American Sign Language

1668 Words4 Pages

American Sign Language In learning about the deaf culture I have taken on a new understanding about the people it includes. Through readings and the lessons, I have learned that being deaf has both its hardships and its blessings. The beauty of the language alone makes one want to learn all that he or she can about it. In this paper I will discuss the beauty of the language and the misconceptions the hearing world has about deafness. The deaf culture has often been labeled as the deaf- and- dumb culture. This is not only an insulting term it is also very inaccurate. Deaf people are just as intelligent as hearing people. In the early 1800's when ASL was first brought about in the United States Being deaf was considered shameful and defective. The first school for the deaf was called "The American Asylum for the instruction of the Deaf and Dumb" ; in those days this was an acceptable term to use. There are many other terms that are unacceptable to the deaf, such as : deaf-mute, mute, hearing handicapped, disabled, dummie etc.. Even in today's day and age some people still use these terms. Another common assumption of the hearing is that all deaf people can or should read lips, this is not so- lip reading is very difficult to master. Verbalization is also expected from the deaf by the hearing, this is also very difficult for the deaf because most deaf people have never heard their own voice and cannot know if their intonation, pitch and volume are used correctly. Another misconception about the deaf is that different from the hearing, most hearing people mean well, but speak to the deaf as if they are mentally challenged, this is why a deaf person may walk away or give a disapproving look. The hearing world often... ... middle of paper ... ... people have just followed along generation after generation. I also feel that ASL is a beautiful language and should be given as a choice in language requirements in all grade levels. This language that was brought to us over 150 years ago could sustain and still be useful today for within our own country unlike Italian, French or German. It has some kind of magic that makes us want to learn and speak it when we do not have to. The fluent and rhythmic motions are mesmerizing and captivating and anyone with the means to learn it should. Bibliography: Bahan, Ben. Hoffmeister, Robert. Lane, Harlan. A Journey into the Deaf World. USA: Dawn Sign Press. Humphries, Tom. Padden, Carol. Deaf in America (Voices from a Culture). Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Levitan, Linda. Moore, Matthew.S. For Hearing People Only. New York: Deaf Life Press.

Show More
Related

  • Hereditary Deafness On Martha's Vineyard

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha’s Vineyard details the history, etiology, and ethnography of deafness on Martha’s Vineyard between the seventeenth century to the death of the last inhabitant in 1952. Nora Ellen Groce, the author and principal investigator of this study, richly details the lives of both deaf and hearing inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard by referring to the remaining documents and interviewing several current residents who at the time were in their eighties and nineties. The residents, or in Groce’s terms, “informants”, were most helpful and enlightening in that many shared stories and memories of several of the deaf inhabitants. Not only does Groce use an oral and historical approach to studying the history of deafness on Martha’s Vineyard she also includes the genetic component as well and describes certain medical anomalies such as birth trauma and the theories of Mendelian genetics. This report addresses Groce’s analysis of the medical etiology of deafness, attitudinal differences between the mainland and Martha’s Vineyard on being deaf, and the lifestyles of Martha’s Vineyard residents that coincide and contrast with the mainland inhabitants. This report will also address the improvements and .

    Read More

  • Deaf Again by Mark Drolsbaugh

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    If a parent comes to learn that their child is deaf, they react very crazily and act like their child is dying and that deafness is a fatal disease. Deaf people should be treated just like anyone else and no differently. They are not disabled and can do great things in this world.

    Read More

  • Peter Cook

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rago, C. (1994, Nov 04). PETER COOK'S `YOUR EYES MY HANDS' PUTS DEAFNESS IN SPOTLIGHT. Chicago Tribune (Pre-1997 Fulltext). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/283834665?accountid=26459

    Read More

  • Eradicating the Deaf-World

    1472 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lane, Harlan; Hoffmeister, Rob and Bahan, Ben (1996). A Journey Into the DEAF-WORLD. Dawn Sign Press, San Diego, Ca.

    Read More

  • Deaf Like Me

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    Language does not only mean oral communication, there are many other forms of communicating however oral communication is the only one considered “normal.” The book “Deaf Like Me” follows a little girl Lynn throughout her early years of life and relates to us the struggles she endured while trying to fit into the mold of being normal. The story written by her father Thomas Spradley and her uncle James Spradley is an exceptional and moving story walking us through the early attempts of Lynn’s family trying to get her to learn the oral language despite her deafness that did not allow her to develop language by listening to the people around her.

    Read More

  • Edmund Booth

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lang, Harry G. Edmund Booth Deaf Pioneer. Washington D.C.: Gallaudet University Press, 2004. 1-161. Print.

    Read More

  • Deaf Art Analysis

    289 Words  | 1 Pages

    In this reading, the author discusses their opinion on Deaf Art. During their own experience, they explain the expression and point of view of Deaf artists. As seen in their work, these artists share their point of view: positive and negative. The author also discusses two of the Deaf artists that have influenced themselves the most. One of these artists is Chuck Baird, and the other is Betty G. Miller.

    Read More

  • Reflection Of Through Deaf Eyes

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    The documentary of “Through Deaf Eyes” has open my eyes to the deaf culture. The movie has made it “click” that deaf people are just that people and individuals like me. Deaf community has its struggles just like everyone else. They struggle with growing into who they are as a person, harmful situations, and feeling a sense of belonging. They just speak a different language like Italians and Hispanics. Communicating with a different language does not make them lesser than a hearing person. When able to learn to communicate, the deaf are able to learn and gain knowledge just like a hearing person. The only difference is they have to learn more and work harder to achieve their goals and gain knowledge, which a hearing person learns just by hearing their surroundings.

    Read More

  • American Sign Language And Pidgin Signed English

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    It “is an important part of the social, cultural, and educational context of the hearing-impaired child’s development” (Stahlman, 349). If a person cannot communicate effectly then they may not thrive and develop while having a hearing or speech impairment. In both American Sign Language and Pidgin Signed English, a person who is hearing-impaired must learn to communicate with the world using only his hands and facial expressions. American Sign Language and Pidgin Signed English is a way for the unable to communicate. Both ASL and PSE can be taught in many different ways however, ASL is normally taught in school while PSE is normally self-taught but either way they are both a unique method of communication and can be used all over the world and can be translated and spoken just like any other language can

    Read More

  • Deaf President Now

    1884 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...people making decisions for the deaf community. The past resulted in the strengthening of unity in the culture. “They claim the right to “personal diversity”, which is “something to be cherished rather than fixed and erased” (Tucker, 1997).

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: My Experience In Deaf Culture

    573 Words  | 2 Pages

    This past month, I’ve attended my first two deaf events. In the beginning, I was a little uncomfortable, with my limited ASL knowledge. I enjoyed being amongst so many who knew how to sign. I also enjoyed watching the interpreter during the church service. In my observations, I learned a great deal about deaf culture.

    Read More

  • DEAF TECHNOLOGY

    1866 Words  | 4 Pages

    Deaf and hearing impaired individuals are know longer an out cast group. They now have there own deaf community. Deaf individuals do not consider themselves having an impairment, handicap, or any type of disability. They believe that through the use of sign language, other communication skills, and technology that there deafness is the way they are supposed to be. Many people who have perfect hearing can not understand deaf people and why they embrace there deafness instead of trying to receive hearing and get rid of there handicap. However not all deaf people have th...

    Read More

  • Deaf Culture

    1566 Words  | 4 Pages

    In mainstream American society, we tend to approach deafness as a defect. Helen Keller is alleged to have said, "Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people." (rnib.org) This seems a very accurate description of what Keller's world must have been. We as hearing people tend to pity deaf people, or, if they succeed in the hearing world, admire them for overcoming a severe handicap. We tend to look at signing as an inferior substitute for "real" communication. We assume that all deaf people will try to lip-read and we applaud deaf people who use their voices to show us how far they have come from the grips of their disability. Given this climate, many hearing people are surprised, as I was at first, to learn of the existence of Deaf culture. To me deafness is not a defect but a source of connection. Imagine yourself deaf, growing up with a beautiful language, visual literature, humor, and theater. Imagine taking pride in your identity without any desire to become a member of the majority culture. For many deaf people, their community is a comforting relief from the isolation and condescension of the hearing world. However the Deaf community is far more than a support group for people who share a physical characteristic. Members of the Deaf community may have hearing levels that range from profoundly deaf to slightly hard-of-hearing. But no members of the Deaf community are "hearing impaired." Inside this community, deaf people become Deaf, proudly capitalizing their culture. Hearing people suddenly find that they are handicapped: "Deaf-impaired."

    Read More

  • Benefits Of ASL-American Sign Language

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    American Sign Language is a very versatile form of communication, and it can be used to benefit deaf and hearing alike. Sign Language has been used for centuries, no other language has the added aspect of thee-dimension. It is also the fourth most studied foreign language among colleges and universities in the United States. Sign language is also used as a bridge of communication to the deaf cultural. It is used to relay information and also spread knowledge. Making sign language a career skill, that is desired by employers to translate and communicate with deaf persons. So there is many overarching areas that display how sign language can be beneficial to even non deaf persons.

    Read More

  • Deaf Interpreters

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    Adam, Carty & Stone (2011), discussing the origin and historical development of ‘Deaf interpreting’, indicate that Deaf people have had an inherent ability to translate spoken and written language into Deaf culture in various settings such as residential school (classroom), family, and Deaf club centres. Stone & Russell (2013) identify the Paris banquets of 1834 as a key moment in history where Deaf people performed as interpreters. Amongst the attendance of the event organised by Deaf people, were hearing people who needed the support of interpreters to access conversation conducted in sign language. Delegates came from England, Germany and Italy and communication was in International Sign (IS) as it is currently known. French Deaf people employed hearing interpreters to translate from IS into spoken French (Ibid). Carty, Macready and Sayers (2009: 309) discovered “a historical record of a woman born in 1640 whose Deaf husband wrote down what she said so that she could become a member of her

    Read More

More about American Sign Language

Open Document