Findings of a study involving two groups of teachers of the deaf (those who used oral language only and those who used total communication) revealed no differences in teachers' use of nonliteral language. Reduced use of idiomatic language occurred in both oral and sign communication, only when total communication was used. (CL)

Simultaneous communication used by four teachers in formal lessons was investigated, to determine the extent to which signs and speech matched and to delineate factors predicting communication behavior. Simultaneous communication was found to be sign-driven or speech-driven depending on factors such as student comprehension, teacher's expertise,…

This paper argues that current practices in total communication classrooms have basically assigned the responsibility of communication to hearing-impaired students who must adapt to the variation in communication behaviors displayed by each of their teachers. The paper advocates use of a model communication and language policy designed to…