Communicating in silence...

There was this interesting story about teaching ASL. Communicating in silence. The video is quite amusing to watch (don't worry, there's also a sound track. :) ).

The idea is to teach ASL dynamically... and a way to do so is to have *two* deaf teachers in front of the class... and to have them interact... in ASL, of course.

As for myself, I'm quite happy because it is one of those videos in ASL which I could understand what was signed (with the sound off. Otherwise, this is cheating, heh! :) ) ! Those online ASL classes finally begin to pay off! (I'm still at ASL University and ASLPro , in case you're wondering).

I was pondering about that... There are lots of deaf bloggers on the Internet... many are doing video blogs... signing in ASL (American Sign Language). At first, I was frustrated, because I couldn't understand a word, err... a sign. :)

Many of you have learned a second language and perhaps more. Don't you feel the *freedom* to be able to read a text written in a language that was previously foreign to you? If you travel, you have certainly felt that freedom. Gone is the language barrier !

I consider ASL as a "full blown" language, just like English, French, Spanish and so forth. It isn't just a "disability language", a kind of sub-standard language that exists solely for the purpose of bridging a communication gap.

Understandably, ASL is often taught that way, and perhaps as a result, it gets deeply rooted in the mindset of many of my fellow deaf and hard of hearing persons.

The mindset is that in order to learn ASL, you have to be deaf or HoH or someone close to you and you need to bridge that communication gap...

An indication of that mindset , is for instance the hot debate about CI (aka Cochlear Implants) that continues to rage.

The rationale is this: If you can ""hear"" (with many doublequotes, CIs are no ear substitutes), then it is perceived in the deaf community that there isn't a need to learn ASL Why learning Sign Language if you can hear? Therefore, if less people are learning ASL, there will be less signers, "obviously". That's how CIs get decoded as a threat to ASL... they bring people from the deaf world to the hearing world...

I'd say they are "obviously" wrong! (and on both counts too)

There are plenty of ASL students knocking at your door... but they've been ignored.

From my side of the world, I'm not alone. There are plenty of hearing people like me who'd love to learn ASL... if there are some materials in ASL readily available to us. We don't have friends or relatives who are deaf or HoH after all.

Why we would want to learn a new language? For the same reasons other people are learning French, Spanish, German, etc... No more, no less. It's not crazy to learn a new language and everyone has his/her motives. So, why it would be different with ASL, as if it is shameful to do so because I'm a hearing person?

It is this close-knit, and almost close-minded mindset in the deaf community that bugs me from time to time.

For the same reason that not all German speakers are German... Not all signers are deaf! I wish it is a message... that wouldn't be met with deaf ears, double-entendre (triple-entendre?) intended.

So I think the Internet is bringing opportunities to us, hearing people. You'll see more and more materials in ASL.

(PS: I even brought here the URL of some vlogs (see the links on the right)).

As for myself, those vlogs in ASL titillate my curiosity. I don't know about you, but I want to know what they are saying! I'm curious, what else can I ahem... sign? :)

My little Canadian 2-cent.

Cheers,

-E

PS: In case one is wondering, yes I am thinking eventually of having a vlog in ASL, next to this one. Don't worry, beside seeing my pretty face (!!), perhaps a kilt (oooohhhh!!!), there will be subtitles too, so you won't miss a word. :)

This is the ultimate way for me to learn ASL. :) The reasons I'm not doing it right now are technical (A decent videocam would certainly help. :) and the fact that there are many things going on, I can't set time aside inorder to get that project started).