American Sign Language---query

[Laurence Horn]

At 3:40 PM -0700 4/12/05, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Recent opinion has been strong that ASL is indeed a natural
>language, but I believe that claim has now been challenged, at least
>to some extent.
>

By whom, if I may ask?

Larry

>"Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at UMR.EDU> wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender: American Dialect Society
>Poster: "Cohen, Gerald Leonard"
>Subject: American Sign Language---query
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>First, thanx for the responses on XX; very helpful. Here's another
>issue that just came up today: Is American Sign Language (ASL)
>really a "complete and natural language" as, e.g. the U of Minnesota
>says, or is it merely the signing skills (however valuable) with
>which to communicate a natural language?
>My campus' administration has turned to the Foreign Language section
>for insight on this matter, and I know virtually nothing about sign
>language.
>I assume ASL is *not* a natural language but am open to persuasion
>on this point.
>This all has to do with whether my campus should offer
>foreign-language credit for ASL, or perhaps something else like
>free-elective credit
>Any thoughts on this would be very welcome.
>
>Gerald Cohen
>University of Missouri-Rolla
>
>
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