New Releases by Clayton Valli

Started in 1986 as a project to simply describe the linguistic and sociolinguistic features of contact signing and to determine if this type of signing is aptly labeled a pidgin, this book blossomed in depth as the authors' data increased. The initial narrow goals of the book expanded and now project a much larger picture of language contact in the American deaf community."We were forced...to consider issues somewhat broader than those addressed by the (initial) project," writes Lucas in the preface. The result is a superbly-researched text, documenting the tireless efforts of Lucas and Valli over the last six years. Included in the book is a model of linguistic outcomes of language contact in the deaf community, the patterns of language use which emerged from the data, and the implications of the findings on deaf education, second language teaching, and interpreting.This book describes language contact in the deaf community within the larger context of studies of language contact. It reviews current issues and research on language contact. It re-examines claims that the outcome of language contact in the deaf community is a pidgin. It demonstrates what is unique about language contact in the deaf community based on analysis of videotaped data. It discusses the educational and teaching implications of findings with regard to language contact in the deaf community.

Lucas, Valli (both Gallaudet U.) and Bayley (U. of Texas, San Antonio) present materials designed to introduce members of the Deaf community and the general public to the sociolinguistic variation in American Sign Language (ASL). These materials are a part of the resulting products from a seven-year

Linguists Ceil Lucas, Robert Bayley, Clayton Valli and a host of other researchers have taken the techniques used to study the regional variations in speech (such as saying "hwhich" for "which") and have applied them to American Sign Language. Discover how the same driving social factors affect signs in different regions in Sociolinguistic Variation in American Sign Language.

Now, deaf students, hearing students in Deaf studies programs, and students in interpreter training programs will find all they need to understand the structure of American Sign Language (ASL) in the new, expanded and revised Linguistics of American Sign Language: An Introduction. This unique resource presents authoritative readings on the most current linguistic concepts, including the fundamentals of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and the use of language. Individual chapters on these basics have been designed to stimulate discussion about the ongoing development of ASL linguistic theory. Linguistics of American Sign Language includes homework questions, themes for classroom interaction, and study sheets centering on a story signed in ASL on the course videotape. Each unit provides an exercise that requires students to view the story, then observe the use of specific signs isolated for close linguistic analysis, an invaluable process performed throughout the course.