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After the release of Act No 108 of 1996, the status of the nine African languages of South Africa was elevated to that of English and Afrikaans and as a result, for the first time in the history of languages, South Africa became the first country in Africa to have eleven official languages. However, Sign Language for the Deaf was left out even though Section 6(4) of the South African School's Act No 84 of 1996 puts it clearly that "A recognized sign Language has the status of an official language for purposes of learning at a public school". In terms of Section 6 (5) (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Pan South African Language Board was also given a task to promote, and create conditions for the development and use of the Sign Language. DEAFSA (1996), states that Sign Language is the first or natural language for the Deaf. In Act No. 108 of 1996: Section 29(2) stipulates that: "Everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in public educational institution where that is reasonably practicable". The first objective of this study was to investigate if the South African Sign Language (SASL) was a fully-fledged language and to find out more about the present status of this language. The second objective was to examine if South African Sign Language was taught to Parents of Deaf children from the Zulu hearing community's point of view. Marcel Jousse; a French Jesuit Anthropologist and linguist, firmly believes in the anthropology of geste, which is synonymous with the anthropology of mimicry. This theory forms the basis of language acquisition of all peoples of the world. "The oral style with its mnemotechnic devices only comes into play once the individual has been informed by a reality which he receives and replays through his mimic being as a whole, (Fanning (1995:vii). This theory best describes the manner in which signers acquire their sign language, which solely depends on gestures made in the space by hands, body movements and facial expressions. In this theory, the anthropos plays out the receptions of the universe, replays them, stores them and revivifies them in expressions that are the mimisms of the whole human compound: corporeal, ocular and auricular manual. Unfortunately, the laryngo - buccal mimism is excluded in deaf people since they cannot speak. A multi-disciplinary approach from the educational, linguistic, historical, political and cultural perspectives was employed in collecting data for this study. The samples for the study comprised deaf learners, deaf educators, and hearing educators in schools for the deaf, interpreters of sign language, senior management from the schools of Deaf learners and parents of the deaf children. The researcher discovered that very little has been done by researchers and the government of the day to assist the deaf to gain recognition in his or her community. Parents of deaf children are unable to communicate fully with their children. The study also revealed that deaf children prefer to be taught by deaf teachers because they can identify much better with them. The researcher discovered that literature for the deaf is non-existent in all spheres of their lives. Sign language per se, is not taught as a subject. Deaf learners are not allowed to take their subjects at a Higher Grade; as a result, they feel extremely marginalized by the educators. Promoting this language would improve our trade and industry, travel & tourism etc. Student exchange programmes would also enhance the development of the sign language locally, nationally and internationally. The Deaf would become multilingual in the Sign Languages of the world when they come into contact with Deaf people from other parts of the world. This would involve sport, education, politics and other activities. The deaf would be equipped to meet various challenges in life. The Deaf people need to communicate freely amongst themselves and the hearing community of our country should make an effort to learn the Sign Language so that they are able to communicate with the deaf. This would improve the socio-economic status of our country. / Thesis (Ph.D)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

This study will take the form of a case study of a group of Deaf Information Technology (IT) students and their Sign Language interpreters at Durban University of Technology (DUT). These students are enrolled under a Programme for the Deaf run by the Information Technology Department. The department provides additional assistance in the form of Sign Language interpreters who attend all their lectures and also provide extra tutorials for them. The aim of the research is to identify the main challenges encountered by this group of students at DUT. I first became aware of the existence of these students while engaged in an action research project at the beginning of 2005 and realised that this was an area that needed further study. There is a lack of research on Deaf students in tertiary institutions in South Africa and there are not many tertiary institutions which enrol Deaf students and provide them with a Sign Language interpreter. I realised that this was an area which needed to be researched and that the resulting findings could make a difference to the lives of Deaf students at DUT by identifying the main problems and perhaps suggesting ways in which these could be addressed. Group interviews with the Deaf participants were conducted with the assistance of a Sign Language interpreter in order to explore their challenges. Further interviews were conducted with the interpreters who were interviewed individually. The study was limited to Deaf students enrolled under the undergraduate Programme for the Deaf at DUT and, as a result, might not reflect challenges faced by any other deaf students at DUT or other tertiary institutions. The findings identified, amongst others, problems such as poor literacy levels of the Deaf students and lack of communication between the Deaf students and hearing staff and students on campus among other problems. The Deaf students felt marginalised and largely ignored on campus. There was very little awareness of Deafness among hearing students and staff at DUT. Some possible solutions to these problems were suggested such as including deaf awareness in the orientation of hearing staff and students. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

