Check out the book "Deaf in America, Voices from a Culture." Meet the deadlines below by READING and posting to the blog. For each blog post please include 2 quotes and a page number. Read what others have said. Your entry in that blog shows me you read that chapter. BONUS: Comment / Post to 7 of the 8!
This chapter starts out with talking about how as long as hearing people have been in society Deaf people have. "Sophia Fowler Gallaudet had an older Deaf sister and a Deaf cousin who lived across the street"(57). For people who have grown up with Deaf people really don't see Deaf people as any different than themselves. For example, my first grade teacher taught my class a little bit of sign language and some Spanish so having my teacher teach in different languages wasn't weird to me. Verditz had an idea that signed languages come from spoken languages, English and ASL are similar and different from each other having English as my first language has helped me learn ASL but the sentence structures are very different from English. Sign language is a visual language and it is like drawing pictures while you are communicating which is why I personally think sign is super fascinating to watch. Sign language has come a long way. An editorial that was published in 1950 talks about how "the sign language is in danger of becoming a lost art" (60). Sign language has only grown in popularity standing at the third most common language in America. There are still a lot of people today who don't know ASL but there are people learning everyday to work in the Deaf community. Just like now a days we don't talk exactly the way our grandparents talk sign language has changed maybe for the better maybe not but as the world evolves and all languages change so does ASL and there is nothing wrong with that just times are changing which means so are languages. Many older people who know sign think that people today are using short cuts but the language is just changing with the time, even though times are changing ASL is still the same language is has always been.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter discussed a lot of different components of Deaf culture. It began with a quote that reminded me of the book’s previous chapter. It stated, “…believed, as was customary in his time, that signed languages are derived from spoken languages” (57). This made me think about my reflection on the blog for the last chapter, as well as my pre-ASL ignorance of thinking that ASL was derived from spoken language entirely. As the book moved on to speak about the “gesturing languages” of monks and tribes, I was fascinated! I had no idea such a thing existed, a gestural language as a supplement to a group’s spoken language. Continuing, the book read, “…in the faces of opinions of others about signed language…what kind of theories did Deaf people themselves develop about their language” (59). Immediately before reading that line, I had been wondering the same thing, as well as hoping it did not make their opinions of themselves negative. The book stated that in the past, sign used to be viewed as something that, when used, limited a person. After taking three years of ASL I realize this is not true, virtually anything can be communicated through sign: legal documents, rare diseases, complicated political opinions and poignant emotion. The book spoke about how Hearing people identified “mastery” of sign, stating that clear-cut and crisp signing signified a total grasp of the language. This does not seem right to me in many ways, largely because no sign is the same when signed by different people. Some signers are fluid, some are choppy, some are relaxed, and some are very tense-all can be considered fluent. It was interesting to read about how ASL grammar was not always a thing. I have become so used to translating English grammar to ASL grammar that it is done without a second thought. It seems “off” to me to sign using English grammar. Lastly, the book continually stated that in the past, people viewed the Deaf as lesser for being “dependent” on their language. My first thought was, “aren’t we all”. If a Spanish speaker had their knowledge of the language taken away, they would be unable to communicate, and therefore are dependent on their language. Most every person is dependent on their language.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was really eye opening for me. Being hearing in a hearing world you live your life as part of the majority. Deafness becomes background knowledge for some but anyone who knows about deafness probably knows that it is a small group of people. I know I rarely experienced Deaf people before taking ASL. And now I still rarely see Deaf people but I see them more so because I am looking for them. Of course I see the issue from only my perspective but this book showed me the other side of the coin. "Given that they live within the world of others, is a science about Deaf people a science of themselves or one given o them by others" (57)? Being the majority, hearing people put minorities in a box. It is very possible that the majority knowledge of Deaf people came from the majority's outside observation. That may lead to the widespread misinformation we have today. "The implication for Deaf people who use signed languages is clear: their choice makes them lesser humans, unable to achieve their ultimate potential. These beliefs were not based on the analysis of sign languages, but rather on impressionistic evidence that was allowed to take on scientific weight" (59). It's sad to think that an entire culture and group or people can so easily be boxed in by an outside group. I think this look inside of the Deaf culture and how Deafies see the world is invaluable. They really have been oppressed and it's sad to see.