Question:
I've been teaching English to deaf children for only 5 months and,
generally, it is a new experience for me. In Poland it is a new problem and
there are no professional materials available on the topic. What I am really
looking for are any kinds of materials, titles of books I could use, Web
pages' links or Your suggestions how to introduce and practise English with
those children.
Answer:
The grammar of British Sign Language has no relationship to English
grammar, nor does the vocabulary (with the possible exception of a few
loanwords which can be expressed by fingerspelling, such as is also
the case with American Sign Language). Nor as far as I know is British
Sign Language related to Polish Sign Language.
British Signed English is another matter. However, it seems to me that
it would be more useful for Alice to learn Polish Sign Language, if
she has not already done so. Even if she decides not to do so, she
should read up on it to get a general idea of how it works, how its
grammar differs from English grammar, how its words are formed. Then
she would have a better perspective on the problems her students face
when trying to learn English.
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