16.1769, Disc: New: Lang Acquisition: Baby Signing

[LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-16-1769. Mon Jun 06 2005. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 16.1769, Disc: New: Lang Acquisition: Baby Signing

Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Wayne State U <aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Aristar-Dry, Eastern Michigan U <hdry at linguistlist.org>

Reviews (reviews at linguistlist.org)
        Sheila Dooley, U of Arizona
        Terry Langendoen, U of Arizona

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org/

The LINGUIST List is funded by Eastern Michigan University, Wayne
State University, and donations from subscribers and publishers.

Editor for this issue: Michael Appleby <michael at linguistlist.org>
================================================================

To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at
http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.html.


===========================Directory==============================

1)
Date: 01-Jun-2005
From: Mark J. Jones < mjj13 at cam.ac.uk >
Subject: Re: Media: BBC: Baby Signing

2)
Date: 01-Jun-2005
From: Mark A. Mandel < mamandel at ldc.upenn.edu >
Subject: BBC: Baby Signing

	
-------------------------Message 1 ----------------------------------
Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:01:48
From: Mark J. Jones < mjj13 at cam.ac.uk >
Subject: Re: Media: BBC: Baby Signing



Dear all,

I saw a report on the Baby Signing movement some months ago on
the BBC.  It seems to me to be a bit misguided - like giving a kid one of
those baby walkers instead of letting it crawl and strengthen upper
body as well as lower body muscles ready for bipedalism.  That
probably sounds very anti-signing, but I don't intend it to, and I'm not
casting aspersions on sign languages or sign acquisition or cases of
sign-speech bilingualism.  Baby Signing just seems a bit faddy, with
the possible consequence that children's speech development may be
delayed for no good reason.  Is speech likely to be delayed at all by
something like this?  Does anyone have any more expert views on
whether or not this is actually a good idea for kids who would
otherwise be trying to communicate vocally?


Mark

Mark J. Jones
Department of Linguistics
University of Cambridge
http://kiri.ling.cam.ac.uk/mark
mjj13 at cam.ac.uk


Linguistic Field(s): Language Acquisition

Language Family(ies): Sign Language


	
-------------------------Message 2 ----------------------------------
Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:01:50
From: Mark A. Mandel < mamandel at ldc.upenn.edu >
Subject: BBC: Baby Signing

	

In LINGUIST List 16.1720, Thomas Doukas wrote:
>>>
Author and mother Katie Mayne was on Breakfast talking about a
baby signing book. The primary school teacher and signer has written
a book called 'The Baby Signing Book'.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/4242941.stm
<<<

That page is constantly changing -- it begins:

"This is where we put brief reference material about many of the items
featured on Breakfast each day.
"We update this page every weekday - and you will find items listed in
date order (with the most recent at the top)."

The item referred to is very short:

>>>
Thursday 19 May

Baby Signing

Author and mother Katie Mayne was on Breakfast talking about baby
signing book. The primary school teacher and signer has written a
book called "The Baby Signing Book" and is published by Amazing
Baby. Help with communicating with your baby, this is Katie Mayne's
website:

http://www.tinytalk.co.uk/
<<<

-- Mark A. Mandel


Linguistic Field(s): Language Acquisition

Language Family(ies): Sign Language




-----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-16-1769