Before
taking this class, I can honestly admit that I didn't know much about American
Sign Language. However, I have an extended family member who is deaf. I remember going to family reunions as a
young child and trying to communicate with her. As I grew older, I could see
the frustration she felt when trying to communicate with everyone who didn't know
ASL. This is one of the main reasons why
I began on my journey to learn ASL. Before
taking this class, I had no idea ASL was to precise, and expressive. I've learned recently that it has its own set
of grammatical rules and syntax unlike any other language, even more so than English!
Before reading, I also wasn't aware of the elaborate history behind ASL. I
thought it was a fairly new language, maybe dating back to the late 19th
century. However, I was proved wrong
when I read that people were signing as early as the 18th century.
Chapter
1
In chapter 1, I read that in the
past children were being discouraged from using ASL in schools. It’s stated in
the chapter that some hearing teachers told their students that ASL was
considered “animal-like.” I found this appalling! ASL is the only way of communication
for the deaf community, just like English is the way of communication for
hearing people! What I also found every surprising was that it was said by a
teacher! As a teacher, it’s your goal to help every child succeed in the
classroom, not hinder them. Therefore, these teachers should have made in effort
in learning more about ASL, so that they could have more effectively communicated
with their deaf students. As a future teacher, I will use my knowledge of ASL
to communicate to my students so that they feel comfortable in the learning environment.
Chapter 2
In reading Chapter 2, I learned sign
language is an international language and varies from country to country. Many
signs used in one country can mean something completely different in another
country. I had no idea that there were so many different types of sign language
including Scandinavian, Japanese, British, French, Spanish, and many more! My
first reaction to finding out about the many different forms was, “does a
language barrier exist between them?” The obvious answer would be yes! However,
I was amazed to find out that language gaps don’t really exist between the many
different forms. They improvise, use gestures, and expressions to establish
mutual comprehension. This is one of the many reasons why I find ASL so intriguing.
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 discusses Braille and ASL
and if there is a similarity between the two. As a young child, I thought
Braille and ASL went hand-in-hand. Nonetheless, this isn't the case whatsoever!
Braille and ASL are completely two different things. I've learned from reading,
that many times deaf people are confused with blind people. After reading about
this, I actually encountered an individual referring to a deaf person as blind.
If I was a deaf person in society, I would constantly feel frustrated and
annoyed with the misused term. It’s important for us people in society to recognize,
and respect the differences between the two.
Overall,
I do feel like my opinion of Braille changed. Before reading I thought of Braille as some
sort of language. However, now that I’m more knowledgeable, I’m aware Braille
is just a tactile form of printed media rather than a language!
Chapter
4
Chapter 4 discusses the importance
of Abbe de L’Eppe and Abbe Roch-Ambrosie Cucurron in the preservation of
American Sign Language. These two men took it upon themselves to teach the deaf
community in Paris in the 18th century. In my opinion, both were
very extraordinary individuals to do what they did! L’Eppe was the first
hearing person to go into the deaf community, to learn and to let the deaf people
teach him! He also recognized the importance of ASL in an instructional
setting. Nonetheless, if it wasn’t for L’Eppe, children in schools would still
be discouraged from using ASL in the school system today!
Chapter
5
This
chapter in particular taught me a lot! I figured that since American English
derived from Britain so would ASL. However, I was initially caught off guard
when reading that ASL and BSL (British Sign Language) don’t have many similarities
at all. One of the only links between the two is the “Martha Vineyard dialect.”
I read in the chapter, that at first glance BSL can ultimately be mistaken for
ASL. I feel like this statement kind of contradicted the fact that they are
different. How could they be mistaken for one another if there are no similarities
between the two?
British
Sign Language sounds very interesting, and I definitely would be interested in
learning more about it! However, I feel like it’s important to me to first
fully understand American Sign Language first!
Chapter
6 & 7
I
can honestly say for the first week or so of class, the grammar and syntax of
ASL was very confusing. It still confuses me from time to time. However, I feel
this is a natural thing in learning a new language. Just like an English student
learning Spanish for the first time, everything is going to be slightly
confusing for the first couple of weeks. Now that I’m more knowledgeable about the
syntactical structure of ASL I find it easier to follow than the English
language!
I
also read in this chapter about Manually Coded English, which depicts English
Vocabulary and grammatical structure. I
personally feel like this could benefit ASL students learning English. It’s
more of a step-by-step process rather than a fully immersion process which can be
beneficial for some students. The students
are still using sign language while learning about the syntactical structure of
English. However, I do think it could cause confusion
as well. Ultimately, you are trying to mix two completely different types of language.
Chapter
7 discusses the ASL as a written language. When I began reading this chapter I
thought to myself, “How can ASL be a written language, if it’s purely visual?”
After finishing the chapter I learned that ultimately ASL has no written
language, and that many researchers for some time have been searching for a way
to reproduce ASL in print. I personally can’t
think of a way to write ASL! Since it’s a visual language, I don’t think there
will ever be a completely accurate written form.
Chapter
8
Chapter
8 discusses how ASL is learned by the deaf community. To be honest, I've always wondered about
this; for instance, children who are born deaf and have hearing parents. I personally feel like it’s important to integrate
ASL into the school system. Deaf
children are not any less important than any other child, and should be given
the opportunity to formally learn ASL in the school if needed!
Chapter
9
This
chapter was probably one of the most interesting I've read so far in this book!
In the English language many jokes rely on homonyms, and puns which in turn are
not understood by many people in the deaf community. However, I was surprised to
learn the deaf community has to own way of communicating humor. ASL humor is visually
based, and involves the use of gestures, cinematic effects, and a lot of “sign-play.”
As of right now, I don’t recognize humor in ASL. However, just as a young child
learning English it takes time!
Chapter
10
Since ASL is a visual language, I
though accents were impossible! After reading this chapter I learned that
hearing accents are based more off of language differences and ASL accents are
based more off of style differences. For example some sign small, and some
large. I also found it very interesting that accents occur within different
states! For example, birthday is signed a different way in Alabama than it is
in Maine.
Reading these first 10 ten chapters
has really opened my eyes to some interesting things within ASL. I look forward
to reading the book in its entirety.
