American Sign Language

A Pathfinder

American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual-gestural language that is used as a primary means of communication by many deaf people in the United States and Canada. For a long time, it was thought to be either a crude collection of gestures, or to be an "inferior" form of English. However, linguistic research beginning in the 1960s has shown that ASL is a true, complete and rich language in its own right, unrelated to English. ASL is a major part of American Deaf culture, and is transmitted from one generation of signers to the next. In addition to Deaf native users and deaf people who learn it later in life, many hearing children whose deaf parents use ASL learn it as a first language; other children learn ASL in schools or from friends and deaf adults; and it is increasingly popular as a "foreign language" in hearing schools and colleges. ASL should not be confused with signed English or with signed pidgins, which use signs from ASL but put them in English-language order, often with additional invented signs to show English grammar and syntax.

Remember, this pathfinder will not tell you about all the materials the Library has about American Sign Language. You must do the research yourself. This pathfinder will guide you to the appropriate places to begin your search for information. If you need further assistance, please ask at the Reference Desk.

INTRODUCTIONS

For introductory information about American Sign Language, you can check the general encyclopedias available in the Reference area. For research on most topics, it is useful to check in general encyclopedias to get a basic understanding of the vocabulary for your topic. Different encyclopedias do vary in quality, so you should check more than one to get a more balanced view.

If you have access to the World Wide Web, the following URL also has a good short orientation to ASL. Point your browser program (Netscape or Internet Explorer) to: http://www.signmedia.com/info/asl.htm

For more detailed introductory material, these specialized sources are suggested:

• Baker, Charlotte. American Sign Language: a teacher's resource text on grammar and culture. Silver Spring, Md.: T.J. Publishers, 1980. (DEAF 425 B3a 1980)
  • This emphasizes ASL history, its relation to the Deaf community, and sign formation. It also shows how to sign in ASL.
• Hoemann, Harry W. Communicating with deaf people: a resource manual for teachers and students of American Sign Language. Baltimore, Md.: University Park Press, 1978. (DEAF 420.07 H6c 1978)
  • Explains what ASL is about: structure, facial expressions, fingerspelling, etc.
• Lane, Harlan, and Grosjean, Francois, eds. Recent perspectives on American Sign Language. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1980. (DEAF 420 R43 1980)
  • Presents several current perspectives on ASL, including linguistic, psycholinguistic, developmental, neurolinguistic, sociolinguistic, and historical aspects.
• Van Cleve, John, ed. Gallaudet encyclopedia of deaf people and deafness. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1987, Volume 3, pages 22-134. (On reserve at the Circulation Desk.)
  • This contains several articles related to American Sign Language. They are grouped together on the pages listed above. These articles explain various aspects of sign language, such as facial expressions, history, other countries' sign languages, and useful textbooks. Also, the articles have bibliographies which will help you find more information.

BOOKS

Books are good places to get in-depth information and the historical background of a topic. Books are not good places to find very recent information, except for current directories and handbooks. Hint: Don't forget to check the bibliography (list of resources) at the end of most books to find other suggestions of where to find information!

To find the Gallaudet Library's books about American Sign Language, use the ALADIN system on the Internet. Send your browser program (Netscape or Internet Explorer) to the Gallaudet University Library's home page, http://library.gallaudet.edu. Click on the ALADIN catalog link in the light blue area at the left of the screen. On the ALADIN menu screen, click on ALADIN Catalog on the left. Then do a Basic Search: Type in one of the following Search Terms, select Keyword (AND/OR/NOT) in the "Search By:" list, and click on the Search button:

• "american sign language"
• ameslan

To find more specific aspects of ASL, try adding a word for that aspect to your Keyword (AND/OR/NOT) search. Some examples are:

• "american sign language" AND communication
• "american sign language" AND children AND deaf
• "american sign language" AND education AND deaf
• "american sign language" AND history

Remember that phrases (more than one word that go together) must be in quote marks.

PERIODICALS

You can find articles in periodicals (magazines and journals) using online indexes or printed indexes. Most printed indexes are located on the Middle Level of the Library, across from the Circulation Desk. The online databases are available through the ALADIN system on the Internet.

Online Indexes

For finding information on ASL using the ERIC database, you can connect to ERIC through ALADIN's Databases by Title option. Then select ERIC from the Alphabetical List, browsing the "E" section. Use the following term in a Basic Search:

• american sign language

Printed Indexes

The Gallaudet University Library index to deaf periodicals database, available through the Library's web site, http://library.gallaudet.edu, or directly at http://liblists.wrlc.org/gadpi/, can tell you where to find many articles on ASL in several popular deaf periodicals. Use the Browse...Subject headings:

• American Sign Language
• Sign language

Linguistic abstracts and Linguistics and language behavior abstracts are printed indexes to many journals in the field of language and linguistics. They are located on the Index Shelves near the general encyclopedias.

In Linguistics abstracts, use the subject heading:

• American Sign Language

In Linguistic and language behavior abstracts, use these:

• Nonverbal Communication
• Nonverbal Languages
• Sign Language

OTHER RESOURCES

Videotapes

Videotapes are available through the Circulation Desk. The collection includes videos designed to teach sign language, as well as videos that provide examples of people expressing themselves in ASL. You can find videos about ASL in the WRLC Libraries Catalog section of the ALADIN online catalog. Use these terms in a Keyword search:

• "american sign language" AND videorecording

Archives

The Archives has information and materials related to the history of deafness and of Gallaudet University. There is not much about American Sign Language in the Archives, because it is a relatively new field of research. However, you can ask the Archives staff to show you materials on the history of ASL and on the manual codes used by deaf people in the past. All of these materials must be used in the Archives; you cannot borrow them. The normal Archives hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Evening hours can be arranged by appointment, at least two weeks in advance. The Archives is closed weekends and on University holidays.

Deaf Subject Files in the Archives

Vertical files include materials such as newspaper clippings, brochures, maps, poetry, and other non-book printed materials. To find vertical file materials about ASL, look in the Deaf Subject Files on the Lower Level of the Library, next to the Archives. These files are kept locked. To use them, ask an Archives staff member for help. Try the following subject headings:

• American Sign Language
• Sign Language

Colleges and Universities Accepting ASL for Course Credit

A listing of universities and colleges in the United States and Canada that accept ASL as meeting part or all of their foreign language requirements may be found on the Internet at http://www.unm.edu/~wilcox/ASLFL/univlist.html.

SIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES

If you are interested in classes to learn American Sign Language, you can contact these Gallaudet University departments for information:

• The Center for ASL Literacy offers continuing-education ASL classes and tutoring for students, faculty and staff of Gallaudet University as well as to the general public. Merrill Learning Center, Room US11, 202/651-5778 voice and TTY.
• The Department of Linguistics (Dawes House, Room 101, 202/651-5450 voice and TTY) offers some undergraduate courses, a Master of Arts degree in linguistics, and a Ph.D. degree in linguistics. Detailed information about the department of Linguistics, the faculty, the course offerings, the graduate students, and the Gallaudet University Linguistics Association (GALA) can be found at linguistics.gallaudet.edu.
• The "Info to Go" service of the Laurent Clerc National Center at Gallaudet University has an online list of other places in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area that offer sign language classes: http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/infotogo/318.html.

If you are having trouble finding information, or if you would like any additional help, please ask at the Library Service Desk.