How Language Works: Insights from Indonesian and American Sign Languages

The USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies welcomes Dr. Purnama Rika Perdana for a talk exploring sign languages and deaf education in Indonesia and the United States.

Bahasa Isyarat Indonesia (BISINDO) has been officially used among the Indonesian deaf community since 2002, while American Sign Language (ASL) has been used in the United States since 1817. Both are well-developed signed languages and are crucial to the language development and education of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. 

Dr. Perdana’s research highlights the roles of ASL and BISINDO in their respective countries and examines artificial signed systems such as SIBI in Indonesia and SEE in the United States. By distinguishing between natural signed languages (ASL and BISINDO) and manually coded communication systems (SEE and SIBI), the study explores the bilingual-bicultural framework, showing how native signed languages can provide a strong foundation for learning English as a second or foreign language for deaf learners.
 

Bio:
Dr. Purnama Rika Perdana conducts research in English education, with a focus on inclusive approaches to teaching English to deaf students. She is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar from Indonesia, hosted by the University of Louisville in Kentucky, where she is exploring new insights and practical knowledge to support inclusive English education in Indonesia.

She is an Assistant Professor in the Postgraduate Program at Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin in Banten, Indonesia. She earned her PhD in linguistics from Universitas Indonesia.

This event is made possible by:
The Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund, Asian Studies, and Asian Pacific American Studies