ASL Culture Final

- Wh Questions--What a person did/Will do

- "do" can be signed with one hand or both - 1) name day (ex: Monday) with brows raised, 2) ask "do" with furrowed brows, leaning head slightly forward, hold the last sign - Subject Verb word order - don't need to have the "what" sign after "do" sign

- Spatial Agreement; Modifying Verb Movement

- "go to" signed moving away from body - "come here" signed moving towards body

- Signs for Seeing

- "to look for" - "to watch" - "to look at something/the act of looking" - "to notice"

- Time Concepts

- "today" sign - "yesterday" sign - "tomorrow" sign - days of the week signs - "last week" sign alone refers to the whole week - to refer to a day in the last week add the day of the week sign - same for "next week" sign

- Lengths of Time

- 1-9min; number incorporated in sign for min (10 can be but doesn't have to be) - 11+ min; sign number, then sign "min" - 1-9hours; numbers included in sign for hour - 10+ hours; sign number, then sign "hour" - two types of questions for asking how long something takes - ask: "how many min?" or "how many hours?" (ex: "homework, how many hours?")

- Strategies

- 5:1) Build a language community 2) Minimize English use 3) Focus on meaning not individual signs 4) Focus on the face (grammar! And polite) not hands 5) Show you understand (active listening)

On Canvas Units 1-2

- ASL as a Language; Liddell - ASL has its own grammar structure - ASL signs can be similar so translations not credited (ex: sign coms) aren't effective - ASL 5 parameters: Handshape (how), Location (lovely), Movement (my), Palm Orientation (pants), Facial Expression (fit) - Noun/Verb Pairs - Nouns (usually): repeated movement - Verbs (usually): continuous movement - Ex: Door, door open, car, car drive - Pronouns: - me/I, you, he/she/they/it, we/us, you-all, they/them/those; all index finger pointing - Hearing People Only: - "hearing/hearings" term used by Deaf people to describe hearing people, as though they are a minority group - feels more ingroup/outgroup distinction - may also use "hearo" - Describing People: - description/ethnicity signs

- Holcomb

- ASL literature is important, typically focuses on positive ingroup views and ignorant hearing people (ex: 'zapping' hearing people stories) and helps to give identity - can be folklore - tales of ASL being important for Deaf people/advantages of it - ASL lit is important for building culture and identity and also makes beautiful storytelling - ASL poems and songs can have many variations because of different English to ASL translation - "sign play" playful manipulation of signs has been a long tradition and fun for many Deaf clubs and schools - Handshape rhyme types; alphabetical handshape each phrase starts with a letter (start with A and go to Z), numeral handshape each phrase starts with a number and goes in order (ex: from 1-10), particular handshape poem only uses one or two handshapes, worded handshape alphabetic handshapes that correspond to how a word is spelled in English - very hard to translate ASL lit into English because it is so visual it loses meaning when put into words - Deaf song and cheers are constrained in movement parameters making a visual rhythm - pure poetry and creativity and has gained momentum over the last 50 years - English works have also been translated beautifully into ASL and some complicated poems have more meaning in the visual medium - Valli, Lentz, and Cook paved the way

- Person: Douglas Tilden

- Artist from San Francisco, first California sculptor to attain recognition and worldwide fame outside the US - Born in 1860, Deaf from scarlet fever, went to Deaf School and insisted his family learn ASL, died in 1935 - worked with clay, very well known/famous sculptor - helped form and was VP of International Deaf Congress, proposing a bill against oralism saying "sign language is our language" - Helped organize the California Associated of the Deaf - Appointed to make bronze statues up around San Francisco - was a prof at University of California before interpreters were used

- 5 signs of Audism

- Audism: discrimination or prejustice against individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing - 1) Not assisting communication, 2) Assuming Deaf/HoH can't do things, 3) Thinking Deafness is a tragedy, 4) Patronizing Deaf/HoH abilities, and 5) Employment discimination

- Double Letter Names

- Bouncing; bb, kk, ll, rr - No bounce; ss, nn, tt, ff, dd - Move sideways/not repeated; aa, ee, oo

- On Canvas Units 3-4

- Could not find Spatial Referencing for People, Places, and Things Not Present and Use of Space for Contrasting and Comparing

- Visual Way of Living

- Deaf people's vision is more accurate than hearings - Deaf Space is when spaces are laid out in a Deaf friendly way such as by having open floor plans, fewer walls, and seating so everyone can see each other - Also having mirrors strategically placed to see obstructed parts of the room or people coming from behind - Alerting systems with flashing lights for alarm and doorbells are often used - Deaf Space is becoming more popular and used in places such Gallaudet, homes, offices, senior citizen residences, and more to allow for easier communication in ASL during everyday life

-Things to remember

- English outside the classroom -There's not one to one English to ASL correspondence -Don't try to speak English and sign at the same time

- Negotiating A Signing Environment

- Go around signers whenever possible, if not pass through without ducking down or waiting for signers to acknowledge you, just walk through! Can sign excuse me while doing so - Press on shoulder or upper back (gently) and person will move, don't tap unless want the person to talk to you - Ask the person to move by pushing (gently) on shoulder in the direction the person needs to move to clear your view

- Gallaudet University

- In DC, Lincoln signed an act to establish it in 1864 - The only Deaf liberal arts university in the world - Deaf and hearing students (fluent in ASL) come from all over the US and world to study there - Graduates often become leaders in their home communities and many go on to have good jobs across the professional world - Also serves as a cultural center for ASL with the world's largest collection of Deaf language and culture documents, considered a home to many Deaf people - Schools mascot: bison

- The Radical Challenge of Building a Dorm for the Deaf

- Living and Learning Residence Hall 6 at Gallaudet built with DeafSpace in mind - gradual slopes allow people to keep conversations going without stairs and with people outside through large glass windows and doors - want to make space better for all people not just the Deaf because the design makes it more accessible for all

- Person: Clayton Valli

- Made a lasting contribution to ASL poetry and linguistics - born in MA - Schools: Austine School for the Deaf (Vermont), University of Nevada, Gallaudet, Union Institute in Ohio - deepened the research on ASL poetry - his research came at time when ASL was still only newly considered a complete language - saw parrales features of English poetry, studied rhyme, rhythm, and meter in ASL poetry - discussed common motifs, alliteration, and repetition in ASL poetry - pushed for ASL poetry to be recognized as a genre of literature - some best known works: Dandelion, Snowflake, Lone Sturdy Tree - he believed that ASL poetry was something everyone could and should make and enjoy and his work is still impactful - taught at Gallaudet University and co-wrote many books including The Gallaudet Dictionary of American Sign Language - pioneer in researching and bringing awareness to ASL poetry - passed away in 2003 - many still benefit from his work on ASL expression/poetry

- A Brief History of ASL

- Not recognized as a language until mid 1960's (always was) - Origins: Deaf communities on Martha's Vineyard and mainland villages - Indiginous and French Sign Languages blended to form ASL - Many children born Deaf don't have families that sign and embrace Deaf culture - Deaf Residential schools are very important for learning ASL - In 1880 a law was passed that supported students learning orally rather than sign language have grim consequences for the Deaf community both students and teachers alike - Babies that learn sign do better learning English and forming bond with parents - Deaf (with a capital D) is most inclusive and used most often in the Deaf community -Not signed English! And not pictures, a whole language - Getting immersed (not using English) is the best way to learn

- The Elevator Incident

- Questions from book: - 1) what does Melinda need to do? - use the restroom - 2) who does she ask for help? - the woman at the library front desk -3) what happens the first time she goes up the elevator? - the doors open on the fourth floor (where the restroom is) -4) on her third attempt, what does Melinda ask the receptionist to do? - to go with her on the elevator -5) what happens when they get to the fourth floor? - the back doors of the elevator open -6) how does Melinda react? - embarrassed

- Video Wrong Name

- Questions from the book - 1) Where did the parents go for their vacation? For how long? - They went to Mexico for one week - 2) Where did the children stay? - They stayed at their grandparents house - 3) What did the parents bring back for each child? - Sombraros - 4) What did Michelle do to her hat? What did she use? - she wrote her name on her hat. She used nail polish - 5) What happened when she looked in the mirror? - she saw the wrong name (it was backwards) - 6) How did her mother explain the problem? - her mother said the mirror was broken - 7) What does Michelle understand now that she didn't back then? - she understands now that the mirror wasn't broken that her name was backwards in it - 8) This story takes place over how many days? - a little over a week, 9 days I think

- Video If Only I Could Fly

- Questions from the book: - 1) What did Priscilla want to do? - she wanted to fly like a bird - 2) What did Priscilla's mom want Priscilla to help her with? - her mom wanted Priscilla to help her make cookies - 3) After Mom caught Priscilla eating the cookies, where did she put the cookies? - in the cupboard up high - 4) How was Priscilla able to reach the cookies? - she opened the drawers to climb up them - 5) When she heard her mother coming, what did she do? - she closed the cupboard and tried to fly away - 6) What happened to Priscilla? - she fell and broke her shoulder - 7) This story takes place over how long a period of time? - one day

- Conveying Size

- Small/smaller than expected; face scrunched/pursed lips/brows furrowed, - Avg/ordinary/comfortable; face more neutral with lips pressed together - Larger than avg/larger than expected; face similar to avg, mouth open showing teeth

- Making Connections

- Things commonly shared/asked 1) First and last name (fingerspelled), 2) ask if Deaf or hearing, 3) (if hearing) will likely be asked if learning ASL, if teacher is Deaf, first and last name of teacher, and why learning ASL, 4) (if Deaf) will likely ask where grew up, schools, and if/class of Gallaudet, 5) deepen connection by attending Deaf events and staying in touch

- Wh Questions -- Which and Contrastive Structure

- Use contrastive structure for "which" questions; give options in different spaces in front of body, then sign "which" with brows furrowed - Start on non-dominant side - Ex: "You live house (left) apt (right) which?"

- Transitions

- Use raised brows to signal the beginning of a new scene or segment

-Getting Others Attention

- Waving; causal, size depends on how far away the person is - Tapping; 2-3 times lightly but firmly on shoulder/upper arm - Using an intermediary; another person between the two trying to communicate gets the person's attention using a tap or wave

- Translating English Questions with "Do"

- What will you do? Use "do" for activities sign - Need to do/should do? Use "need" sign - Did you? Have you? Done? Use "done" sign - Do you? Raise eyebrows with yes-no questions - Doing___ when? Raise eyebrows with verb activity

- Telling Ages

- Year 1-9; palm out, index finger makes contact with chin - Year 10+; sign "old" then number (or L-shape then number) - Month 1-9; number incorporated into "month" sign, then sign "old" - Month 10+; sign number, then sign "month", then sign "old" - When asking age do "old" sign twice

- Agreement Verbs

- a verb that refers to the subject and object in its movement - usually moves from subject towards the object - show/give, move from person doing the action (showing or giving-subject) to who is receiving the action (being shown or given-object) - ask/tell - take/throw; begins at object (ex: you take from me starts at me) and ends with subject (ex: you take from me ends at you)

- Speaking in the Presence of a Deaf Person is Considered Impolite

- at Deaf gatherings and events, everyone who knows ASL at any skill level (even beginners!) should use ASL to communicate to show respect - if you know how to sign (even a little) and speak in Deaf spaces it is considered rude - if speaking to a hearing person and a Deaf person comes into the space, the person who knows sign (at any level) should try to serve as a bridge of communication between everyone, but not sign and speak at the same time - never sign and speak at the same time!

- Maintaining a Clear Sightline

- best to sit in a circle when using ASL to have clear sightlines for everyone, when this can't be possible there are some things that can be done: 1) the signer moves themselves so they can be seen clearly ex: by standing up or leaning forward, 2) the listeners can check to see if they are blocking others sightlines and if they are, can move back their chair or lean back so that they and others can see, 3) if you can see the signer do something, first try moving yourself if that doesn't work press the shoulder of the person blocking you - don't tap someone unless you want to get their attention!

- Contrastive Structure

- can use the structure to compare and contrast two things - put one topic on non dominant side (always non dominant side first) - nod and turn towards that side slightly - sign towards that side - do the same for the other topic/opposite on your dominant side

- Designating Locations for Non-Present People

- contrastive structure is only used for two people - ranking is only used for rank orders such as birth order - others situations, you designate a location for each non-present person in a horizontal arc in front of you starting on your non dominant side - always start on you non dominant side - always orient signs towards the location you designated for them - also have personal pronouns and possessive adjectives are also towards the location you designated for the person

- Yes-No Questions

- ex: "do you____?" "are you_____?" - Raise brows, lean forward on the last sign, hold the last sign until person starts to answer - Responding; nod when affirming, shake head when negating - If negating, correct the information

- Conveying Distance

- far away; tilt head, squint eyes, open mouth a little, point with arm full extended - moderate distance; tilt head, purse lips a little, point with arm moderately extended - very near; tilt head, clench teeth, turn head to dominant side, cheek almost touch shoulder, point with hand close to body

- Ranking

- fingers of non-dominant hand are used to show how many siblings there are and the birth order - point to finger corresponding to person talking about (ex: point to first finger for oldest)

- Forming Negative Responses

- first sign "no" shake head while signing "no" - repeat the question using the negative expression such as "don't like", "not", "none" (ex: "no, not married" "no, don't like pizza" "no, I have no sisters") - can also correct information with this if want (ex: "no, I have no sisters, I have 1 brother")

- Story Cohesion

- focus on; transitions (raised eyebrows), pauses, and engaging the audience - transitions have raised eyebrows! - pauses at the start and end of scene, full rest (hands at side) before continuing - engage the audience with eye contact (only break for role shifts)

- Person: Marie Jean Philip

- fought for kids to learn through ASL - Schools: American School for the Deaf in Connecticut, Gallaudet, Oberlin - RA and prof at Northeastern, Harvard, and MIT - Advocate for ASL as being recognized as a language - Studied internationally at Oberlin college - immersed in a hearing community, realized that everyone was human and that there were fewer differences between deaf and hearing than she thought originally - Bilingual Bicultural Coordinator for The Learning Center for Deaf Children (TLC) - Helped develop an ASL-written English curriculum - Worked on state of Massachusetts taskforce on Deafness and helped establish the Commision for Deafness in 1986 - She was also active in the Massachusetts State Association for the Deaf - Trailblazer in Deaf culture, sharing info and challenging others to defend the principles - Worked on the state, national, and international level - Passed away unexpectedly in 1997 - Really helped introduce bilingual and bicultural education - Marie Jean Philip ASL poetry, storytelling, and Deaf art competition started in 1997 to remember her - Compassionate, selfless, and a great leader

- Responding to Yes-No Questions

- give more than a yes or no answer, this is considered rude - correct false information if respond no (ex: no I don't live alone I live with 2 roommates) - confirm correct information if respond yes (ex: yes I do live alone) - helps move the conversation along and be more open with others

- Wh Questions--When

- in ASL "when" can only be used to ask "what day" - not used for "what time" - 1) name activity (ex: bike) with brows raised, 2) ask "when" with brows furrowed, leaning head forward slightly, hold last sign - Subject Verb word order - to ask "what time" use the "time" sign with furrowed brows

- Plural Pronouns

- indicate the number of people that did an activity - name the other people (ex: my friend, my brother) - plural pronoun used is includes yourself (don't need to say I/me) - 2 people, person on dominant side - 2-4 people plus yourself use the number tilted up and move it in a circular motion in front of you - More than 5 people use index finger pointing down to and make a circle starting on the dominant side

- Cardinal Numbers 30-66

- multiples of ten (30,40,50,60); number and then open close hand - multiples of 11 (33,44,55,66); palm down, stamping movement side to side

- Engaging the Audience

- must engage the audience in the story - make eye contact with the audience (or camera) and maintain it, only break for role shifting - be enthusiastic while telling the story to help it come alive

- Real World Orientation

- need to develop spatial awareness to be able to accurately communicate locations/directions in ASL - use to 1) point direction of home 2) indicate location where learning ASL 3) refer to a person or object in the immediate environment - Should glance quickly in the direction also

- Commonly Fingerspelled Words

- not all English words are spelled, it'd be too much - commonly fingerspelled words; short easy to fingerspell words (mostly nouns), and specific kinds in a group (ex: type of bread, housing, or material) - don't use fingerspelling to ask for the sign of something, use other techniques first

- Possessive Adjectives

- open hand followed by noun - open hand is oriented to the person who 'possesses' that noun - hand placement shows where the 'owner' is

- ASL at Work Possessive Pronouns

- possessive pronouns are done with a flat hand - my, your, your (plural), our, their

- Entrances and Exits

- practice how the the characters come into and out of the story - typically non-dominant hand is used to help keep the flow of the story - Non-dominant hand is used as a reference to show relative location

- Identifying People Who Are Present

- raise brows and keep them raised while describing until person confirms they see the person you're talking about - sign "see" as the opener in the direction of the person you want to describe - describe the person; 1) gender, 2) appearance, 3) body position/action - glance and point towards the person you're describing - listener confirms the person and may add to the description or just nod

- One-Person Role Shift -- Manner of Walking and Becoming Unstuck

- show how the character behaves, taking on manners, feelings, and actions - show not only motion, but the attitude as well - use body and eyes, looking as though you are the character looking at something

- One-Person Role Shift in Narratives

- shows how a character behaves - narrator becomes the character (ex: in Timber narrator to lumberjack)

- Two-Person Role Shift in Narratives

- shows interaction between two characters in the story - becomes each character (ex: in Timber lumberjack and doctor) - location placement of characters stays the same throughout the story - be sure to turn your head enough for the shift but not too far that the listener can't see your facial expressions - only upper body and head move for role shifts - feet don't move! - in stories make sure to pay attention to spatial agreement!

- Spatial Agreement Orienting signs to the person being referred to

- sign about the person you're talking about by placing signs in that direction (ex: sign slightly to the right if the person is on your right, slightly to the front if in front) - sign about yourself directly in front of you

- Asking What is the Sign

- sign: "sign, what?" - 5 strategies; 1) point at object and ask, 2) draw object and ask, 3) list items in a category and ask (for category name, ex: color, pets), 4) use opposites and ask, 5) describe/act out and ask - because ASL is a different language from English, fingerspelling and asking for the sign isn't a great option

- Sequencing Activities

- similar to talking about people not present, can establish activities in different places in a horizontal arc around your body - start on your non-dominant side! - use different locations to represent each activities - use the sign "done" to transition from one activity to the next - make sure "to go" shows agreement with activity established locations - raise brows and head at start of "done" transition sign, lower at end of "done" sign - when talking about going places can use sign "go to" and "leave" but only "go to" with sequencing activities

- Transitions

- some transition signs; "now", "after a long week", "the day after", "then one day", "when ____ was ready", "all of a sudden"

- Lexicalized Fingerspelling

- spelling of some words naturally change orientation of palm orientation - it's assimilation in the visual language world

- Giving Basic Directions

- start by raising brows and giving names of where directions are for - establish where you are - then give directions including facial expressions to indicate distance - if on a different floor or in a different building start by saying that

- Callis, Deaf Discrimination: The fight for Equality Continues

- the fight for equality has been going on for a long time - many times Deaf people are denied interpreters - American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was created to help, but discrimination still occurs at alarming rates - even with the act Deaf people are often denied support because of ignorance - remote interpreters are often provided which is not a good supplement for real ones, especially in medical settings - unemployment rates are high in the Deaf community - we need to abide by the ADA and not let Deaf people fall through the cracks because of ignorance and idiocracy

- Establish Tense

- time signs often used at start of sentence to establish tense - events following the signed time are assumed to take place during that time - if no time is give, it is assumed that events are in the present tense - no conjugated verbs!!! Instead an imaginary timeline with the body is used - future; move slightly forward - past; move slightly back - present; right in front of body

- Rocking Numbers 67-98

- twisting the wrist higher numbers rocked towards the body, lower numbers rocked away from the body - Lower number moves away from body, higher number moves towards body 76 -- away from body // 67 - towards the body

- Ordinal Numbers 1st-9th

- used for objects placed in order such as floors, shelves, doors, etc - hand starts sideways and twists - Not used for time or order of activities

-Ways of Communicating with Others

- ways Deaf people communicate with new signers -1) Signing, 2) gesturing/acting things out, 3) writing/typing, 4) third person (one fluent in sign) 5) lipreading and speech (not preferred) - 3 things to remember 1) let Deaf person know you sign 2) don't use English, use ASL or other nonverbal communication method, 3) let the Deaf person set the communication mode (examples above)

- Tell About An "Out of the Ordinary" Activity

- when asked what's been happening give brief description of ordinary routine and then elaborate on activity "out of the ordinary" - start with transition sign similar to number one - then, tell what happened, tell who you did activity with, tell what you did with detail, end description by commenting on experience - tell when; what day and part of day - tell with who - tell what you did - comment on the activity

- Gallaudet University's Brilliant, Surprising Architecture for the Deaf

- wide entryways, automatic doors, conversation circles, natural light - Georgetown and GW aren't as well thought out for environmental psych - Deafspace created by a person who won a competition for accessible design at Gallaudet - Hansel Bauman won and went to build at Gallaudet in 2009 - Acoustic matters too, reducing echos is important for those with hearing loss/cochlear implants - It has taken off and continues to be beneficial for Deaf students and communities

-Reading Fingerspelling

-1) work on learning letters/combos shape and movement 2) focus on first and last letters (context!) 3) ask person to respell when needed

-Person: Andrew Foster

-One of the first Black students at Gallaudet -Schools: Alabama school for the Deaf, Gallaudet, Eastern Michigan, Seattle Pacific Christain -Founded Christian Mission for the Deaf in 1956 - Worked on establishing Deaf schools in Africa to bring community and sign language there, made the first ones in Africa and 31 in total. Now over 300 -Believed freedom of communication was key to education, and that freedom could be achieved through language (sign language) -Died in a plane crash in 1987

-Wh Questions

-Who, what, when where, why, how -Furrow brows, lean forward a little without breaking eye contact with the listened, hold the last sign (the Wh-word) until person starts to answer

- Identify a person

You can identify a person through: Gender, brief description of their looks (hair color, shirt color, facial features, glasses, headwear), point out the person and glance at the person at the same time, and affirm when they listened confirms they know who you are talking about