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter discusses the many connotations of signed language, whether positive or negative, and how Deaf people fit in with mainstream society. An overlying theme of this chapter was the discussion that many people viewed that signed language is not a “real” language, thus any human who uses it is therefore made less. The author writes, “The implication for Deaf people who use signed languages is clear: their choice makes them lesser humans, unable to achieve their ultimate human potential” (59). Of course, using signed language does not make a person any less intelligent than someone else, the same as a Deaf person choosing to learn to speak English doesn’t make them any better than anyone else. Sadly, not everyone realizes this because they do not view sign language as the real and complex language it truly is. The chapter also discussed the changes in grammatical structure in ASL, creating new variation of it, because of the influence of English. The author is referring to Signing Exact English, Seeing Essential English or SEE, which “were created by committees of educators for the purpose of teaching English to deaf children” (64). While this concept seems like it could be a way to do it’s purpose, to help deaf children learn English easier by having a signed language with the same grammatical structure as English, it is not an inherited language that has been used and evolved over many years, but rather a man made language. Still, whether a person chooses to learn SEE or ASL or to be oral should be their own choice no matter what and other people don’t have the right to judge them or assume one person to be lesser than another.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter delves into the idea that Deaf people have, for the most part, lived in someone else's world. A predominant theme in this chapter is the view that signed language is not as "formal" of a language as spoken language, and doesn't have rules or grammar like spoken language. The author writes "The editorial writer subscribes to a long tradition of describing his language as lacking any internal organization or structure"(60). This way of thinking seems like a product of living in a world where your language is not the norm and in which you told by others that your mode of communication is incorrect. However, this chapter also explores the deeper held feelings towards their language that Deaf people hold themselves. The author writes "That they live with others' theories while maintaining separate theories of their own is a tribute to the powerful possibilities of their culture"(70). I think this means that there are many examples of Deaf people expressing the ideas of others concerning their language, while also showing their own ideas about their language in a less obvious way, and that this is an effect of them living in a world where spoken language is seen as the normal language, but signed language is the normal language in your own life.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter really explains how deaf people have been living in a hearing world. One quote from the chapter that made me mad was. "The implication for Deaf people who used signed language is clear: their choice makes them lesser humans, unable to achieve their ultimate human potential" (59). This quote really grinds my gears. Using sign language is in no way a test of one's intelligence, it is simply a language they use to communicate. The author uses this quote to deepen his writings about other people's views on sign language. This is more of a pathological view on the issue. Anyone who doesn't speak is considered dumb. You must speak the be smart. That is a bunch of bologna. They are communicating differently, so what. They can still learn just as well and be smarter than the people who said this. The chapter also began to describe how, "the sign language is in danger of becoming a lost art unless something is done by the deaf to keep it at a standard where it can be considered the medium of conversation of the cultured people ... the tendency today is away from standard usage, in favor of improvised signs and 'slang' signs. If the tendency continues, the time will come when the sign language will no longer be universal, and the deaf in one state will be unable to converse freely with those of another state" (60). This too is a bunch of bologna in my eyes for the fact that 'slang' and different meanings are ridden throughout the whole English language, but you don't see that going away any time soon. As long as there are people to use the language, it will not become a lost art. Millions of people depend on it every day for communication, so as long as they continue to use it, ASL will continue as a language.
