Family Sign Language

Sign language is language that uses visual hand patterns to convey a meaning without using any vocal. It truly is a superb way of communication, although it was not always accepted in society. Wherever communities of deaf people exist, sign language develops. There was no

Deaf children are entitled to know that they are heirs to an amazing culture, not a pitiful defect. In order to follow through on that obligation, one of the best things I feel we can do is try to educate other hearing people about the realities of American Sign Language and Deaf culture. Language is one of the most critical aspects of most cultures, and one which sets deafness aside from other defects such as blindness, physical disability, or illness. Sign language is not universal, nor does it always correspond to the spoken language in the same country. For example American Sign Language is native to the United States and Canada. Deaf Canadians might use English, French, or both as a written language. But deaf people in Great Britain, while they may write in English, use a completely different sign language. (nad.org)

It is hard to imagine a society where everyone speaks sign language regardless of their hearing abilities. It would be a marvel, such social cohesiveness and acceptance of deafness. Today, there is no such reality, although, it may come as a surprise to most, there was once a place where this was a reality. On an island off the coast of Massachusetts, called Martha’s Vineyard.

To fully understand why this is a popular debate, we must first explore Deaf culture. Dr. Beth Sonnenstrahl Benedict from the Hands and Voices organization states that “The American Deaf community values American Sign Language as the core of a culturally Deaf identity” (Benedict par 1). Language is a crucial aspect of a culture, and American Sign Language unifies the Deaf community. Although it is often dismissed as a language, ASL has its own unique sentence structure and vocabulary that make it different from English or any other foreign language. Many believe that allowing a deaf child to learn sign language is essential to them embracing their deafness as well as building

The use of ASL is extremely important to the deaf community and to Deaf culture. Although fluency is always desired, the willingness to learn and communicate in ASL goes a long way in being accepted. A skilled signer who does not have the right attitude will be seen in a less appealing light than a struggling signer with a true heart for the deaf.

The final challenge is that there are two types of motivations that gives people the will to learn sign language. These people fall into 2 categories. One, instrumental motivation is for all those people that want to benefit in there career with another language or are asked to take classes for a job. This person will just go to pass the tests but will quickly learn and forget the language. Even in our case as students it is technically an intellectual motivation for our degree but for many there is an actual reason they wanted to take ASL. When there is an outside motivation people are categorized as integratively motivated learners. These people have a significant person in their life that is deaf and only communicates through ASL or a friend or a colleague. Their motivation is stronger and the language will stick with them longer.

Some sign language I observed was through watching the TV series Switched at Birth. Which is a show about two girls that were switched at birth (hence the title of the show). So when the main character Bay finally meets her mother, and the other child that was switched, you find out the other daughter (Daphne) is deaf. Daphne and her mother use sign language as well as voice to communicate and I find that interesting. I feel like it would be simpler and a lot more comfortable to just use sign language, seeing as it is Daphne's language.

There’s more to a person than whether or not they can hear, so don’t just focus on their ears.” Which is why American Sign Language is an important aspect of Deaf culture. Since they spend most their time with hearing people, or people who do not know American Sign Language, it is sacred to them. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) calls ASL the “backbone of the American Deaf culture.” In contrast to other languages, ASL requires constant eye contact, facial expressions, and body language. These important aspects would diminish if a child chose to get a cochlear implant, or if their parents decided for them at a young age. They are stuck in the middle somewhere of not having normal hearing, and being

I thought it was odd to have them do that but I thought they must be learning. I noticed the interpreters were using old and new signs which was interesting. For instance, instead of the crossed arms for “I Love You” they did the sign with the hand that looks like a bull for “I Love You”. Since taking ASL, when I see an individual signing, at the appropriate moment I would try to understand what they are communicating to learn more signs and to better understand how to communicate to other individuals who are deaf. I would look at the interpreter instead of paying attention to those who are hearing, for instance I was watching the interpreter throughout the event or in class when professor Chuck was signing while watching the film “Sound and Fury”. The different signs I learned were song, hills, the phrase “say what”, “16 going on 17”, loud, either, and Monday. Although this is not an event but I would like to mention how fascinated I am with our hearing society is more involved with the deaf culture. I have not seen this much use of ASL since taking the class. For instance, I always get excited now when I see films, videos of individuals, and commercials using or learning sign

A study by Halen lane and Robert Hoffmeister stated that American sign language ranks the six most used language in the united states with the number of 2 million speakers, and this number leads to the people who have a deaf loss.

American Sign Language is the interesting, logical, and fun to learn. ASL is the fourth most-used languages in the United States. ASL is used for hearing people to get the messages across to Deaf people and Deaf community. Deaf people use American Sign Language to communicate with their friends, family or their loved one who is deaf. Now parents are teaching their babies to learn ASL. The American Sign Language gives children, their confidence, and self-esteem in their lives. Deaf Community vs. Hard of hearing is a different point of view, and their impact was to have opportunities to have new friendships, connection to other people in the hard-of-hearing community and to be able to talk with hard of hearing people easier.

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.

By only using sign language regularly in class, I will be able to recall signs by memory. Also I will be able to recognize certain signs because I have seen it being used by others. So if I can turn off my voice and my brain from English, I know I can pick this new language up somewhat easily and become more

This is important, because where I work along with the friends I have that are deaf. There are many times when I have had difficulty with understanding them due to not being able to find classes for ASL. The sign language I know is what they have taught me over time. The classes I find are all online which become difficult to follow since they do not provide a personal experience. With the lack of knowledge in ASL and schooling provided. The deaf become affected in social life, schooling, and independence as they grow up. This could be solved if

Sign Language is the use of facial expressions, fingerspelling, and gestures that represent whole phrases or words used to communicate with deaf or hard of hearing people used to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing citizens. While many languages are "dying off," American Sign Language is growing in use every day, as of 1972, it's used by 250,000 to 500,000 people in the United States. Sign language is widely used to communicate with infants. Studies show that learning Baby Sign Language has many developmental benefits including speaking earlier, having a larger vocabulary, a +12 point IQ advantage over peers, as well as the ability to achieve better grades in school. Being bilingual is useful in many jobs and careers such as social service agencies, mental health clinics, government institutions, hospitals and clinics, hearing and speech agencies, and in public and private schools.