Understanding Signed Languages provides a broad and accessible introduction to the science of language, with evidence drawn from signed languages around the world. Readers will learn about language through a unique set of signed language studies that will surprise them with the diversity of ways human languages achieve the same functional goals of communication.
Designed for students with no prior knowledge of signed languages or linguistics, this book features:
- A comprehensive introduction to the sub-fields of linguistics, including sociolinguistics, linguistic structure, language change, language acquisition, and bilingualism;
- Examples from more than 50 of the world-s signed languages and a brief -Language in Community- snapshot in each chapter highlighting one signed language and the researchers who are documenting it;
- Opportunities to reflect on how language ideologies have shaped scientific inquiry and contributed to linguistic bias;
