But does it count? Reflections on “signing” as a foreign language
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This article addresses a number of common confusions that characterize much of the debate about the status of American Sign Language (ASL) as a foreign language option. The article begins with a broad overview of the nature and characteristics of different kinds of signing as they are used in the deaf culture and between the deaf and hearing worlds. Next it moves to a discussion of some of the concerns and issues that have been raised in recent years with respect to the question of whether learning to sign ought to count as a foreign language in various American educational institutions and settings. It then focuses on the issue of selecting and evaluating both instructors and curricular materials for ASL classes. It concludes with an explanation of some of the political and ideological issues that the inclusion of ASL as a foreign language appears to have raised. Deaf culture and its relationship with the wider society is discussed at length in postmodern, critical terms.