The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL: Its History and Structure

by Carolyn McCaskill, Ceil Lucas, Robert Bayley, Joseph Christopher Hill, Roxanne Dummett (Contribution by)

Overview

Black ASL has long been recognized as a distinct variety of American Sign Language based on abundant anecdotal evidence. The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL, originally published in 2011, presents the first sociohistorical and linguistic study of this language variety. Based on the findings of the Black ASL Project, which undertook this unprecedented research, Hidden Treasure documents the stories and language of the African American Deaf community. With links to online supplemental video content that includes interviews with Black ASL users (formerly on DVD), this volume is a groundbreaking scholarly contribution and a powerful affirmation for Black Deaf people.

This paperback edition includes an updated foreword by Glenn B. Anderson, a new preface that reflects on the impact of this research, and an expanded list of references and resources on Black ASL.

The supplemental video content is available online at the Gallaudet University Press YouTube Channel. Under Playlists, click “The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL: Companion Video to the Book.” The original Black ASL Project research videos are also available. 

Featured in the film Signing Black in America: The Story of Black ASL, produced by The Language and Life Project at North Carolina State University (Dr. Walt Wolfram, Executive Producer). Look for it on PBS.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944838720
Publisher:	Gallaudet University Press
Publication date:	05/29/2020
Edition description:	1
Pages:	228
Sales rank:	371,329
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Carolyn McCaskill is Professor of ASL and Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University.


Ceil Lucas is Professor Emerita of Linguistics at Gallaudet University.


Robert Bayley is Professor of Linguistics at the University of California, Davis.


Joseph Hill is Assistant Professor of ASL and Interpreting Education at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

List of Tables xiii

Foreword Glenn B. Anderson xvii

Preface xxiii

Acknowledgments xxv

1 Introduction 1

2 The Sociohistorical Foundation of Black ASL 14

3 Research Methods 49

4 Signers' Perceptions of Black ASL 64

5 Phonological Variation 75

6 Variation in Syntax and Discourse 109

7 The Effects of Language Contact 126

8 Lexical Variation 136

9 Conclusions 161

References 167

Supplementary Resources 183

Index 193

What People are Saying About This

"The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL offers readers unique insights regarding Black American Sign Language in vivid social, historical, and linguistic detail. Informed by universal linguistic principles, the authors offer carefully crafted observations and analyses that will be of interest to anyone who studies human language."

John G. Baugh

"The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL offers readers unique insights regarding Black American Sign Language in vivid social, historical, and linguistic detail. Informed by universal linguistic principles, the authors offer carefully crafted observations and analyses that will be of interest to anyone who studies human language."