R E S E A R C H A T G A L L A U D E T

R E S E A R C H A T G A L L A U D E T

Gesture as a Mediating Factor in Speech

and Sign Language Storytelling

By: Talibah E. Buchanan*

There are many hearing individuals who do not

know sign language but move their hands when

speaking. Chances are these people would have a hard

time telling the same story if asked not to use their hands.

Additionally, the story told without the assistance of

gesture would likely seem lackluster by comparison. The

question becomes, to what degree is gesture an integral

part of effective storytelling and how much does it add

to the complexity and richness of a story? How does

the gesture used in oral storytelling compare to that

used in American Sign Language (ASL) storytelling? If

gesture is taken into consideration, will the complexity of

information conveyed be equivalent between languages?

These are questions that Drs. Sarah Taub, Dennis Galvan,

and Pilar PiÐ"±ar sought to answer in their recent study

on the contribution of hand and body movements to the

complexity and depth of ASL, English, and Spanish

storytelling (Taub, Galvan, & PiÐ"±ar, 2004).

Dennis Galvan Pilar PiÐ"±ar Sarah Taub

Psychology Foreign Languages Linguistics

Forming Questions

The inspiration to explore the above questions

grew from the .ndings of Galvan and Taub's previous

study (2004) in which they compared narratives by

native ASL and English users. Results from this study

indicated that when compared with English users, ASL

signers consistently incorporated much more conceptual

A Publication of the Gallaudet Research Institute at Gallaudet University Spring 2005

Kozol Presentation Combines Wit,

Wisdom, Outrage, and Compassion**

By Robert C. Johnson

Jonathan Kozol, author of such

books as Death at an Early Age

and Savage Inequalities, gave a

presentation at Gallaudet on March

30 called "Shame of the Nation: Resegregation,

Inequality, and Over-

Testing in Public Education." The

talk was sponsored by the Gallaudet

Research Institute as part of its

Schaefer Distinguished Lecture Series.

In addition to the presentation, Kozol participated in

several other sessions with Gallaudet faculty and students

in which he reported learning a great deal about deaf

students and their educational needs. He said he was

particularly intrigued to learn from Gallaudet Department

of Education faculty and studentsÐ'--deaf and hearingÐ'--

that the statement "separate is never equal" does not

necessarily apply to deaf students, many of whom thrive

in education programs outside the mainstream. Kozol said

his focus has not been on separate programs that are well

designed and effectively meeting students' needs. His

concern is that current governmental and socioeconomic

factors in America are depriving many students of quality

educational experiences because of "racial apartheid"

which is forcing too many minority children to stay

in inferior learning environments. During a question

and answer session with Kozol, Dr. Barbara Gerner de

Garcia, a faculty member in Gallaudet's Department

of Educational Foundations and Research, pointed out

that many of Kozol's concerns do indeed apply to deaf

children. Over forty percent of deaf children are from

minority populations, Gerner de Garcia said, and many of

these are living in disadvantaged communities.

When one audience member asked Kozol what effect

his books have had on U.S. educational policy, he said

* Talibah E. Buchanan, a .fth year doctoral student in the Clinical

Psychology program, is the 2004-2005 Walter G. Ross Graduate Fellow.

She can be contacted at Talibah.Buchanan@Gallaudet.edu

** An abbreviated version of this article appeared in the April, 15 issue

of On the Green, a Gallaudet publication.

Continued on Page 2 Continued on Page 3

Jonathan Kozol

2 Research at Gallaudet Spring 2005

"None. Many people, including teachers, parents, and civil

rights groups have gotten insight and comfort from my

books, which for

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