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Mary Edward

Dr. Mary Edward’s research takes a multimodal, multilingual dimension to language, spoken and signed. In her current position as a Postdoctoral researcher at the Language, Memory and Brain Lab, she is working with Professor Elisabeth Service on a project investigating the effect of working in a second language on strategic thinking. This project also aims to investigate the implications of using a second language in organizational contexts.

Expandable List

edwarm30@mcmaster.ca / mayeddie60@gmail.com

Akanlig-Pare G., & Edward, M. (forthcoming). Cultural stigmatization and linguistic prejudice in Deaf Education inGhana. Oxford Handbook of Language and Prejudice.

Edward, M. (forthcoming). Signing out: Linguistic contact and possible endangerment of the Adamorobe Sign Language. In Studies in Indigenous African Signed and Spoken Languages [SIASSL]. Cambridge Scholar Publishing.

Edward, M. (forthcoming). Iconicity in lexical and grammatical categories in Adamorobe Sign Languages. In In Asonye, E. et al (eds.). Studies in Indigenous African Signed and Spoken Languages [SIASSL]. Cambridge Scholar Publishing.

Edward, M., Nyarko, M.S. & Akrasi Sarpong, E. (2023). Access to sign language interpretation during COVID-19. In Henaku, N., Agbozo, G.E., & Nartey, M. (Eds.). Communicative Perspectives on COVID-19 in Ghana: At the Intersection of Culture, Science, Religion and Politics (1st ed.), 144-159. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003330042

Edward, M. (2023). Multilingualism in Adamorobe and the Case for Adamorobe Sign Language (AdaSL). In Julia Gspandl, Christina Korb, Angelika Heiling and Elizabeth J. Erling, The Power of Voice in Transforming Multilingual Societies, 3-21. Multilingual Matters.

Edward, M. (2022). Child language acquisition research on indigenous African sign languages: A commentary on Kidd and Garcia (2022). First Language, 42(6), 756–759. https://doi.org/10.1177/01427237221104049

Edward, M. (2022). Challenges and opportunities of teaching in multilingual Deaf Communities in Sub- Saharan Africa. In Erasmos Charamba ed. Handbook of Research on Teaching in Multicultural and Multilingual Contexts, 225-244. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-5034-5.ch013

Asonye, E. & Edward., M (2022). Deaf education and signed language situation in Ghana and Nigeria: Six decades after Andrew Foster. Yaw Nyadu Offei and Elisa M. Maroney, eds. Signed Languages, Interpreting, and the Deaf Community in Ghana and West Africa, 27-57. Oregon: Open Oregon Educational Resources.

Edward, M. & Akanlig-Pare, G. (2022). Education and Language: A case study of deaf persons in Adamorobe. In Yaw Nyadu Offei and Elisa M. Maroney, eds. Signed languages, Interpreting, and the Deaf Community in Ghana and West Africa, 58-84 Oregon: Open Oregon Educational Resources.

Edward, M. & Akanlig-Pare, G. (2021). Sign language research in Ghana: An overview of Indigenous and foreign-based sign languages. Journal of African Languages and Literatures. Vol. 2. 114-137. https://doi.org/10.6092/jalalit.v2i2.8039

Edward, M. (2021). African sign languages are not American product: Indigenous African Deaf People and indigenous African Sign Languages. Academia Letters, Article 426. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL426.

Akanlig-Pare, G. & Edward, M. (2020). Societal Perception of Hearing Impairment in Ghana: A Report on Adamorobe. Lancaster University Ghana Journal on Disability Vol. 2:62-84. Lancaster University Ghana.

Edward, M. (2020). Lexical Iconicity in Ghanaian Sign language and Adamorobe Sign Language. In Nina Pawlak and Izabela Will, eds. Languages of West Africa. Linguistic Theory and Communication, 230-251. Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego.

Asonye, E., Edward., M & Asonye, E.E. (2020). Linguistic genocide against development of signed languages in Africa. In Eno-Absai Urua, et al. African Languages in Time and Space: A Festschrift in Honour of Professor Akinbiyi Akinlabi, 337-359. Ibadan: Zenith BookHouse.

Agbozo, G. E., Edward, M., & Inusah, F. (2019). “Onaapo” vs. “One Factory”: A critical discourse analysis of Ghanaian political campaign lyrics (2012-2016). In U. Onyebadi, ed. Music and Messaging in the African Political Arena, 221-240. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7295-4.ch012

Edward, M. (2018). Behind the veil: The impact of deafness on rural livelihoods in Ghana (Case study of a Deaf couple in Adamorobe). Lancaster University Ghana Journal on Disability (LUGJD) Vol. 1. 126-148. Lancaster University Ghana.

