Have you ever had someone interpret your words into American Sign Language (ASL)? I’ve seen it done many times but before I taught my ‘regular’ English class this quarter, I had never experienced someone standing next to me, interpreting every small comment I made to the rest of the class.
At first I thought, “Oh, don’t interpret my muttering to myself about finding a handout! How embarrassing!”
We were all very uncomfortable the first day of class, including me, the hearing students, and the deaf student who probably felt like he had a spotlight shining down on his head as ‘different.’ I found myself speaking slowly and clearly to the point where a hearing student kept asking where I was from, thinking I had an accent.
Later I began to see that the flying hands next to me helped one of my students feel a part of what was going on. The signs in the air made me think more about what pulls a class together aside from the content I’m teaching.
It’s rather stunning how the small things we say to each other, especially at the beginning of class or as an aside glue us together as a group and do need to be interpreted.
We’ve now grown used to each other and to the interpreters who help us stay glued together. I’ve even quit talking in a slowed down ‘accent,’ thank heavens.
ASL in my past
When I first started studying linguistics in the early 90’s, scholars debated whether sign languages were ‘real’ languages. I wrote a paper defending ASL’s status as a language, and I do believe the rest of the world has come along with me. (Not, I am sure, because of the short paper I wrote that only ever saw the eyes of my Western Washington University professor). For more on ASL as a language, read what the Center for Applied Linguistics says about considering ASL a foreign language.
I also had the chance to work with Joseph Garcia who pushed forward the baby sign movement for hearing children and parents. I sometimes wonder if this isn’t why people are more accepting; it’s harder to disrespect something you’ve tried yourself.
ASL tidbits:
- ASL has a grammar, vocabulary and is mutually intelligible to those who speak it.
- There are different sign languages around the world. This linguist’s site has a map of the world’s sign languages from ASL to the Kenyan sign family.
- In ASL the indirect object comes after the subject and then the signer shows the action (verb).
The girl throws the dog a bone. (English)
GIRL – DOG – BONE – THROW (ASL)
* I found this sentence on dummies.com.
I am so grateful to the deaf student for coming to my class this quarter. He’s brought a new dimension to what we are learning and reminded me of a few things I’d forgotten about a rich language.
