Gesture as a Mediating Factor in Speech and Sign Language Storytelling :: Language Education Teaching

Gesture as a Mediating Factor in Speech and Sign Language Storytelling There are many hearing individuals who do not know sign language but move their hands when speaking. Chances are these people would have a hard time telling the same story if asked not to use their hands. Additionally, the story told without the assistance of gesture would likely seem lackluster by comparison. The question becomes, to what degree is gesture an integral part of effective storytelling and how much does it add to the complexity and richness of a story? How does the gesture used in oral storytelling compare to that used in American Sign Language (ASL) storytelling? If gesture is taken into consideration, will the complexity of information conveyed be equivalent between languages? These are questions that Drs. Sarah Taub, Dennis Galvan, and Pilar Pià ±ar sought to answer in their recent study on the contribution of hand and body movements to the complexity and depth of ASL, English, and Spanish storytelling (Taub, Galvan, & Pià ±ar, 2004). Dennis Galvan Pilar Pià ±ar Sarah Taub Psychology Foreign Languages Linguistics Forming Questions The inspiration to explore the above questions grew from the .ndings of Galvan and Taub’s previous study (2004) in which they compared narratives by native ASL and English users. Results from this study indicated that when compared with English users, ASL signers consistently incorporated much more conceptual A Publication of the Gallaudet Research Institute at Gallaudet University Spring 2005 Kozol Presentation Combines Wit, Wisdom, Outrage, and Compassion** By Robert C. Johnson Jonathan Kozol, author of such books as Death at an Early Age and Savage Inequalities, gave a presentation at Gallaudet on March 30 called â€Å"Shame of the Nation: Resegregation, Inequality, and Over- Testing in Public Education.† The talk was sponsored by the Gallaudet Research Institute as part of its Schaefer Distinguished Lecture Series. In addition to the presentation, Kozol participated in several other sessions with Gallaudet faculty and students in which he reported learning a great deal about deaf students and their educational needs. He said he was particularly intrigued to learn from Gallaudet Department of Education faculty and students—deaf and hearing— that the statement â€Å"separate is never equal† does not necessarily apply to deaf students, many of whom thrive in education programs outside the mainstream. Kozol said his focus has not been on separate programs that are well designed and effectively meeting students’ needs. His concern is that current governmental and socioeconomic factors in America are depriving many students of quality educational experiences because of â€Å"racial apartheid† which is forcing too many minority children to stay in inferior learning environments. During a question and answer session with Kozol, Dr. Barbara Gerner de Garcia, a faculty member in Gallaudet’s Department of Educational Foundations and Research, pointed out