A homegrown "foreign" language - American Sign Language

Chase said:

Maryn and Haggis. This is all fun for me. However, my signs and translations are far out of date and most likely lacking. Katrina and Moth are trained terps and know lots more than I do.

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I'm still an ASL student, actually. Got a ways to go before I could even think of interpreting. (On that topic, I heard back about my class and I don't have to take a test to enter after all. They said since it's been exactly a year, I'd probably be okay. So... )

So, I have to ask, has anyone else seen the Star Trek episode, "Loud as a Whisper":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loud_as_a_Whisper

I've been watching TNG on Netflix when nothing else is on and just saw this episode last night. Funny, just like futuristic/alien spoken languages sound remarkably like English, futuristic/alien signed languages look remarkably like ASL.

There's a scene where Picard grabs Riva's face and shouts, "You! Are! Not! Alone!" that made me burst into laughter. Yes, Picard, grabbing someone who's just seen his friends die and getting right in his face will totally calm him down. /sarcasm

Nice to meet other ASL signers! And Chase, nice to meet you! I was active here for a brief stint in 2007, then left to focus on my Ph.D. degree, and finally came back here end of last year- I missed it!

I grew up using ASL (but I'm not Deaf, I am hearing). I started signing when I was five years old, and my Deaf friends taught me ASL growing up. My parents knew no signs themselves, but allowed me to socialize with my Deaf friends as much as I wanted.

I even remember buying my first TTY- it was so expensive! I think I was about 14 or so, and my parents paid for half of it and I paid for half. It was so cool to finally be able to "talk" with my friends from home over the phone line.

And yes, that was soooo long ago- before the internet and texting.

On interpreting, I sort of ended up thrown into it, but it ended up being a good thing. I already had to interpret a lot of short things as they came up casually, but I remember the first time I was "asked" to formally interpret- I was about 13 years old, and the interpreter at our church was pregnant and had to go on bed rest. They asked me to sit and do it. In front of a sanctuary filled with 1,500 people. Or something like that- it seemed like 10,000 to me. It was terrifying! But the ASL signers were all my friends, so I did my best and we worked it out. Poor them- my friends as I froze trying to keep up with the preacher there just wasn't the certification standards out there as much back then, and while I was great at ASL, interpreting is a whole other skill than just having a conversation (as the terps here know).

Anyway, I enjoyed growing up around the Deaf community. And later I earned interpreter certification, and after lots of education, became an interpreter trainer.

Then, I started teaching ASL at both high school and university settings, and I also earned my doctorate in linguistics (studying mostly ASL).

Now I have fun teaching, writing, and spending time with my family (husband and 3 kids). And, too much time here on AW. It is a great place!

Thanks for bringing in all the ASL smileys Chase and the Mods

I am not deaf or mute, but I have always been fascinated by signing. I wrote a mystery several years back that involved a young boy who was deaf and mute. At the time I couldn't find anyone to offer suggestions so wrote the story anyway. I am sure I got some things wrong, but I had to go with what worked with the mystery of the plot. The story was published in a short story collection, where it remained for the three year contract. But after the end of the contract I put it on Kindle, where it remains. SILENCE OF DEATH. I believe Kindle Prime readers can borrow it for free. I haven't checked Kindle in some time, but I think that's right. Visit my Blog sometime.

Tom Johnson said:

I am not deaf or mute, but I have always been fascinated by signing. I wrote a mystery several years back that involved a young boy who was deaf and mute. At the time I couldn't find anyone to offer suggestions so wrote the story anyway. I am sure I got some things wrong, but I had to go with what worked with the mystery of the plot. The story was published in a short story collection, where it remained for the three year contract. But after the end of the contract I put it on Kindle, where it remains. SILENCE OF DEATH. I believe Kindle Prime readers can borrow it for free. I haven't checked Kindle in some time, but I think that's right. Visit my Blog sometime.

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Just for information's sake, very, very few people are actually mute. The "deaf and dumb," thing of yore was more the result of a lack of speech therapy than an actual inability to speak on the part of the deaf.

I'm not saying it's not possible, goodness knows, but I've personally never run into a Deaf or deaf person who happened to be unable to speak.

There's also the difference between organic or mechanical mutism, selective or elective mutism, and with simply choosing to sign instead of speak.

Deaf people who choose to communicate primarily in sign aren't considered mute.

cornflake said:

Just for information's sake, very, very few people are actually mute. The "deaf and dumb," thing of yore was more the result of a lack of speech therapy than an actual inability to speak on the part of the deaf.

I'm not saying it's not possible, goodness knows, but I've personally never run into a Deaf or deaf person who happened to be unable to speak.

There's also the difference between organic or mechanical mutism, selective or elective mutism, and with simply choosing to sign instead of speak.

Deaf people who choose to communicate primarily in sign aren't considered mute.

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Yes, that was one reason I wanted to find someone who could explain this to me when I wrote the story. One of my characters could speak plainly, which I'm sure would not be the case since they had never heard spoken language, but it was necessary to my plot. I wanted someone to read it who could guide me on this at the time, but alas I found no one interested. I still think the story turned out okay, but wish I had received some help at the time.

Definitely! But you have a great creative way of describing your signs, Chase. Nice to meet you too! Hands waving - oh yeah, there is a smiley for that

Here is the applause:

And thanks too

Same here, Chase. When I was young, preteen to teen, I bought a book on how to Sign, with the intention of learning, but never did. I was fascinated when I would see someone who could talk and hear conversing in Sign in a store, helping someone find what they were looking for, etc. I wanted to be able to do that, and ashamed that I didn't follow through. I took some Spanish and French later, and to be able to Sign would have been an added language for me to learn.

I love it! My students have completed several items for Deaf Awareness Week, including posters around the school. I love seeing both my Deaf and hearing students get excited about this!

Glad you brought it to AW