RAISING HANDSHAPE AWARENESS: USING THE HANDSHAPE INVENTORY FOR ICELANDIC SIGN LANGUAGE (ÍTM) IN EARLY INTERVENTION AND TEACHING OF ÍTM

Nedelina Ivanova; Rannveig Sverrisdóttir; Guðný Björk Þorvaldsdóttir

doi:10.31299/hrri.58.si.2

RAISING HANDSHAPE AWARENESS: USING THE HANDSHAPE INVENTORY FOR ICELANDIC SIGN LANGUAGE (ÍTM) IN EARLY INTERVENTION AND TEACHING OF ÍTM

Nedelina Ivanova, Rannveig Sverrisdóttir^*, Guðný Björk Þorvaldsdóttir

^*Corresponding author for this work

Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Although previous research shows that the use of rhyme in early language stimulation has a positive impact on children’s sign language development, this area of sign language acquisition has not been adequately researched. 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who barely know sign language before their child is born, and yet they are the primary language role models in their child’s life. As L2 sign language users, hearing parents of deaf children teach language skills in their L2 to their deaf child who acquires sign language as one of their L1s. In this article, we focus on the potential application of the Icelandic Sign Language (ÍTM) handshape inventory in both early language intervention with signing children and in teaching ÍTM as an L2. We argue that the handshape inventory can be used as a teaching tool when teaching sign language as M2L2 to hearing adults and as a visual language stimulation tool for signing children (M1L1 or M2L1). The main purpose of using the handshape inventory is to raise phonological awareness of signing children and adults learning sign language. This can be done by explicitly teaching handshapes to adult learners and using signed rhymes in early language stimulation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	27-51
Number of pages	25
Journal	Hrvatska Revija Za Rehabilitacijska Istrazivanja
Volume	58
Issue number	Special Issue
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.31299/hrri.58.si.2
Publication status	Published - 12 Oct 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We would like to thank the anonymous re-viewers for their very helpful comments; Kristín Lena Þorvaldsdóttir, Director of the Communication Centre for the Deaf and a linguist who first started the research on handshapes in ÍTM; Uldis Ozols, Teacher for the Deaf at the Communication Centre for the Deaf, who drew up the pictures of the handshapes and the objects as well as working on finding and deciding which sign should ac-company each handshape; Julia G. Hreinsdottir, Teaching Program Director at the Communication Centre for the Deaf who signed the sign examples and John Baird, Educational Developer at Reykjavik University for his valuable comments on the text. The Barnavinafélagið Sumargjöf funded the design of the handshape poster and Thorvaldsens-félagið Bazar funded the distribution to all kinder-gartens and primary schools in Iceland.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering. All rights reserved.

Other keywords

early intervention
phonological awareness
sign language handshape
ÍTM

Access to Document

10.31299/hrri.58.si.2

Cite this

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title = "RAISING HANDSHAPE AWARENESS: USING THE HANDSHAPE INVENTORY FOR ICELANDIC SIGN LANGUAGE ({\'I}TM) IN EARLY INTERVENTION AND TEACHING OF {\'I}TM",

abstract = "Although previous research shows that the use of rhyme in early language stimulation has a positive impact on children{\textquoteright}s sign language development, this area of sign language acquisition has not been adequately researched. 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who barely know sign language before their child is born, and yet they are the primary language role models in their child{\textquoteright}s life. As L2 sign language users, hearing parents of deaf children teach language skills in their L2 to their deaf child who acquires sign language as one of their L1s. In this article, we focus on the potential application of the Icelandic Sign Language ({\'I}TM) handshape inventory in both early language intervention with signing children and in teaching {\'I}TM as an L2. We argue that the handshape inventory can be used as a teaching tool when teaching sign language as M2L2 to hearing adults and as a visual language stimulation tool for signing children (M1L1 or M2L1). The main purpose of using the handshape inventory is to raise phonological awareness of signing children and adults learning sign language. This can be done by explicitly teaching handshapes to adult learners and using signed rhymes in early language stimulation.",

keywords = "early intervention, phonological awareness, sign language handshape, {\'I}TM",

author = "Nedelina Ivanova and Rannveig Sverrisd{\'o}ttir and {\TH}orvaldsd{\'o}ttir, {Gu{\dh}n{\'y} Bj{\"o}rk}",

note = "Funding Information: We would like to thank the anonymous re-viewers for their very helpful comments; Krist{\'i}n Lena {\TH}orvaldsd{\'o}ttir, Director of the Communication Centre for the Deaf and a linguist who first started the research on handshapes in {\'I}TM; Uldis Ozols, Teacher for the Deaf at the Communication Centre for the Deaf, who drew up the pictures of the handshapes and the objects as well as working on finding and deciding which sign should ac-company each handshape; Julia G. Hreinsdottir, Teaching Program Director at the Communication Centre for the Deaf who signed the sign examples and John Baird, Educational Developer at Reykjavik University for his valuable comments on the text. The Barnavinaf{\'e}lagi{\dh} Sumargj{\"o}f funded the design of the handshape poster and Thorvaldsens-f{\'e}lagi{\dh} Bazar funded the distribution to all kinder-gartens and primary schools in Iceland. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering. All rights reserved.",

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month = oct,

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doi = "10.31299/hrri.58.si.2",

language = "English",

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journal = "Hrvatska Revija Za Rehabilitacijska Istrazivanja",

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RAISING HANDSHAPE AWARENESS: USING THE HANDSHAPE INVENTORY FOR ICELANDIC SIGN LANGUAGE (ÍTM) IN EARLY INTERVENTION AND TEACHING OF ÍTM. / Ivanova, Nedelina; Sverrisdóttir, Rannveig; Þorvaldsdóttir, Guðný Björk.
In: Hrvatska Revija Za Rehabilitacijska Istrazivanja, Vol. 58, No. Special Issue, 12.10.2022, p. 27-51.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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AU - Þorvaldsdóttir, Guðný Björk

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N2 - Although previous research shows that the use of rhyme in early language stimulation has a positive impact on children’s sign language development, this area of sign language acquisition has not been adequately researched. 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who barely know sign language before their child is born, and yet they are the primary language role models in their child’s life. As L2 sign language users, hearing parents of deaf children teach language skills in their L2 to their deaf child who acquires sign language as one of their L1s. In this article, we focus on the potential application of the Icelandic Sign Language (ÍTM) handshape inventory in both early language intervention with signing children and in teaching ÍTM as an L2. We argue that the handshape inventory can be used as a teaching tool when teaching sign language as M2L2 to hearing adults and as a visual language stimulation tool for signing children (M1L1 or M2L1). The main purpose of using the handshape inventory is to raise phonological awareness of signing children and adults learning sign language. This can be done by explicitly teaching handshapes to adult learners and using signed rhymes in early language stimulation.

AB - Although previous research shows that the use of rhyme in early language stimulation has a positive impact on children’s sign language development, this area of sign language acquisition has not been adequately researched. 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who barely know sign language before their child is born, and yet they are the primary language role models in their child’s life. As L2 sign language users, hearing parents of deaf children teach language skills in their L2 to their deaf child who acquires sign language as one of their L1s. In this article, we focus on the potential application of the Icelandic Sign Language (ÍTM) handshape inventory in both early language intervention with signing children and in teaching ÍTM as an L2. We argue that the handshape inventory can be used as a teaching tool when teaching sign language as M2L2 to hearing adults and as a visual language stimulation tool for signing children (M1L1 or M2L1). The main purpose of using the handshape inventory is to raise phonological awareness of signing children and adults learning sign language. This can be done by explicitly teaching handshapes to adult learners and using signed rhymes in early language stimulation.

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RAISING HANDSHAPE AWARENESS: USING THE HANDSHAPE INVENTORY FOR ICELANDIC SIGN LANGUAGE (ÍTM) IN EARLY INTERVENTION AND TEACHING OF ÍTM

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Other keywords

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