Why American Sign Language Gloss Must Matter.

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Deaf Education
• Literacy Studies

Background:

• The article addresses Grushkin's perspective on reading acquisition for deaf children.
• American Sign Language (ASL) gloss is presented as a key element in this discussion.
• The debate centers on the most effective methods for teaching English literacy to deaf learners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and analyze the utility of ASL gloss in deaf children's reading education.
• To counter Grushkin's argument for a conventional ASL writing system.
• To demonstrate how ASL gloss facilitates English literacy acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature and theoretical frameworks concerning ASL gloss.
• Analysis of data illustrating a deaf child's interaction with ASL gloss texts.
• Comparative analysis of ASL gloss versus conventional ASL writing systems for literacy.

Main Results:

• ASL gloss aids deaf children in learning to read in their own language (ASL).
• ASL gloss facilitates a smoother transition to written English.
• Observed reading aloud in ASL with gloss text showed no breakdown, contrary to Grushkin's claims.
• ASL gloss provides a more effective pathway for mastering English literacy.

Conclusions:

• ASL gloss is a superior tool for teaching English literacy to deaf children compared to conventional ASL writing systems.
• The use of ASL gloss supports bilingual literacy development in deaf learners.
• Grushkin's proposed method is considered limiting for deaf children's literacy development.