ReplyDeleteAn overall theme for this chapter is sign language and how it is not recognized as a language that should be known. To me, that is like saying anyone who knows and uses English is irrelevant, because sign language is in fact as real as English is. Some may find this hard to believe but the earth does not revolve around the majority. The people who are a part of the minority are real humans too and should not be oppressed and looked down upon because they are different. "Thus it is not surprising that their theories about themselves and their language are powerfully colored by beliefs held by others" (56). So many hearing people are ignorant to understand that Deaf people are like everyone else too. They say if you hear something enough you'll begin to believe it. Well, if a whole society of people are constantly being told they are incompetent, they're soon going to believe that what they do and who they are lack intelligence. They are constantly being ridiculed. "The implication for Deaf people who use signed languages is clear: their choice makes them lesser humans, unable to achieve their ultimate human potential" (59). In America, discrimination is such a big problem that we have to create laws to stop it. Even then, it's not stopped. The world is constantly changing and the sooner we learn that the color of your skin, the country you come from, and the language you use to communicate in doesn't affect a person's self worth, the sooner our world will become a better place.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter really opened my eyes to the oppression the Deaf have faced for centuries; they have faced discrimination against not only who they are and their condition, but also their culture, language, and humanity. Linguists and specialists have studied and analyzed signed languages for years without regard for the people and situations of those that use the language: “These beliefs were not based on an analysis of signed languages, but rather on impressionistic evidence that was allowed to take on scientific weight” (59). An outward observer can never fully understand a culture of language, yet this is how the Deaf and their sign language were studied for many years. Hearing linguists would take their impressions and best guesses, then offer them as scientific evidence of the functions of the Deaf community. Learning sign language had taught me so much about Deaf culture, but also made me realize that I will never fully understand it; even knowing the language gives me no authority to speculate or make assumptions, yet many who do not even put in the effort to learn the language feel they have the right to dictate what Deaf culture is. In talking about another speech they heard, the authors comment, “Again, the adjective is “lovely”, to describe a language constantly threatened by outside influences” (61). A language cannot maintain its integrity if it is constantly bombarded by the opinions of those who are oblivious to the true nature of the language and culture. I think it's really cool that we can now take our small portion of knowledge about Deaf culture and sign language and help educate the hearing and support the Deaf.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter really made me realize how hard it is to be Deaf. Like Heather said, although learning the language made me feel so much more in tune to what the Deaf culture is truly like, it still does not give me any right to judge or make assumptions on anything in the Deaf culture. An interesting conundrum that came up in this chapter was this, "Given that they live within the world of others, is a science about Deaf people a science of themselves or one given to them by others?" (57). It's interesting yet not totally surprising that most of the information at this time about Deaf people was collected by hearing people. This was because of the mindset that Deaf people were not equal to hearing people and thus could not possibly conduct research or explain their culture. I think it's actually impossible though to understand any culture without speaking with someone who is a part of it. I don't think signed languages are any different. Cultures always seem different from the outside, but internally they may work quite differently than you'd think. Another thought brought up in this book was this, "The implication for Deaf people who used signed languages is clear: their choice makes them lesser humans, unable to achieve their ultimate human potential. These beliefs were not based on an analysis of signed languages, but rather on impressionistic evidence that was allowed to take on scientific weight," (59). This is heartbreaking to read because it is the exact definition of pure judgement based on prejudice. There was literally NO scientific evidence to back this up, simply influential people's thoughts that were obviously incorrect.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter talked a lot about the idea of accepting different languages. A lot of the times people have discriminated the use of ASL. I remember hearing about colleges who wouldn't accept ASL as a language. I think it's wrong to judge others based on the language they speak, we all know so many people who speak differently or different languages. The author states, " The implication for Deaf people who use signed languages is clear: their choice makes them lesser human, unable to achieve their ultimate human potential." (59) Having a different language whether its spoken or signed does not make anyone lesser human. Not everyone is the same that is why there is so many different cultures around the world giving us diversity. Thus chapter also talks a little bit about the change in languages. The author writes, " As Deaf people from a different generation, we know that because natural singed language have been transmitted from one generation of users to the next, there are not primitive but complex systems." (60) Generations change the ways languages are spoken or signed and overall it's interesting to see the way people feel about the change. This chapter overall focused on the ideas of different languages. I think it's important that we realize judging someone else or discriminating them for having a different language isn't the way we should be acting.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter focused much on different aspects of sign language. It talked about the view that “speech is the basis for human language and all other forms are derivatives” (59). Though for the hearing people in this world that statement may be viewed as true, it makes "The implication for Deaf people who use signed languages…clear: their choice makes them lesser humans, unable to achieve their ultimate human potential" (59). This statement confused me, how does language, whether it be English, Spanish, Sign Language, or any other language, influence one's ability to “achieve their ultimate human potential?” What is anyone’s ultimate human potential anyways? It is mind blowing that anyone would single out people who use sign language and call them lesser of human because they do not speak. This chapter does not only address the idea that people who use sign language are lesser, but also that sign language is an evolving language. With this, overtime signs have changed as well has developed different meanings from what they once were. Overall this chapter discusses things from a hearing person's perspective and how inaccurate these views on Deaf people are.
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