ABSTRACT The Communicative Grammar for Cyprus Sign Language (CSL) is the second among three educational products in DVD as well as in conventional book form with paedagogic expedience and utility. These products have been the goal of an official linguistic project on CSL documentation, the other two products being the CSL traditional Type Grammar and the CSL Conceptual Lexicon.

The three-year-project (2007-2010) on CSL documentation being implemented by the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture with collaboration of the Cyprus School for the Deaf and the Cyprus Federation of the Deaf, pertaining to Law 66(I)2006 regarding official recognition of CSL, aims to a systematic and complete documentation of CSL lexicon and grammar by means of theoretical and applied linguistics.

CSL documentation meets the following standards:

1.  Reliable reference basis for promoting the instrumental (communicative- functional) as well as the symbolic (sociocultural) value of CSL;

2.  Reliable and effective background for educating the Deaf in Cyprus through bilingual education approach (via CSL & Greek);

3.  Basis for systematic and methodic teaching and learning of CSL; and

4.  Reliable reference for training interpreters of CSL/Greek as well as CSL trainers for adults.

The communicative grammar of CSL is an educational tool describing and explaining the CSL structure and function in a convenient, lively and friendly manner. It is designed chiefly for pupils and students of CSL having the desire to learn the grammar of this language without linguistic terms. The communicative character has to do with the consecutive flow of the content in order to help the users keep their interest alive, as well as with the presentation of the content in the form of spontaneous dialogues between two persons. One person wants to learn and asks the other person about grammar topics, while the other person explains the topics.

The content of this product is arranged in six chapters. The first chapter deals with the way of constructing CSL words by means of their building blocks.

The second chapter deals with word categories in CSL, showing a communicative way to realize and remember the various parts of speech in CSL.

The third chapter deals with CSL word change, giving intuition on the various ways in which CSL words change in order to modify and enhance language expression.

The fourth chapter deals with the construction of CSL sentences, explaining the sentence terms in a lively manner.

The fifth chapter deals with CSL sentence enrichment in local, temporal and modal terms.

The sixth chapter deals with actual CSL use in everyday interaction containing topics such as affirmative, interrogative and negative declaration types, speech acts, emphasis, narration, sentence binding and use of space in CSL.

Πατήστε εικόνα για μεγέθυνση