Cover next page > title: Seeing Language in Sign : The Work of William C. Stokoe author

< previous page
page_137
next page >
Page to indicate that the press would set the world afire with ideas) Stokoe wanted to use Sign Language Studies to share new information generated by his researchers and others in the field. He decided, he says, to leave the research to "the young,
brilliant, well-trained scholars" and concentrate on disseminating their work:
The lab and Sign Language Studies supported each other in away. We had a great exchange of ideas with people from allover Virginia Volterra from Italy, Brita Hansen from Denmark, Bernard Mottez from France, George Montgomery from
Scotlandwe had a continuing stream of researchers visiting us just to see what was going on in the lab. They would see what we were up to, and when they had a manuscript ready, they would send it tome for the journal. This kept me well enough supplied to be a successful editor.
Subscriptions rose as people began to find out that we existed. By 1977 the work was so heavy I couldn't handle it myself since I was still working full-time at Gallaudet. I asked Ruth if she would like to do it, and in an office in the house, she filled the orders. By 1976 we were publishing a revision of the dictionary and of Sign Language Structure. Between books and the journal we kept quite busy. At about this time Stokoe purchased his first computer, an Apple II +, and a daisy-wheel printer. Within weeks he was facile enough to abandon the electric typewriter and produce camera ready copy for Sign Language Studies "computer assisted."
Keyboarding the entire contents of the journal took time, but he reasoned that he was combining editing with type composition.
Woodward and many others view Sign Language Studies as one of Stokoe's major contributions to the field of sign language research. During the s some people accused Stokoe of publishing articles indiscriminately. However, as Woodward explains,
This was anew field. Bill was anxious to get ideas out into circulationin that way we could all respond to them, benefit from them. A lot would be lost waiting for "the perfect article" Bill was not impressed by such academic posturing.

Download 2.48 Mb.

Share with your friends: