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 5:12
Friday, December 19, 2003
Misunderstandings, Wrongful Convictions,
and Deaf People
Language Problems in the Legal Setting
Even with proper legal counsel, the average hearing person could find it difficult to comprehend the language and culture of the law in the United
States. Considering this likelihood, the legal predicaments for deaf individuals
who communicate only using American Sign Language (ASL) are compounded by the
language barrier.
Language and
the Law in Deaf Communities, the ninth volume in the
Sociolinguistics in
Deaf Communities series, focuses upon such situations using “forensic
linguistics” as its lens. Forensic linguistics entails “the area where language
and the law intersect,” explains series editor Ceil Lucas in the introduction.
The creator of the field of forensic linguistics, Roger Shuy, defines the
general problem in his contribution to Language and the Law. “Differences
in language go hand in hand with differences in culture, since language is an
integral part of culture. The culture of the legal process is foreign to most
Americans. Nowhere else do we need someone else to do our talking for us. Nowhere
else are we prevented from introducing our own topics and telling our stories in
our own way. Nowhere else are we forbidden to interrupt the other speaker or ask
our own questions. Nowhere else must we be ever vigilant to the language traps
posed by the other side. In short, nowhere else are we prevented from using our
own ideas in our own voice. And if this is problematic for the average person,
it is much more so for the inarticulate and less educated, the speaker of a
different dialect, the speaker of a different language, and those who do not
speak and hear at all.”
The following chapters by other noted contributors with varying backgrounds
spotlight the meeting of language and the law in Deaf communities, an
intersection that Lucas describes as “wide, deep, and of consequence in the
lives of everyday deaf people.” For more insight into the difficulties experienced by deaf persons in the
legal arena, read attorney and linguist Rob Hoopes’
chapter, Trampling Miranda:
Interrogating Deaf Suspects, and order
Language and the Law at a special savings of 20% off the regular price.
 The
November issue of Library Bookwatch,
an official newsletter of
The Midwest Book Review,
states
that
Marcia B. Dugan’s
Living with Hearing Loss
is a “‘user-friendly’
resource and a
‘must-read’
for anyone coping with hearing loss in themselves or a loved one.” In addition, Dugan, past president of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH),
is praised for providing readers with a
“straightforward
guidebook and reference to day-to-day life and adaptation to hearing loss.”
Living with Hearing Loss presents complete information about
hearing loss from the
early signs, to distinguishing between
fact and fiction,
to discussing the different
types and
causes. Also
included are resources and related Internet sites on hearing loss. Read
Library Bookwatch’s
complete review and
order Living with Hearing Loss.
The Second International Deaf Academics and Researchers Conference, sponsored by
the Gallaudet University Press Institute, will be held on February 19-21, 2004 at the
Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Inspired by
the success of the initial Deaf in Academia Workshop in March 2002, the Deaf
Academics Organization (www.deafacademics.org)
formed to foster interaction among
deaf academics and researchers from diverse disciplines. The results of these
deliberations will be shared at this singular conference. For more information
and to register, go online to:
http://deafacademics.gallaudet.edu/.
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