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An Introduction to Filipino Sign Language
The four-book series and multimedia CD are a culmination of a project by sign linguist Dr. Liza Martinez, administered by the PDRC. The research was conducted in collaboration with a roster of thirty Deaf contributors, and joint copyright is shared with the Philippine Federation of the Deaf.
About the books
The series is divided into three parts: Understanding Structure, Traditional and Emerging Signs, and Current Issues. It is a pioneering publication describing the structure and indigenous origins of FSL, and tackles the issues confronting the language. The four-book series is comprised of over 1,500 digital images from Deaf Filipino signing.
Part I, Understanding Structure, selects some current linguistic principles which govern visual languages based on research from other well-studied sign languages. It introduces the reader to sign linguistic principles and shows examples from FSL. The key areas of structural linguistics covered are: phonology (The Internal Structure of Signs), morphology (Meaning in the Structure of Signs), discourse analysis (The Structure of Signs during Conversation), and language change (Structure and Language Contact; Change in Structure over Time). This part of the series has a full technical version and an Easy-to-Read version. The latter is intended for Filipino Deaf readers.
Part II, Traditional and Emerging Signs, contrasts signs in use in the Filipino Deaf community for at least twenty years (traditional signs), as opposed to more recent signs in the past five years (emerging signs). The emerging signs are taken from the area of Information Technology, and Telecommunications (texting). The images in this book which show general orientation of the hands to the torso, as well as the specific handshapes, may be used as a guide to learning the signs.
Part III, Current Issues, examines sociolinguistic implications of the existence of these signs from the perspective of Deaf culture, and, standardization issues in language policy and planning. Challenges in education, interpreting, and sign language instruction are also covered.
About the CD
Images from Part II. Traditional and Emerging Signs are presented in this multimedia CD, incorporationg indigenous elements and design.
Access to the Series and CD
A limited number of complimentary copies of the series and the CD shall be given to selected institutional / organizational recipients. For info on demo or distribution centers, or to apply for a complimentary copy, click here.
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