| Abstract: | Reviews the book, Language, cognition and deafness by Michael Rodda and Carl Grove (see record 1987-97707-000). In this book, Rodda and Grove clearly subscribe to the view that along with speech and hearing, deaf persons should be allowed to use their "natural" language, Sign Language, American Sign Language (ASL), or in Canada, Canadian Sign Language (CSL). What makes this book unusual and important is that the authors have taken great pains to document their position through reference to hard experimental evidence, much of which has been done by psychologists. It is hard to imagine that anyone reading this book would not be definitively persuaded by their arguments, which are based on recent developments in psychology, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, as well as many other allied fields. Rodda and Grove clearly want to see Sign Language (ASL) accepted as part of the educational, psychological and cultural world of deaf adults, without demeaning the importance of speech and hearing in the communication process. This highly readable and informative book will undoubtedly help move the field in that direction, and I highly recommend it to the specialist and non-specialist alike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