It‘s much more difficult for hearing impaired students to understand the world surrounding them. The problem is that hearing impairment and lack of sounds slows down or suspends normal development and thinking of the deaf, though it doesn’t have a significant influence on their intellect. Hearing impaired students receive support from teachers for the deaf as well as from the other professionals and they are able to study at regular schools or schools for the deaf or hard of hearing successfully. Deaf people receive information mainly in visual way, so visual expression has a very important role in deaf education. During the art classes deaf students may express their emotions, ideas and learn to understand the world. Object of the work is creative activities of deaf students at the art classes. The first part of the Master’s paper reveals problems concerning deafness and ways of communication of the deaf. The second part of the paper presents a history, methods and principles of deaf education. The third part ascertains art abilities of deaf students, compares their achievements in changing techniques of performance, genres, presenting interesting subjects for them. A research study reveals the ways how deaf students meet and learn new concepts. The research corroborated the hypothesis that more diverse means of performance and diversity of techniques stimulate creation of deaf students. The research has also shown poor results of how deaf students remember a rich... [to full text]

Communication processes can be affected by stigma – a negative evaluation of an individual’s attributes that discredits or identifies the individual as not normal (Goffman, 1963). One such communicative process that is affected by stigma is disclosure. Disclosure is when individuals share personal information that reveals something not previously known (Charmaz, 1991). One such group of individuals who may be forced to choose between disclosing (to get accommodations or social support) and avoiding stigma (by not disclosing) is individuals with disabilities (Braithwaite, 1991; Charmaz, 1991). This study focuses on one particular population of individuals with disabilities – those with a hearing loss. Through the use of interactive interviewing and Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory, this study examines hard of hearing and deaf individuals’ perceptions of both the disclosure process and stigma. CPM examines how and why people conceal or reveal private information, such as hearing loss (Petronio, 1991, 2002). Using CPM, this study poses research questions surrounding how hard of hearing individuals disclose and manage turbulence surrounding their hearing loss. Further, participants’ perceptions and responses to stigma surrounding hearing loss are also examined. Based on the participants’ responses, managing the boundaries surrounding their hearing loss includes considerations of identity, the other person/people in the interaction, risks of not disclosing, timing, and how much to disclose. Further, participants viewed boundary turbulence as positive only when it was helpful; otherwise, they reported a feeling of a loss of control. In examining stigma and other consequences of disclosure, participants talked about being labeled, not being worth others’ time, and being seen as incapable. Finally, participants reported a wide variety of responses to stigma surrounding their hearing loss. In this study, I also discuss the implications of these findings, both theoretical and practical implications, and how they reflect the lives of the deaf and hard of hearing. Finally, I address the directions for future research on this topic as well as the limitations to this study.

