American Sign Language Observation

Classifiers are handshapes we use in American sign language (ASL) to show the movement, placement, orientation, size, and shape of a noun. Since ASL is a rule-governed language when using classifiers you must first identify the noun, then you can use the classifier to show how the object moves or is placed in relationship to other objects (Aron). American sign language uses eight different kinds of classifiers for specific categories.

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.

As part of daily life, we communicate and connect ourselves with certain communities. School, jobs, families, sports, extracurricular activities, and many other communities are just a few we come into contact with. Although these may seem to appear the same, there are specific types of communities such as a discourse community. A discourse community is a group of people involved in and communicating about a particular topic, issue, or in a particular field (Webcourses, N.d, Website) that has a share a common set of goals and attempt to achieve these goals (Swales, 1990). According to researcher and educator, John Swales, there are six characteristics that define whether or not a community is considered a discourse community. Following the criteria Swales states is necessary to be a discourse community, I did an in depth research on the American Sign Language community. Through my study, I was able to meet all six characteristics.

Statistics drawn from a federation of the deaf shows that there are 70 million users of the sign language in the world.

The visual language used by most deaf people in America is American Sign Language. Within ASL, fingerspelling is an important part of ASL. ASL signs are referred as fingerspelling signs. Fingerspelling creates a way by representing the symbols of written English (Valli & Lucas, 2000). Research on fingerspelling conducted by Robbin Battison, an ASL linguist, found English word in print is characterized with ASL signs because of the letters of fingerspelling represents the letter handshapes resembles the English print which has direct contact. Some deaf children receive an opportunity accessing and acquire ASL at home before entering school (Padden & Ramsey, 1998). Previous researches have demonstrated early acquisition of ASL fingerspelling

Although I still consider myself an introvert, my participation at camp allowed me to grow with the confidence and eagerness to meet new people. Prior to this experience, I wondered if my dedication was going to pay off because of my reservation around ASL. I am now positive I am making the right decisions and actions for my future. I actively pursue opportunities to spend as much time as possible participating in the Deaf community, and I am excited about my ability in getting to know many amazing individuals using sign

American Sign Language is considered a natural and true language. A person who is able to speak ASL in addition to another natural true language such as English, Spanish, French, etc. is considered to be bilingual, just like any other person who speaks two languages. ASL classes are relatively easy to find. They are taught at many schools and universities across the country. Classes are also frequently found at community centers, churches and in some workplaces.

The strategy that I want to focus on is to reduce my dependence on English as I listen and communicate in American Sign Language. I chosen this strategy because I know that a habit is form my doing a behavior repeatedly after a consecutive number of days. Also by using this strategy, I will benefit to learn objects and everyday terms with the appropriate sign. Therefore, by not being distracted with writing notes and grammar or rules of this new language, I can focus on the actual way this language is communicated among people. By only listening and conversing in American Sign

While attending high school, I was seeking a foreign language to take. I had learned Spanish at a young age from my family, my two choices were French and American Sign Language, if you read the title of this paper you can safely assume that I chose the alternative. American Sign Language intrigued me at a young age when my father gave me a sign language book that illustrated some simple terms, ever since then it had always been a desire of mine to learn American Sign Language. With that being said, when I first started sign language class in high school the teacher made it the classes’ primary objective to understand the history of deaf culture. I soon learned that understanding deaf culture is essential in being able to effectively

Imagine one day you walk into a room, in which everybody is talking and laughing but the only thing you can possibly hear is a very faint noise. How would you feel about your inability to communicate? About 13% the total U.S. population is deaf or hearing impaired (Harrington). It is impossible for them to go to clothing store without a deaf interpreter which makes them feel as not self-sufficient and isolated from the rest of the society. Past research has examined that by implementing American sign language in public secondary schools as a foreign language elective can effectively diminish the number of isolationism incidence among deaf and hearing impaired individuals (Pfeiffer 88). However, the major obstacle faced when implementing ASL as a language

A few of the important factors that I thought were important in this unit were the American Sign Language itself, the rules of social interaction in the Deaf culture, and Deaf literature.

What would you do if you were Deaf and living in America during the early 1800’s and before? Think of how hard it would be to learn when the teachers in the classroom would talk out loud and you couldn’t hear what they were saying. It was very difficult for Deaf students who lived before the 1800’s to get any education. Rich people would send their children across the ocean to Europe where they could attend the Braidwood Academy in Great Britain among other great schools for the Deaf. The many who couldn’t afford it just had to live in silence looking on from the outside. One of the problems besides having trouble getting an education, was that many people misunderstood Deafness. Many people believed that because Deaf people couldn’t hear and usually couldn’t speak, that they also couldn’t think intelligently or reason. Some believed that Deafness was a curse for bad behavior. One young Deaf girl by the name of Alice Cogswell helped to change that thwarted thinking. She motivated and inspired Thomas Gallaudet to study education for Deaf people and then later open the 1st school for the Deaf in America.

As the man stood next to the president, he signed for the deaf. If someone signs American Sign Language {ASL} at an official event, ASL should be considered an official language. Some argue that 500,000 people isn’t enough for it to be considered an official language. However, it’s the only language know, it’s over 200 years old, and it’s the 4th most used language in the US (Bilingual Court Act, 1974).

But my plan changed when another student named Jordan Stokes had the same topic as me and suggested I make a club with him at North, I agreed and I updated my product from teaching at an elementary or middle school to teaching at my own school. We both checked with our advisors and it is permissible as long as we exclude each other from our product goal, and how we present our product. When Jordan came to me with the club proposal he already completed the necessary forms, but he wanted a partner to help advertise the club and teaching the club. To teach the club sign language I must learn it beforehand and I did, everything I have learned about sign language has been from the Online ASL University.”I am "Deaf/hh." What that means is I am physically hard-of-hearing and have chosen to live in the Deaf World (e.g. marry a Deaf woman, use ASL, work in the field of Deaf-Studies, worship at a Deaf church, devote my time to developing ASL-related resources for others, etc.)”(LifePrint). This quote is from the president of ASL University, he teaches classes at the California State University system and classes online. He is hard of hearing and chose to live in the Deaf community and surround himself within the

1. INTRODUCTION. This paper examines the distribution of the determiner phrase in American Sign Language and how it fits within proposed x-bar structures. Notable work on this topic has specifically looked to differentiate between two types of determiners: prenominal (those occurring before the noun) and postnominal (those occurring after the noun) (MacLaughlin, p.8) MacLaughlin provides a discussion of prenominal indexes that provides clear examples of this patterning while also giving an account of non-manual and manual agreement features of these determiners and their nouns. While I will discuss how this description serves as an improvement compared to previous literature my primary argument will focus on her claims made on the nature