Sign Bilingualism: Language development, interaction, and maintenance in sign language contact situations(38 Studies in Bilingualism)

This volume provides a unique cross-disciplinary perspective on the external ecological and internal psycholinguistic factors that determine sign bilingualism, its development and maintenance at the individual and societal levels. Multiple aspects concerning the dynamics of contact situations involving a signed and a spoken or a written language are covered in detail, i.e. the development of the languages in bilingual deaf children, cross-modal contact phenomena in the productions of child and adult signers, sign bilingual education concepts and practices in diverse social contexts, deaf educational discourse, sign language planning and interpretation. This state-of-the-art collection is enhanced by a final chapter providing a critical appraisal of the major issues emerging from the individual studies in the light of current assumptions in the broader field of contact linguistics. Given the interdependence of research, policy and practice, the insights gathered in the studies presented are not only of scientific interest, but also bear important implications concerning the perception, understanding and promotion of bilingualism in deaf individuals whose language acquisition and use have been ignored for a long time at the socio-political and scientific levels.

Table of Contents:
1. Contributors; 2. Foreword (by Padden, Carol A.); 3. Acknowledgements; 4. Code-mixing in signs and words in input to and output from children (by Baker, Anne); 5. Does the knowledge of a natural sign language facilitate Deaf children's learning to read and write? Insights from French Sign Language and written French data (by Niederberger, Nathalie); 6. Bilingualism and deafness: Correlations between deaf students' ability to use space in Quebec Sign Language and their reading comprehension in French (by Dubuisson, Colette); 7. Why variation matters: On language contact in the development of L2 written German (by Plaza-Pust, Carolina); 8. Deaf and hearing children: Reading together in preschool (by Ardito, Barbara); 9. Can signed language be planned? Implications for interpretation in Spain (by Gras, Victoria); 10. Language use and awareness of deaf and hearing children in a bilingual setting (by Krausneker, Verena); 11. Sign bilingualism in Spanish deaf education (by Morales-Lopez, Esperanza); 12. Ideologic signs in Deaf education discourse (by Ignacia Massone, Maria); 13. Sign language and oral/written language in Deaf education in China (by Yang, Jun Hui); 14. Sign bilingualism: Language development, interaction, and maintenance in sign language contact situations (by Plaza-Pust, Carolina); 15. Index

Review :
This book offers a wealth of insights into the linguistic development of sign bilinguals, the schooling models, practices and language policies they are faced with and the social, political and ideological determinants where those are implemented. It constitutes a major contribution not only to the study of bimodal bilingualism, but also of bilingualism in a broad sense. The international expertise brought together from all fields involved makes it an invaluable resource both for research and practice. This volume constitutes an important contribution to a substantial and a growing body of literature. This book presents novel empirical insights into bimodal bilingualism from various angles: language development, language education, language use and language attitudes. Not only does it contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of language and cognition from a theoretical perspective. It also offers an invaluable tool for educators and other professionals involved in the design and implementation of language planning and a bilingual curriculum within Deaf Education. Ultimately, it is an indispensable resource for policy makers, ensuring in turn that deaf children are given a chance to grow up in a bilingual and bimodal environment - a prerequisite for building deaf individuals' human capital. One of the most important developments in the fields of sign language research and education of deaf children in recent years has been the move towards recognition of the deaf community as an essentially bilingual community, and the role and importance of bilingualism in developing children's sign language and spoken/written language. Sign Bilingualism: Language Development, Interaction, and Maintenance in Sign Language Contact Situations represents the state of the art on this topic, representing multiple theoretical and applied perspectives. It will be essential reading for a wide range of researchers and professionals in the Deaf studies field.