Unlocking the Curriculum
Johnson et al.
It has been known since the early stages of the implementation of Total Communication
that the signal in both parts of SSS utterances is flawed (Crandall, 1974, 1978; Baker, 1978;
Marmor & Petitto, 1979; Kluwin ,1981a, 1981b). The task for a hearing person attempting to speak
and sign simultaneously appears to be psychologically and physically overwhelming. Under such
difficult conditions, one or both parts of the signal will deteriorate. A hearing person will typically
begin to audit the speech portion of the signal and will allow the sign signal to deteriorate either
by omitting signs randomly or by deleting those signs that do not fit the rhythmic pattern of English
speech. At the same time, the spoken signal is typically slowed down and altered phonologically
and is often characterized by excessive halting, hesitation phenomena, repetition or other delaying
tactics. In general, the less the speech signal is altered, the more the signed signal will be
unintelligible. In our view, it is not an exaggeration to say that the signed portion of the SSS
presented in virtually all of American deaf education is only partially comprehensible, even to
skilled native signers. It is also not an exaggeration to say that often the signed portion of the SSS
in American classrooms is largely unintelligible.
Johnson and Erting (in press) examined the sign supported speech productions of a hearing
preschool teacher interacting with four-year-old deaf children. An excerpt from the transcript of
her productions is presented below. In the transcript, the elipses (...) indicate intervening sentences
by a child. Vocal English is in italics; sign glosses are in upper case. Signs in which the hand
configuration corresponds to the first letter of a spelled English word (initialized signs) are
underscored.
TELL
SAY
HORSE RABBIT
Tell ... tell the Easter Bunny
... He said "No, he's
NO
ALL OUTSIDE
DIFFERENT COLOR Pro3
all out. You can take a different color.
FORGET TELL
THANK-YOU
...You forgot to say you've ... say thank you...
T
YOU FORGET HER
VOICE PLEASE
T says you forgot her. Use your voice please ...
ZERO ORANGE
SORRY
OUTSIDE ORANGE PICK
No orange. He's sorry but he's out of orange. Pick another color.
OTHER COLOR
ZERO PURPLE WHAT
WRONG TOGETHER-WITH EASTER DEVIL
No purple? What's wrong with this Easter Bunny? ...
Pro3 CAN'T HEAR YOU Pro3 CAN'T HEAR YOU
Well, tell him. He can hear you. He can hear you. ...
I THINK I FREEZE GREEN TOGETHER-WITH YELLOW FLOWER LOC-ON I-T
Ah, I think I want a green one with yellow flowers on it.
SASLJ, Vol. 2, No. 2 – Fall/Winter 2018
96