 4:2
Wednesday, February 13, 2002Sign Language
in Use An International Perspective
on Discourse Analysis Cambridge
University Press's Studies in Second Language Acquisition journal congratulates Elizabeth
Winston on Storytelling and
Conversation: Discourse in Deaf Communities saying, “[Winston] offers a fascinating look at
the ‘intricate discourse patterns that have
evolved in different languages’ (p. ix). Her work should be required
reading for all teachers of sign language as well as teachers of interpreters.
This book will also appeal to sociolinguists; language use in the community is
clearly the overriding theme.” The review goes on to say, “The scope of this book is an ambitious undertaking
by Winston, and the result is quite enlightening. The issues presented here are universal but the specific approach to
discussing these issues, through the eye of a sign language user, is unique.” The fifth volume in the Sociolinguistics
in Deaf Communities Series, Storytelling
and Conversation surveys
the impact of discourse in sign languages worldwide. Storytelling
and Conversation
casts new light on discourse analysis and makes a welcome
addition to the sociolinguistics canon. Winston also contributed to Innovative
Practices for Teaching Sign Language Interpreters edited by Cynthia B. Roy.
See Studies in Second Language Acquisition's
full review
of Storytelling
and Conversation and read an excerpt from chapter one, “Talking About Space with Space:
Describing Environments in ASL.” And take advantage of your exclusive 20% subscriber discount
when you order Storytelling
and Conversation.  Baby's First
Signs and More
Baby's First Signs, by Kim Votry and Curt Waller, grabbed the attention
of School Library Journal: “In both titles, a brown-skinned toddler
signs elementary words such as ‘ball,’ ‘sleep,’ ‘hot,’ and ‘rain’ in American Sign Language (ASL). A
small box with a clear pencil illustration of the directions for signing the
word appears in the corner of each larger picture of the child interacting with
Dad and Mom. The bright, simple illustrations outlined in black will be
appealing to preschoolers. The note on the back of the books points out, ‘...a growing number of researchers
agree that not only deaf children but also hearing children can benefit from
early exposure to sign language, often learning basic signs as early as nine
months old, before they learn spoken words.’” View some of these brightly colored
illustrations from
Baby's First Signs and
More Baby's First Signs and order
both Baby's First Signs and
More Baby's First Signs today.
 
Judith Z. Abrams's Judaism and
Disability: Portrayals in Ancient Texts from the Tanach through the Bavli
received recognition in Religious Studies Review, a publication of the Council of
Societies for the Study of Religion. The journal notes: “Judaism and Disability offers a
quite straightforward ‘historical, literary, and
anthropological survey of attitudes toward persons with disabilities in Jewish
texts’ (p. ix).” Judaism and Disability focuses on five main areas: the way
disabilities affected priests and their functioning in the Temple, how persons
with disabilities were used as symbols of collective Israel, how stories about
disabled people were used as theological lessons, how the ancient Jewish view of
disabled people compared to the views in surrounding cultures, and the way
persons with disabilities were grouped in categories and the significance of
those categories. Read
the introduction and order
Judaism and Disability.
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