Bibliography

A bibliography of research on signed languages (in progress)


The purpose of compiling this bibliography is to pool together scholarly publications about certain topics that are underrepresented and perhaps not well discussed in the fields of sign language research and sign linguistics from a documentary linguistics angle. Many times, I have seen how the majority of researchers who approach signed languages from a documentary linguistics perspective may not be aware of the resources available out there. It is my hope that the bibliography can be a jumping off point and useful resource for junior and senior sign language researchers alike.


Some of the resources are more appropriate for working with deaf people and signing communities in lab-based and urban contexts whereas others focus on smaller populations in rural contexts. There is no "one-size-fits-all" resource, nor a comprehensive resource that covers all the relevant topics related to sign language fieldwork. Eventually, I'd like to add a section on grammatical descriptions of lesser-known signed languages and another section on ethnographic studies of signing communities.


You are more than welcome to send me any and all appropriate resources: email them to lhou at ucsd at edu.

Field methods

  • Fischer, S. 2009. Sign Language Field Methods: Approaches, Techniques, and Concerns. In J. H-Y Tai & J. Tsay (Eds.) Taiwan Sign Language and Beyond, 1-19. Chia-Yi, Taiwan: The Taiwan Institute for the Humanities, National Chung Cheng University.

  • Hill, J. C. 2015. Data Collection in Sociolinguistics. In E. Orfanidou, B. Woll, & G. Morgan (Eds.), Research Methods in Sign Language Studies: A Practical Guide, 193-205. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

  • Nyst, V. 2015. Sign Language Fieldwork. In E. Orfanidou, B. Woll, & G. Morgan (Eds.), Research Methods in Sign Language Studies: A Practical Guide, 107-122. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

  • Padden, C. 2015. Methods of Research on Sign Language Grammars. In E. Orfanidou, B. Woll, & G. Morgan (Eds.), Research Methods in Sign Language Studies: A Practical Guide, 141-155. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

  • Palfreyman, N., K. Sagara, & U. Zeshan. 2015. Methods in Carrying out Language Typological Research. In E. Orfanidou, B. Woll, & G. Morgan (Eds.), Research Methods in Sign Language Studies: A Practical Guide, 173-192. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

  • Quer, J., C. Cecchetto, C. Donati, C. Geraci, M. Kelepir, R. Pfau, & M. Steinbach (Eds). 2017. SignGram Blueprint: A Guide to Sign Language Grammar Writing. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.

  • Rarrick, S. & B. Wilson. 2016. Documenting Hawai‘i’s Sign Languages. Language Documentation & Conservation 10(2016), 337-346.


Research ethics

  • Harris, R., H. M. Holmes, & D. M. Mertens. 2009. Research Ethics in Sign Language Communities. Sign Language Studies 9(2), 104-131.

  • Hochgesang, J. A. 2015. Ethics of researching signed languages: The case of Kenyan Sign Language (KSL). In A. C. Cooper & K. K. Rashid (Eds.), Signed Languages in Sub-Saharan Africa: Politics, citizenship and shared experiences of difference, 11-30. Washington, DC : Gallaudet University Press.

  • Singleton, J. L., G. Jones, & S. Hanumantha. 2014. Toward Ethical Research Practice With Deaf Participants. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics 9(3), 59-66.

  • Singleton, J. L., A. J. Martin, & G. Morgan. 2015. Ethics, Deaf-Friendly Research, and Good Practice When Studying Sign Languages. In E. Orfanidou, B. Woll, & G. Morgan (Eds.), Research Methods in Sign Language Studies: A Practical Guide, 7-20. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.


The Sign Language Linguistics Society has an official ethics statement for sign language research (take note: not everyone follows the orthographic convention of spelling "Deaf" and "Deaf communities" to refer to all deaf peoples and signing communities).


Reflexivity in research

  • Dikyuva, H., C. E. Escobedo Delgado, S. Panda, & U. Zeshan. 2012. Working with village sign language communities: Deaf fieldwork researchers in professional dialogue. In U. Zeshan & C. de Vos (Eds.), Sign Languages in village communities : anthropological and linguistic insights, 313-344. Berlin: de Gruyter.

  • Hou, L. Y-S. 2017. Negotiating language practices and language ideologies in fieldwork : A reflexive meta-documentation. In A. Kusters, M. de Meulder, & D. O'Brien (Eds.), Innovations in deaf studies: The role of deaf scholars, 339-359. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

  • Kusters, A. 2012. Being a deaf white anthropologist in Adamorobe: Some ethical and methodological issues. In U. Zeshan & C. de Vos (Eds.), Sign Languages in village communities : anthropological and linguistic insights, 27-52. Berlin: de Gruyter.

  • Kusters, A. M. J., S. Sahasrabudhe, & A. Gopalakrishnan. 2016. A reflexive report on filmmaking within a linguistic ethnography with deaf and hearing people in Mumbai. (MMG Working Papers; No. 16-04). Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity.