Ch. 3 Deaf Culture
What do students struggle with when learning ASL?
expressing grammar on the face (eyebrows and mouth) fingerspelling eye gaze using space to show information in 3D
Rev. Andrew Foster
first Black-Deaf person to graduate from Gallaudet Univ., brought ASL to Africa when he established many schools for deaf children there.
How Many linguistic laboratories are studying sign languages in various ways?
how sign languages emerge/evolve/are taught brain waves gesture/sign language recognition (ie: AcceleGlove) developing multi-media
How many different spoken languages are there?
over 7105
Morphology
study of how language creates new words or signs. English - you add "s" to the end of "cat" or add "more" or "many" before "cats." ASL - you can sign CAT and then point to various locations or sign CAT MANY (with wide open eyes).
Sign language linguists
study sign languages, grammar and structure
Nowadays, the more accurate term to use instead of foreign language is what?
"world languages" or "modern languages"
How many sign languages are there world wide?
137 different sign languages
When was ASL officially recognized as a foreign language in NC?
2006
How words are in English?
470,000 words
How long does it take to be fluent in ASL?
7 yrs.
How is ASL spread? and Why?
ASL is spread more "horizontally" from deaf child to other peers. The majority of parents are hearing and do not know sign language. Many deaf adults choose ASL as their preferred "primary language" even though they learned ASL later in life.
When did ASL become a language?
ASL linguistics started in 1960s, when William Stokoe determined ASL was a true language.
ASL structure
ASL uses the ordering of signs to convey relationship among signs known as structure, word order or sign order.
Who was the first student at the 1st deaf school?
Alice Cogswell, Gallaudet's neighbor, was the first student.
What are the 3 types of sign names?
Arbitrary Descriptive Mixture of Arbitrary & Descriptive (non-traditional) Remember Name signs are given to you from a Deaf person.
Black ASL
Black Deaf Americans have their own language that differs from white Deaf people's signing including sign vocabulary, grammar and signing style. Black ASL came from Black Deaf schools during the segregation era.
Certified Deaf Interpreters
CDIs - Deaf adults specially trained to facilitate language translation between ASL and English. Benefit: interpreting process is more accurate. CDIs work with hearing interpreters mainly in legal and court settings.
ASL Classifiers & Depiction
Classifiers and depicting verbs describe things, people, buildings, etc. For example, the handshape below describes a flat object with about a 1-inch thickness. Could be used to describe a book, wooden plank, etc
ASL Discourse
Discourse happens between 2 or more people. ASL has its own cultural rules with turn-taking, speaking time, eye gaze, interruptions, etc
The history of ASL can be traced back to what?
Early Spain in the 1500s Old French Sign Language Native American Sign Languages New England communities on Martha's Vineyard Home signs and gestures
Phonology
English phonology - consists of sounds and written symbols. ASL phonology is visual. Involves signs, movement and body language including arms, lips, head tilt, eye gaze, eyebrow movement, cheeks, tongue protrusions, etc.
Interesting Statistics...
From 1996 -2005: ASL at the high school level increased 4,000%. From 2006 -2013: ASL at the college level increased 3,187%. In 2015, 45 states recognize ASL as a language - ASL can be taken for course credit.
What is the most effective way to learn ASL?
Going in the Deaf community
How old is ASL?
Is nearly 300 years old
Who did Thomas Gallaudet meet?
He met Abbe De L'Eppe, a French monk, who established the first Deaf school in Paris in 1816.
Iconicity ("Motivation")
Iconicity / Motivation means the form of the word or sign looks like its meaning. The sign EAT is motivated by the act of putting food in one's mouth
Who came with Thomas Gallaudet to America?
Laurent Clerc, a French Deaf teacher, agreed to come to the U.S. with Thomas H. Gallaudet to co-establish America's first school for the deaf in 1817.
Name Signs
Marks a Deaf person's membership in the Deaf community
Why is it difficult to translate between ASL and English?
Not every ASL word has an English equivalent and vice versa Interpreters often need to use expansion and translation techniques for English words that do not have a sign (ie: toolbox - "you know red box, inside hammer, saw, screwdriver, etc." or "it's raining cats and dogs" rain, pour
How many signs are in ASL?
Number of signs difficult to count - ASL is signed, not written
New England Roots - Martha's Vineyard
Signing was prevalent on Martha's Vineyard. Why? There were high numbers of Deaf people due to intermarriage (marriage between hearing and deaf people who carried deaf genes). Everyone knew how to sign on the island, regardless whether they were deaf or hearing.
ASL is
Taught in classes Is used with children with special needs such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc.
Linguistics
The study of languages
Where is Thomas and Clerc deaf school located?
This school, now known as American School for the Deaf, is in Hartford, Connecticut.
Where did Thomas Gallaudet search for a Deaf school?
Thomas Gallaudet, an American, searched for a Deaf school in England and France to learn how to teach deaf children.
Dialect
When a language comes into contact with another language...a new dialect emerges. This occurs with age, socioeconomic class, gender, ethnicity, location, sexual orientation, etc.
Native American Roots
While many Native American tribes had their own dialect of Native American sign languages (NASL), 2/3 of them is actually an intertribal language. This allowed them to interact with each other. This was valuable for trade, story-telling, and ceremonies.
People ask...ASL is a foreign language???
Yes, because it is used by Deaf Americans who have a different culture - the Deaf culture Navajo is considered "foreign" even though it was in the U.S.
Linguists
are scientists who study languages