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

< previous page
page_72
next page >
Page time, you must remember, sign language was only accepted if it could be justified as a contribution to the educational system. Any new idea about sign language was discussed as a tool for classroom use. As several stories have it, students and faculty at Gallaudet and at some residential schools mistakenly assumed that they were going to be forced to learn this new transcription system for signs, and that all their books would be written in these complex symbols. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth the transcription system was intended as a scientific tool. But there were enough rumors and feelings going around to prevent anyone from really seeing the transcription system as Bill had intended it. In addition to Sign Language Structure, in 1960 Stokoe also published a go-page textbook entitled The Calculus of Structure,
which he described as "a manual for college students of English" It was a grammar book, intended to take advantage of the fact that many of Stokoe's deaf students were far more capable in math than in English.
It is difficult to evaluate the efficacy of this book (although Stokoe is still as proud of it as he is of Sign Language Structure).It was written in the late s when instructors were teaching English to foreigners and foreign languages to English-speakers by comparing the grammar and syntax of the languages involved. Stokoe used a system of symbols throughout the book simply understanding the symbols required enormous effort. A triangle connected to a diamond indicated a verb with no complement a triangle with a line at the top, going to the right, next to but not attached to a diamond, indicated a verb and nominal complement and a triangle with a line at the top, going to the left, next to but not attached to a diamond, indicated a verb and non-nominal complement. A square indicated "the end of nominal material used as subject, followed by verbal material a diamond indicated "the end of complementary material in predicate."
In the paragraph that followed his explanations of these shapes, Stokoe wrote "It should be clear to the careful student of language structure that between the level of sentence parts, the level on which these symbols apply, and the level of words

Download 2.48 Mb.

Share with your friends: