Deaf Culture Terminology: Part 2

Written Communication

A form of communication by writing with pad and pencil

Audiogram

A graph that shows how much a person can hear in a certain range of frequencies, usually between 250 and 8,000 Hz

deaf

A medical/audiological term referring to those people who have little or no functional hearing (deaf, Deaf, and deafened). May also be used as a collective noun ("the deaf" and "small-d deaf") to refer to people who are medically deaf but who do not necessarily identify with the Deaf community. In addition, children who are deaf are usually referred to as "deaf" because they may not yet have been socialized into either the Deaf or the non-Deaf culture. If they use Sign as their first language, they are referred to as "Deaf".

Deaf (big-D)

A sociological term referring to those individuals who are medically deaf or hard of hearing who identify with and participant in the culture, society, and language of Deaf people, which is based on Sign Language. Their preferred mode of communication is Sign.

Deaf-mute

An unacceptable term in the Deaf community. Used during 18th-19th century. A deaf person may choose not to use his/her voice; this does not make him/her a "mute".

Deafness

Complete or near complete hearing loss in one or both ears; medically qualifies as "profoundly deaf"

Postlingually deaf

Deafened in infancy after acquiring functional speech; one who became deaf after acquiring speech; can also be late-deafened

Prelingually deaf

Deafened in infancy before acquiring functional speech; one who became deaf before acquiring speech

Hard of Hearing (HOH)

Describes people with any degree of hearing loss with some amount of useful residual hearing which enables them to understand some speech with or without use of hearing aids. Hard of hearing people are generally oralists (use their voices) and participate in society by using residual hearing plus hearing aids, speechreading, and assistive technology to aid communication; one who had partial hearing loss in one or both ears; medically speaking, the ability to hear qualifies as hard of hearing.

Unilateral hearing loss

Hearing loss in one ear

Sign Language

Means of communication using hand motion, facial expression, and body movement. Different kinds of sign language include American Sign Language, Signed English, and Signed Pidgin. All sign languages may reflect regional preferences or differences in signs used, much as spoken language has regional differences.

Late-deafened

One who had hearing loss later in life; typically used to refer to those who became deaf in adulthood

Deaf and Dumb

People who do not speak; an archaic term that is considered offensive; a term used during medieval English era; the granddaddy of all negative labels pinned on deaf and hard of hearing people.

Manual Alphabet

Positions of the hands and fingers representing the letters of the alphabet used for rudimentary communication or for spelling or clarifying words for which there is no sign.

Deaf Culture

Shared arts, customs, folklore, history, traditions, and values representing diversity in the deaf community.

French Sign Language (FSL)

Sign language of the deaf in France. French Sign Language is related and partially ancestral to Dutch Sign Language (NGT), German Sign Language (DGS), Flemish Sign Language (VGT), Belgian-French Sign Language (LSFB), Irish Sign Language (ISL), American Sign Language (ASL), Quebec Sign Language (LSQ), and Russian Sign Language (RSL)

British Sign Language

Sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK). Records exist of a sign language existing within deaf communities in Britain as far back as 1570.

Deaf Community

Term referring to groups of deaf and hearing individuals who share common interests, such as an interest in people with hearing loss, the use of sign language, and shared experiences with deaf culture.

American Sign Language (ASL)

The predominant sign language used by culturally Deaf Americans

Hearing Impaired

This term is not acceptable in referring to people with a hearing loss. "Hearing impairment" is a medical condition; it is not a collective noun for people who have varying degrees of hearing loss. It also fails to recognize the differences between the Deaf and the hard of hearing communities.

D/deaf

Used as a collective noun to refer to both those "Deaf" people who identify with Deaf culture and those "deaf" people who do not deafened (also known as late-deafened). This is both a medical and sociological term referring to individuals who have become deaf later in life and who may not be able to identify with either the Deaf or the hard of hearing communities.

Hearies

a label for Hearing people.

Deafies

a label for the d/Deaf people

Hearing

a term used by the Deaf community to describe someone who has the ability to "hear"

Hearing Loss

an inability to perceive the normal range of sounds audible to an individual with normal hearing

Oral Deaf

any deaf person who has the ability to lip-read/speech-read and can often communicate through voicing

Degree of hearing loss

any degree of impairment of the ability to apprehend sound - Normal Hearing - Mild Hearing Loss - Moderate Hearing Loss - Moderately Severe Hearing Loss - Severe Hearing Loss - Profound Hearing Loss

Congenitally deaf

born deaf

Adventitiously deaf

deaf due to illness, accident, or other condition