Politeness in American Sign Language
Jack Hoza
|
View the table of contents. Read chapter eight. Read reviews: Wisconsin Bookwatch, Choice, Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. |
$49.95s print edition $49.95 e-book
|
The general stereotype regarding interaction between American Sign Language and English is a model of oversimplification: ASL signers are direct and English speakers are indirect. Jack Hoza’s study It’s Not What You Sign, It’s How You Sign It: Politeness in American Sign Language upends this common impression through an in-depth comparison of the communication styles between these two language communities. Hoza investigates relevant social variables in specific contexts and explores the particular linguistic strategies ASL signers and English speakers employ when they interact in these contexts.
It’s Not What You Sign, It’s How You Sign It is framed within politeness theory, an apt model to determine various interpretations of what speakers or signers mean in respect to the form of that which they say or sign. The variations reveal how linguistic and cultural differences intersect in ways that are often misinterpreted or overlooked in cross-cultural communication. To clarify these cross-linguistic differences, this volume explores two primary types of politeness and the linguistic strategies used by English speakers and ASL signers to express politeness concerns in face-to-face interaction. Hoza’s final analysis leads to a better understanding of the rich complexity of the linguistic choices of these language groups.
Jack Hoza is a professor and director of the ASL/English Interpreting Program at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester. He is the son of deaf parents.
Print Edition: ISBN 978-1-56368-352-7, 6 x 9 casebound, 248 pages, 32 tables, 35 figures
$49.95s
E-Book: ISBN 978-1-56368-384-8
$49.95
TEL 1-800-621-2736; (773) 568-1550 8 am - 5 pm CST
TTY 1-888-630-9347
FAX 1-800-621-8476; (773) 660-2235