Language, is used to test variation theory. The results of the study support viewing languages in a dynamic framework. (AMH)

This paper attempts to outline some of the more obvious implications of the knowledge of a semantically related class of signs, signs relating to sexual behavior, for descriptive and theoretical sociolinguistic and anthropological studies and for applied research in the areas of language and education, medicine, and the law. (Author/CFM)

Examines the two-finger extension as a hand shape in sign language by analyzing data on 10 different sign languages. The analysis shows that a theory of marking can be developed for sign languages along the same lines as those used for spoken languages--only the particular physiology is different. (SED)

Survey responses from teachers of hearing-impaired children indicated that, although 39 percent of all respondents and 59.1 percent of signing respondents reported that they used an artificial sign system in the classroom, only 8.1 percent of all respondents and 12.3 percent of signing respondents may actually be using one. (Author/CB)

A comparison of terms from the lexical domain of color naming across 10 different sign languages from 7 different sign language groups suggested that, for naming colors, sign languages follow universal patterns not dependent upon the channel of language expression and reception. (Author)

Describes single finger sign contact in data from ten different sign languages. The relative frequencies of signs using each of the four possible fingers are examined. Proposes distinctive features to explain the differences in frequency and use of these handshapes in sign languages in general. (Author/LMO)

A survey indicated that out of 1,888 teachers of hearing-impaired students, 140 use American Sign Language (ASL) in their classrooms. Further investigation reduced this number to 25 who actually use ASL and 6 who probably do. (Author/CB)

Handshapes with single finger extension are examined in data from 10 sign languages: American, Australian, British, Finnish, French, Japanese, Providence Island, Rennell Island, Indian, and Swedish. It is concluded that a theory of marking can be developed along the same lines as for spoken language, with only the physiology differing. (Author/MSE)

Data from 81 hard-of-hearing and 130 deaf teachers were used to compare the medical/pathological and the sociocultural models of deafness. Differences found between deaf and hard-of-hearing teachers support the sociocultural model of deafness and indicate that deaf and hard-of-hearing people need to be grouped and considered separately for…

Offers a preliminary examination of several sign language varieties in use in Costa Rica and attempts to explain the relationship among these varieties. Based on comparative lexical data, it is postulated that at least four distinct sign languages exist in Costa Rica. Implications for future research are also discussed. (eight references) (JL)

A study investigated the actual classroom use of American Sign Language (ASL) by 1,888 reading, mathematics, and social studies teachers of 4,500 hearing-impaired students. When asked directly, 140 teachers replied that they use ASL in the classroom. However, analysis of responses to a series of questions about specific communication behavior…