Language Acquisition: Pantomime and Gesture to Signed English

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: PANTOMIME AND GESTURE TO SIGNED ENGLISH Marvin B. Sallop The educational philosophy called Total Communication has been adopted by many schools for the deaf and more are joining the movement each year. It was pioneered and is clearly explained by the Maryland School for the Deaf: Total Communication is the RIGHT of a deaf child to learn to use all forms of communication available to develop language competence. This includes the full spectrum, child devised gestures, speech, formal signs, fingerspelling, speechreading, reading and writing. To every deaf child should also be provided the opportunity to learn to use any remnant of residual hearing he may have by employing the best possible electronic equipment for amplifying sound. (Denton 1972). The terms "child devised gestures" and "formal signs" are perhaps easily understood; however, utilizing gestures and signs as teaching tools are processes not so familiar. First, Sign language or American Sign Language (ASL) and signs should not be confused. ASL is a language with a syntax, a grammar of its own, distinct from that of English. Signs, however, can be used as equivalents of (many of) the words in grammatical English sentences. Second, the elements of Total Communication are not segmentable, not separate from each other, but are simultaneous and interdependent. In this paper I will focus on one of these elements, ASL or "formal signs," and its use within a Total Communication environment to help pupils in one class acquire something like English competence. I will describe the language instruction given to a special class at the Kendall School for the Deaf, particularly its format and results from a linguistic point of view. Sign Language Studies Some idea of the initial competence of pupils in the class can be gained from this comment by my cooperating teacher: The language problems in this class are very great. The children are hampered by extremely limited vocabularies. In spite of the fact that most of the children are reading at a first grade level, their expressive language is much lower. In most cases, they attempt to explain what they have seen by gestures, pantomime, and a few formal signs. (Language/Reading Lesson Plan, 23-26 March 1970, Mr. Wayne Wheatley). A more detailed view of the pupils' competence and performance is given in notes I took during the early stages of my work with this class: 1. (gesture and pantomime) finger pointing to the hall, child walking, face smiling with mouth open making grunting sounds; finger making a 900 turn to the left, child walking and making a turn to the left, face smiling with mouth open making grunting sounds; finger making another 900 turn to the left, child walking and making another turn to the left, and then another left turn, face smiling with mouth still open making grunting sounds; then the child stops walking, continues to smile, and lifts brows in a question. Is this language? Hardly. Communication? Yes; in 1 the child is pointing out the way to the school library from his present location in the classroom. He concludes by asking, with facial expression, if his performance is correct. His attempt just before this to respond to the word library written on the blackboard had been to point out the window. I pulled his hand down and told him, signing and speaking, to talk to me and tell me by talking to me. The result of his attempt is recorded in 1. 2. child makes a name sign and wrinkles the brow. The child who performed 2 came into the room as I was standing at the blackboard. He looked around the room and in the way recorded in 2 asked me, 'Where is Mr. Wheatley?' 3. child signs 'dirty' then a name sign 'Simon' while smiling and nodding his head. The child in 3 was addressing another pupil in the room and making a comment about a third pupil not present in the room, to wit 'Simon is dirty.' Sallop 4. child in a body position of defiance, feet apart, signs 'dirty' and 'fight' and points to another child 'you' while mouthing the words and speaking: "dirty fight you"; her face showing anger, brows pushed together. This...