This research is designed to confirm the existence of prosodic contours and phrasal stress in the American signed language of the Deaf (ASL), and to clarify the extent to which ASL prosody is analogous to that of spoken languages. ASL sentences will be recorded on videotape for analysis. The position of the hands over the course of a phrase will be coded, and timing information collected, in order of study (1) declination, (2) final lengthening, (3) accents, (4) the effect of 'speaking up', (5) prosodic patterns in connected discourse, and (6) prosodic patterns in non-native signers. It is expected that ASL phrasal prosody will turn out to be substantially equivalent to that of spoken languages. This would indicate that phrasal prosody of the usual kind is not limited to the spoken modality, and it would suggest that the prosodic patterns of sign and speech may have a common source. Thus, this research will provide the necessary foundation for further work on the origin of formal prosodic symbols in human language. Also, this research will provide the necessary foundation for work on the prosodic adequacy of gestural systems used for teaching English to deaf children. For these children, communication difficulties seriously impair educational opportunities. If prosodic cues are as important for the acquisition of a gestured language as they are for the acquisition of a spoken language, then research on the prosodic adequacy of gestural systems used to teach English to deaf children may lead to the improvement of language instruction for the deaf. This in turn would improve the education of the deaf in general, and the quality of life for deaf adults.
