Globalisation benefits dominant languages while simultaneously repressing languages lacking Lingua Franca status (Salomone, 2022), including regional and exogeneous languages but also Sign Languages (Millet & Estève, 2012). This presentation proposes a Critical Pedagogy-informed model for integrating Sign Language (SL) in the L2 college classroom to promote students' understanding of how concepts of norm, standard, and linguistic capital leading to discriminatory processes extend beyond traditionally conceived speech communities. In a typical course on French sociolinguistics, topics often cover regional languages, linguistic innovation, and issues of language and identity such as non-sexist language. A topic not usually considered is LSF, a variety of sign language used by about 100,000 hearing-impaired people in France. In this empirical study situated at the intersection of Critical Language Awareness, Social Justice and Inclusivity (Glynn et al., 2020), and Transformative Learning (Mezirow, 2000), I argue that (French) SL has its place in the L2 curriculum to enhance the representation of marginalized "voices" and to support the development of learners as engaged citizens. I illustrate such integration in an undergraduate introduction to French sociolinguistics (enrollment: 10) through the inclusion of a unit on LSF to challenge student perspectives on the linguistic landscape in France and address common misconceptions surrounding SL. The presentation opens with a brief discussion on the state of SL in undergraduate L2 curricula and situates the inclusion of SL education within a CLA and Social Justice framework. Next I describe the unit design, organized around a lecture on SL as a linguistic system, the discussion of an assigned reading on a mixed (deaf and hearing students) classroom environment (Feuilladieu et al., 2021), and movie excerpts (La famille Bélier, 2014; CODA, 2022), before analyzing the impact on student learning growth. Learning outcomes were measured through written answers to questions on the assigned reading, a reflective essay, and test questions. Student answers demonstrated raised awareness that 1) signed languages constitute fully-fledged linguistic systems, 2) like other natural languages, SL exhibits variation, and 3) the Deaf community often has to adapt to the dominant norm, resulting in social and scolarization challenges. Student comments highlight the transformative effect of learning about LSF, leading to new world views on SL both in the French and American cultural settings.
References
Feuilladieu, S., Assude, T., Tambone, J., & Millon-Fauré, K. (2021). Être scolarisé dans un parcours bilingue langue des signes française-français écrit : ce qu'en disent les élèves sourds et entendants. Alter, 15(3), 203-215.
Glynn, C., Wesely, P., & Wassell, B. (2020). Words and Actions: Teaching Languages Through the Lens of Social Justice. ACTFL.
Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning as Transformation: Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress. Bass.
Millet, A., & Estève, I. (2012). La querelle séculaire entre l'oralisme et le bilinguisme met-elle la place de la langue des signes française (lsf) en danger dans l'éducation des sourds ? Cahiers de l'Observatoire des pratiques linguistiques, 3, 161-175. PU d'Orléans.
Salomone, R. (2022). The Rise of English: Global politics and the power of language. Oxford UP.
