Total Communication is a philosophy

requiring the incorporation of

appropriate aural, manual, and oral
modes of communication in order to
insure effective communication with and
among hearing impaired persons
Gannon, 1981, p.369

Hearing individuals
benefit from
information given to
them from the
environment via the
auditory channel


Deaf and Hard of
Hearing individuals
must use other
means of
exchanging
information in order
to provide a base for
language
development
First
communication
through sign in A.D.
530
Benedictine monks
formed a sign
system to
communicate daily
needs while
keeping a vow of
silence

Each country
developed a sign
system

Signs were shared
and systems
changed
Oralists and manualists continue to
debate over the mode of
communication that results in the best
exchange of information for the deaf
and hard of hearing

From this debate, many new methods of
communication were founded
ASL = American Sign Language or Ameslan
Created by deaf individuals in the United
States
Now it is used by 250,000 to 500,000
Americans of varying ages
60% of ASL signs originated from French sign
language
Accounts of sign communication is recorded
as early as mid-1700s
American Sign Language (ASL)
Manually Coded English Systems
Contact Signing (CS)
Rochester Method
Total Communication
Oral Communication
Cued Speech

Visual/manual communication system with
its own syntax and vocabulary
Signs in conjunction with facial expression
and body language convey concepts
Facial and bodily cues differ from
nonverbal cues used with speech
An interactive language between the
signer and the receiver
Speech aspects that
communicate the
speakers intention
include consonantal
and vocalic
segments that are
blended together to
form the message
ASL also has
segmental
distinctions that are
blended to form
signs that are then
organized to convey
the signers intention
Research conducted by William Stokoe
identified three independent part of a
sign
1. Handshape or dez (designator)
how the fingers are extended
2. Location or tab (tabulation)
where on the body or in space the sign is
made
3. Movement or sig (signation)
how the hand or hands move up,
down, circular, etc.
(Baker & Battison, 1980)
-From the study of humans who are
born deaf and learn sign languages
that are used around them that the
ability to hear speech sounds is not
necessary condition for the
acquisition and use of language.

-Certain auditory locations within the
cortex are activated during signing
even though no sound is produce
that supporting the contention that
the brain is neurologically equipped
for language rather than speech.
WRITING

Writing is a method of representing
language in visual or tactile form.

Writing systems use sets of symbols to
represent the sounds of speech, and may
also have symbols for such things as
punctuation and numerals.
Written and spoken language differ in many ways.
However some forms of writing are closer to
speech than others, and vice versa. Below are
some of the ways in which these two forms of
language differ:
Writing is usually permanent and written texts
cannot usually be changed once they have been
printed/written out.
Speech is usually transient, unless recorded, and
speakers can correct themselves and change
their utterances as they go along.
A written text can communicate across time and
space for as long as the particular language and
writing system is still understood.
Speech is usually used for immediate interactions.
Written language tends to be more complex and
intricate than speech with longer sentences and
many subordinate clauses. The punctuation and
layout of written texts also have no spoken
equivalent. However some forms of written
language, such as instant messages and email,
are closer to spoken language.