With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Claire Ramsey will conduct 18 months of sociolinguistic research on Mexican Sign Language. She and her consultants will survey 30-40 users of this language, the youngest of whom are in their mid-60s. The project's first stage will emphasize life histories; the second stage will emphasize analysis of relational features and region and coding for verb/classifier features. This project is significant for three main reasons: (1) It will enhance the already-established network of US and Mexican researchers who are collaborating on sign language research. (2) The project's archive of Mexican Sign Language samples will be available to Deaf and hearing teachers of deaf children, to interpreters, and to the Mexico City Deaf community. (3) The research will add to knowledge about processes of maintenance and morbidity in sign languages.
