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Torso articulation in sign languages is mentioned variably in the linguistic analysis of sign languages but is often ignored. The prevailing idea seems to be that detailed study of movement of the parts of the torso will yield little insight into linguistic matters – so mentions can be general and brief. The result is that torso articulations are an unmined area – perhaps one that holds treasures, particularly regarding the appreciation of creative sign language. We draw together the findings of other research regarding torso articulation, then give an inventory of possible torso articulations, exemplified with signs from dozens of the world's named sign languages, and a brief overview of how annotation systems have approached torso movement in signs. We end with suggestions for how the study of torso articulation can open new avenues of sign language research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite research commenting on and analyzing signed poetry, there is little research exploring the aims and intentions of the signing poets. This paper considers the producers of signed poetry, rather than their products. Using material gathered from interviews with three established signing deaf poets, we consider what they hope to achieve when they perform their poetry, including who they aim their work at, and how their perceived audiences influence their performances. This allows us to understand more clearly what challenges audiences face when trying to understand the poetry and how the poets can help audiences meet those challenges. We find that signing poets understand how deaf audiences have been conditioned to respond to poetry, and create connections between themselves and deaf audiences by using the shared specific cultural and linguistic experiences of deaf people. Although deaf audiences are their ultimate preferred audiences, poets welcome hearing audiences, especially if their engagement with the poetry leads to increased understanding of Deaf culture or encourages them to learn sign language. The close, embodied relationship between the poet, poem, and audience makes them inseparable. Written poetry may be abstracted and contained in a book; in contrast, the signing poet is, in effect, the book.

Deaf teachers around the world have folk models and beliefs that reflect their understanding of what deaf children need to learn in order to develop healthy identities as deaf people. In this research we report what teachers from England, the USA and Mexico have told us about using creative signing with deaf children. Themes emerging from our data suggest that some deaf folk beliefs vary across national boundaries but that assumptions about deaf ways to foster learning are remarkably similar in all three countries. This suggests that there is something quintessentially deaf about these assumptions that exist alongside formal training or national heritage. In interviews deaf teachers told us that deaf children learn by being engaged, by participating in the group and by using sign language for themselves--and that signed narratives facilitate all three of these learning strategies. A second emergent theme covers the teachers' beliefs about specific abilities and knowledge that deaf children need to learn, and that their teachers help them learn. In all three countries, teachers reported using signed stories to help the children learn to communicate and interact, to have fun with signing and to see what is possible for deaf people to achieve. (Contains 1 footnote.)