Aktualumas: Žaidėjų ir komandos tobulėjimo vyksmo išdava yra tam tikras žaidėjų ir komandos parengtumas (Bompa, 1999; Buceta, 2000; Stonkus, 2002). Kurčiųjų krepšinio treniruočių teorijai ir praktikai bei žaidiminei veiklai tobulinti svarbu moksliškai tyrinėti bei susisteminti Lietuvos kurčiųjų krepšininkų fizinio parengtumo, jų varžybinės veiklos ypatumus 2007 m. II-jame ir 2011 m. III – jame Pasaulio kurčiųjų vyrų krepšinio čempionatuose, kadangi šia tema literatūros yra labai nedaug, o tai yra labai svarbu ruošiant kurčiuosius krepšininkus busimiems čempionatams. Tyrimo objektas: Lietuvos kurčiųjų krepšininkų parengtumas ir žaidiminė veikla 2007 m. II-jame ir 2011 m. III – jame Pasaulio kurčiųjų krepšinio čempionatuose. Tyrimo subjektas: Lietuvos kurčiųjų vyrų krepšinio rinktinės žaidėjai. Tyrimo tikslas: Atskleisti Lietuvos kurčiųjų krepšinio vyrų rinktinės fizinio parengtumo ir žaidiminės veiklos II-jame ir III-jame Pasaulio kurčiųjų vyrų krepšinio čempionatuose ypatumus. Hipotezė: Manytume, kad parengtumo ir žaidiminės veiklos analizė gali atskleisti Lietuvos kurčiųjų krepšinio rinktinės dalyvavimo II-jame bei III-jame Pasaulio kurčiųjų vyrų krepšinio čempionatuose rezultatyvumo prielaidas. Uždaviniai: 1 Išnagrinėti ir palyginti Lietuvos kurčiųjų krepšinio vyrų rinktinės fizinį parengtumą ir funkcinį pajėgumą rengiantis 2007 m. II-jam ir 2011 m. III-jam Pasaulio kurčiųjų vyrų krepšinio čempionatams. 2. Išanalizuoti ir palyginti Lietuvos kurčiųjų krepšinio... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Relevance: The outcome of the process of the improvement of players and a team is a certain preparedness of players and a team (Bompa, 1999; Buceta, 2000; Stonkus, 2002). In order to improve the theory and practice of death basketball trainings and playing activities, it is significant to study scientifically and to systemize physical preparedness death basketball players, particularities of their competitive activities in II and III World Deaf Men Basketball Championships in 2007 and 2011 respectively, because there is little literature on this subject and it is very important when preparing deaf basketball players for future championships. Object of the study: Preparedness and playing activities of Lithuanian deaf basketball players in II and III World Deaf Basketball Championships in 2007 and 2011 accordingly. Subject of the study: The players of the Lithuanian National Deaf Men Team. Goal of the study: Show the particularities of physical preparedness and playing activities of the Lithuanian National Deaf Men Team in II and III World Deaf Men Basketball Championships. Hypothesis: We suppose that an analysis of preparedness and playing activities can show the presumptions of the results of the participation of the Lithuanian National Deaf Basketball Team in II and III World Deaf Men Basketball Championships. Tasks: 1. Study and to compare physical preparedness and functional capacity of the Lithuanian National Deaf Men Basketball Team in II and III World Deaf Men... [to full text]

This study investigated the conceptual blending processes that occurred during American Sign Language (ASL) interpretations. Using the framework of conceptual blending (Fauconnier &Turner, 1996), this study analyzed six ASL interpretations and found two new mental spaces, Narrator Space and Interpreter Space, which are activated during interpretations. Conceptual blending has been used analyzing ASL (Liddell, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003; Dudis, 2004a, 2004b, 2007) but had not been applied to ASL interpretations until this study. The conceptual blending process of ASL has found several mental spaces that are activated in blends. Real Space (Liddell, 1995) and Event Space (Dudis, 2007) are two mental spaces that blend in ASL; these two spaces were also found in the data of this study. The data also revealed that all six interpreters created Event Space much like Deaf signers. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of English

Historically, American Sign Language (an aspect of Deaf culture) has been rendered invisible in mainstream hearing society. Today, ASL’s popularity is evidenced in an ethnolinguistic renaissance; more second language learners pursue an interest in ASL than ever before. Nonetheless, Deaf and hearing people alike express concern about ASL’s place in hearing culture. This qualitative study engages ethnographic methods of participant observation and semi-structured interviewing as well as popular media analysis to understand language ideologies (ideas and objectives concerning roles of language in society) hearing and Deaf Signers hold about motivations and practices of other hearing Signers. Although most hearing ASLers identify as apolitical students genuinely seeking to build bridges between disparate communities, I argue that ASLers are most concerned with hearing Signers’ colonization of the language through commoditization and cultural appropriation.

