Award Date
5-15-2026
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
First Committee Member
Jarret Keene
Second Committee Member
John Hay
Third Committee Member
Gary Totten
Fourth Committee Member
Benita Brooks
Number of Pages
94
Abstract
This paper analyzes the book True Biz by Sara Novic with particular attention given to the socio-cultural and historical aspects of the story as well as the postmodern construction of the novel. The narrative of a young girl transferring to a Deaf school and learning American Sign Language features numerous translanguaging characteristics. This essay pays close attention to story elements and how those elements highlight significant aspects of Deaf culture and Deaf history as well as how the postmodern construction of the novel enables a book to feature two differing language systems, namely written English and printed American Sign Language.
Keywords
Deaf culture; Deaf studies; Literature; Postmodern; Translanguaging
Disciplines
American Literature | American Sign Language | Arts and Humanities
File Format
File Size
3500 KB
Degree Grantor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Language
English
Repository Citation
O'brien, Elysha, "True Biz: A Fusion of Written English and Printed ASL" (2026). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 5598.
https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/5598
Rights
IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/