Language in Hand: Why Sign Came Before Speech
Signed language preceded spoken language in the evolutionary  process, according to Stokoe (English and linguistics, Gallaudet  Univ.), who passed away in April. His book persuasively  demonstrates the worldwide diversity of signed languages and  their viability as vehicles of both meaning and syntax. First,  Stokoe explains with many examples how gestures can be true  sentences (with both noun and verb components). He then supports  his proposed order of linguistic development from four  approaches: exploring the unique ability of visible signs to  resemble what they represent, comparing human anatomy involved  in gesture and speech to the anatomy of chimpanzees and other  primates, examining signed languages still in use today among  both hearing and hearing-impaired communities, and observing  linguistic development in children. In this way, Stokoe not only  effectively promotes the use of sign language in deaf education  but also hopes to broaden the views of all who endeavor to help  students achieve literacy.  The complexity of signed language is examined in detail in  Signed Languages through its selection of 13 papers presented at  the 1998 Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research  Conference. This volume presents papers not published elsewhere.  Moreover, more than half of the chapters discuss signed  languages from other parts of the world, such as Sign Language  of the Netherlands and the Hausa Sign Language from Nigeria. The  editors divide the work into traditional areas of language  study, such as morphology, syntax, psycholinguistics, and  poetics. Further examination of the role of signed language in  linguistic development is available in Sarah Taub's Language in  the Body: Iconicity and Metaphor in American Sign Language  (Cambridge Univ., 2001). Both volumes are highly recommended for  specialized linguistics and deaf studies collections. Marianne  Orme, West Lafayette, INCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.