The present study focuses on turn-taking and questions in conversations between deaf-blind persons using tactile sign language, i.e. communicating by holding each others hands, and how sign language utterances change in the tactile mode when the nonmanual signals characteristic of turntaking and interrogative sentences in (visual) sign language are not used. The material consists of six video-recorded conversations (four with deaf-blind pairs and two where one person is deaf and one is deaf-blind). Parts of the material, viz. 168 sequences with questions and answers, has been transcribed and analyzed. The analysis shows that deaf-blind signers use their hands in two different conversation positions. In the monologue position both the signer's hands are held under the hands of the listener, whereas in the dialogue position both participants hold their hands in identical ways: the right hand under the other person's left hand and the left hand on top of the other person's right hand. It is described how the two positions affect the structure of one- and twohanded signs and how back channeling, linguistic as well as non-linguistic (with different kinds of tapping), is used in the two positions. The analysis shows that differences in the vertical and the horizontal planes are used in turn-taking regulation. Using four different conversational levels the signer can signal e.g. turn change by lowering his/her hands from the turn level to the turn change level at the end of his/her turn. The horizontal plane is devided into three different turn zones. The turn holder uses his/her own turn zone close to the body and finishes the turn by moving the hands to the joint zone midway between the interlocutors or into the listener's zone. The analyzed utterances function as questions, yes/no-questions (82) as well as wh-questions (55). It is hypothesized that yes/no-questions are marked with the manual signal extended duration of the last sign of the utterance, one of the interrogative signals of visual signing, but this was only true for 46 % of the yes/no-questions in the material. Since extended duration of the last sign also signals turn change in e.g. statements it is not regarded as an interrogative signal. Additional markers of yes/no-questions are among others the sign INDEX-adr ('you') with its variant INDEX-adr-long, used as a summons signal, and repetitions of signs or sentences. As for the wh-questions a majority are made with a manual wh-sign. Generally, if there are no interrogative signals the context and the content of the utterance will account for its interpretation as a question. To avoid misunderstandings, questions and non-linguistic signals are used in checking turns, where the signer requests back channeling or the listener requests repetition or clarification. / <p>För att köpa boken skicka en beställning till exp@ling.su.se/ To order the book send an e-mail to exp@ling.su.se</p>

The aim of this dissertation is twofold. On one hand, I describe the use of tense in the second language of the deaf – written Swedish. There is no previous description of this. On the other hand, I operationalize the transitivity model (Hopper &amp; Thompson 1980) and test its scope. I test in part whether transitivity as it is described by Hopper &amp; Thompson (1980) can be used to explain the use of tense by the deaf in my study. The reason why I connect transitivity with the use of tense is that I would like to see whether a transitivity analysis of a text can replace classification into foreground and background. If so, a transitivity analysis should be a sufficient method for testing the discourse hypothesis, which maintains that second language learners use their emerging verb morphology to signal foreground and background rather than tense. The material I use for both these aims consists of a total of 129 essays written by deaf high school students. The results show that the percentage of clauses with an appropriate choice of tense in all three subsets of material is high. One interesting trend that could be discerned with regard to use of tense is that when informants use a tense that is appropriate for the genre, their command of that tense is better than when it is used in a genre for which it is less appropriate. Calculations testing the hypothesis of co-variance between the components in the transitivity model show in general that such co-variance exists. Nonetheless, the degree of this varies and is far from total. Taken together, the calculations made in this investigation provide support for the claim that these nine components co-vary with one another. The results also show that there is no correlation between the components and the use of tense. Judging from the results, the value of the different components (positive or negative) appears to have no importance in determining whether the choice of tense is appropriate or not. Nor is there any significant difference in the subsets of material for my investigation of whether the number of positive values that a clause has is relevant in classifying the choice of tense as appropriate.