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E. Mara Green headshot

 

On March 11, 2022, E. Mara Green,  assistant professor of anthropology, published a new article in the journal American Anthropologist. The research titled, “The eye and the other: Language and ethics in deaf Nepal,” examines interactions between deaf and hearing people in Nepal, which were conducted through natural signs involving small repertoires of conventional signs complemented by iconic and indexical strategies. To examine this, Green uplifts Nepali Sign Language users’ insights on academic theories of interaction, pragmatics, and semiotics. She then demonstrates the high stakes for deaf natural signers, who are rendered intelligible or unintelligible by “ordinary” ethical actions of their interlocutors, or those taking part in the dialogue or conversation.