TEACHING AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE WITHIN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN RUSSIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The article looks into a problem of teaching American sign language (ASL) to students with hearing impairment at the Beginning level of the university EFL program. The research is of interdisciplinary character since it is conducted as a cross-study within Linguistics and Pedagogy. The linguistic and didactic specifics of the study enabled the authors to analyze the object, which is the process of teaching ASL within inclusive education at a university. The subject of the study is constituted by the linguistic and methodological aspects of ASL teaching at the Beginning university inclusive course. The article highlights the brief history of deaf education, compares BSL and ASL and justifies the choice of the latter within Russian inclusive education. A more detailed analysis of the system and structure of ASL (its phonological, lexical and grammatical characteristics) provides a number of recommendations for teaching of the sign language speaking skills.