Adam C. Schembri is Director of the Centre for Research on Language Diversity and teaches on the Linguistics program at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Ceil Lucas is Emerita Professor of Linguistics at Gallaudet University, where she taught from 1982 to 2013.

'Seminal scholars in the field synthesize and reflect on an impressive span of research questions, approaches, and illustrative data … A very welcome resource for teachers and scholars in this field.' Rachel McKee, Victoria University of Wellington

• 1. Introduction Adam C. Schembri and Ceil Lucas; 2. Sign languages in the world Jordan Fenlon and Erin Wilkinson; 3. Sign languages in contact David Quinto-Pozos and Robert Adam; 4. Variation and change in sign languages Robert Bayley, Adam C. Schembri and Ceil Lucas; 5. Discourse analysis and sign languages Elizabeth A. Winston and Cynthia Roy; 6. Language policy and planning in Deaf communities Josep Quer and Ronice Müller de Quadros; 7. Language attitudes in Deaf communities Joseph C. Hill.

Adam C. Schembri is Director of the Centre for Research on Language Diversity and teaches on the Linguistics program at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Ceil Lucas is Emerita Professor of Linguistics at Gallaudet University, where she taught from 1982 to 2013.

'Seminal scholars in the field synthesize and reflect on an impressive span of research questions, approaches, and illustrative data … A very welcome resource for teachers and scholars in this field.' Rachel McKee, Victoria University of Wellington

• 1. Introduction Adam C. Schembri and Ceil Lucas; 2. Sign languages in the world Jordan Fenlon and Erin Wilkinson; 3. Sign languages in contact David Quinto-Pozos and Robert Adam; 4. Variation and change in sign languages Robert Bayley, Adam C. Schembri and Ceil Lucas; 5. Discourse analysis and sign languages Elizabeth A. Winston and Cynthia Roy; 6. Language policy and planning in Deaf communities Josep Quer and Ronice Müller de Quadros; 7. Language attitudes in Deaf communities Joseph C. Hill.