Asonye, E., Asonye, E-A., & Edward, M. (2018). Deaf in Nigeria: A preliminary study on isolated Deaf communities. Sage Open 8(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018786538

Edward, M. (2018). Our signs matter: Protecting sign language in Adamorobe (Ghana). In Taofiki Koumakpai, et al. Language and Literature for Communication in Human Societies: Papers in Honour of Late Dr (Mrs) Elisabeth Amagah De Campos, 277-288. Porto Novo: Panafrican University Institute.

Edward, M. (08/01/2021). Investigating form-meaning mappings in lexical and grammatical categories in sign languages. Oral presentation at the Conference of Indigenous Hands and Voices of African Identity (IHAVAIC21). https://www.s-deli.org/indigenous-hands-and-voices-of-african-identity/

Edward, M & Perniss, P. (31/08/2020). Simultaneous constructions in Ghanaian Sign Language and Adamorobe Sign Language. Oral Presentation at the 50th Colloquium on African Language and Linguistics (CALL, Virtual Conference), Leiden University (The Netherlands) https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2020/08/call-2020

Edward, M. & Perniss, P. (27/09/ 2019). Encoding spatial information in two sign languages: A Comparison of Ghanaian (GSL) and Adamorobe (AdaSL) Sign Languages. Oral presentation at the 13th International Conference on Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research (TISLR), 26-28 September, Hamburg https://www.idgs.uni-hamburg.de/en/tislr2019.html

Edward, M. (06/06/2019). Language of the hands: Comparing signers and gesturers representation of lexical items. Poster presentation at the Multimodality Conference (6-7 June 2019), University of Cologne. https://lingcologne.uni-koeln.de/

Edward, M. (03/05/2019). Patterned iconicity for different semantic categories: Evidence from sign languages and gestures. Oral presentation at the International Symposium on Iconicity in Language and Literature (ILL- 12), Lund University, Swedenhttps://konferens.ht.lu.se/en/ill-12/

Edward, M. (26/09/2018). Lexical Iconicity in Ghanaian Sign language and Adamorobe Sign Language. Oral presentation at the Symposium on West African Languages, University of Warsaw (Poland)http://www.afrykanistyka.uw.edu.pl/konferencje/sywal2018

Edward, M., Asonye, E., Emma-Asonye., E., Oluwasola, A. & (26/09/2018). Sign Languages in Africa and the Foster Legacy: Solving the Paradox. Oral presentation presented at the Symposium on West African Languages, University ofWarsaw (Poland) http://www.afrykanistyka.uw.edu.pl/konferencje/sywal2018

Edward, M., & Perniss, P. (13/09/2018) Lexical Comparison of Ghanaian Sign Language and Adamorobe Sign Language. Oral presentation at the Annual Conference of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain (LAGB), University of Sheffield(UK) http://www.lagb.org.uk/

Edward, M. (01/09/2018). Patterned Iconicity in Ghanaian Sign Language and Adamorobe Sign Language. Oral presentation at the Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics (CALL 2018) University of Leiden, Netherlandshttps://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2018/08/call-2018

Edward, M. (10/03/2017). Behind the veil: The impact of deafness on rural livelihoods in Ghana (Case study of a deaf couple in Adamorobe). Oral presentation at the Interdisciplinary Conference: Disability and Development II: Making Ghana anenabling environment. Lancaster University, Ghana Campus.

Edward, M. (12/11/2016). Our signs matter: Protecting sign language in Adamorobe Ghana. Poster presentation atthe Bridging the Gap 4 Conference, University of Brighton, UK.

Edward, M. (27/05/2015). Pictures in the air: Iconicity in the Adamorobe Sign Language. Poster presentation at the Milanguage Spring School, University of Milan-Biccoca, Italy. https://sites.google.com/site/bicoccalanguagespringschool/

Edward, M. (22/05/2015). Signing Out: Linguistics contact and possible endangerment of the Adamorobe Sign Language. Oral presentation at British Association for Applied Linguists (BAAL) Special Interest Group Conference, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.

Edward, M. (26/08/2014). The Semantics of Expressive Interjections in Akan. Oral presentation at the Colloquium onAfrican Language Linguistics (CALL), Leiden University, Netherlands.

Edward, M. (24/07/2014). The Phonology and the Morphology of the Ghanaian Sign language. Oral presentation atthe ATELIER International Conference, Abidjan, Cote d’lvoire.