<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Tuesday, September 30, 2003

The following is from the book, Sign Language Interpreting: A Basic Resource Book by Sharon Neumann Solow (1981):


As in any specialized area of endeavor, sign language interpreting has its unique vocabulary.

Interpreting:

Interpreting: The process of transmitting spoken English into American Sign Language and/or gestures for communication between deaf and hearing people.
Note: Translating in Interpreting for Deaf People was historically what is now transliterating. Translating, in common usage is usually considered equivalent to the term Interpreting; however, it is specifically used in reference to the written task, with more preparation time.

Transliterating: The process of transmitting spoken English into any one of several English-related or English-oriented varieties of manual communication for communication between deaf and hearing people.
Note: Transliterating will mean specifically staying within one language, but changing modes. Notice the crucial distinction between transliterating and interpreting; only the latter involves the use of two separate languages.

Sign-To Voice Interpreting: The process of transmitting American Sign Language or gestured communication into spoken English for communication between hearing and deaf people.

Sign-To-Voice Transliteration: The process of transmitting English-related or English-oriented varieties of manual communication into spoken English for communication between hearing and deaf people.

Visual Communication:

American Sign Language: The language of the deaf community, It is a language in and of itself with a syntax and vocabulary different from English. Also known as ASL, Ameslan, the sign language of deaf people or Sign Language.
Note: The acronym, Ameslan, was coined by Louie J. Fant, Jr. (1972).

Pidgin Sign English: A variety of manual communication in which characteristics of both English and ASL are combined. Also referred to as PSE, Siglish, Sign English, manual English or Signed English.

Manual Alphabet: The process of expressing the letters of the English alphabet on the hand. It directly represents the English spelling system. Also known as Fingerspelling or Dactylology.

Initialized Signs: Signs that represent English words but are based on traditional signs. Traditional signs are adapted to incorporate the handshape of generally the first letter of the English word desired. The base sign is chosen because it has a similar meaning or conceptual relationship with the English word.
Note: There are some unique cases of old initialized signs, such as WINE, IDEA, and KING, which have no base sign with a different handshape.

Manual Communication: The generic term for any communication using signs and/or fingerspelling. This is also known as sign language or signs.

Pantomime: A nonverbal form of communication which is not bound to a certain group of people who speak the same language. It is the freer gestural system of communication which crosses the boundaries of language. Pantomime is the way many deaf people get across some of the ideas they are trying to share when they are communicating with non-signing people or with foreign individuals.

Deafness:

Deafness: Since we are mostly dealing with deaf people from a social or lay point of view, I will use Davis and Silverman’s social criterion for deafness. They define deafness as existing when “everyday auditory communication is impossible or very nearly so.” Also known as Hearing-Impaired or Hearing Handicapped.

Hard-Of-Hearing: Theoretically can describe a person whose hearing ranges between normal and inability to hear (deaf), and ranges from someone who simply requires the other person to talk louder, to the person who hers but cannot make out words. A person who may be audiologically deaf may hear some environmental sounds and might also fall into this category. In either case a loss of sensitivity in the ear of its nerves is involved.

Minimal Language Competency: Used to refer to those deaf individuals with little or no education, and whose command of ASL and English is either poor or nonexistent. Also known as MLC, Minimal Language Skills, MLS, Minimal Communication Skills, or, MCS.
Note: The term “low verbal” is obsolete due to its negative connotations.

Monday, September 29, 2003

Class Objective

Review/Quest
Story Time
Lesson 3
Silent Practice

Class tonight was very much like week three; and a rain storm kept most students away. New signs were taught and the class reviewed most signed from previous lessons. The final project (children book) will be done the week before the final class. In the final class of ASL 1, a sign song will be done by the students and a silent party will be on that day as well.

sign vocabulary

mall
school
home
zoo (fingerspell)
restaurant
with
chill (slang)
rain
snow
flood
hurricane
question (question sign outward/inward motion)
only
always

Deafness: Kinds and Causes

Four types of hearing loss may be described. The first, conductive hearing loss, is caused by diseases or obstruction in the outer or middle ear and usually is not severe. A person with a conductive hearing loss generally can be helped by a hearing aid. Often conductive hearing losses can also be corrected through surgical or medical treatment. The second kind of deafness, sensorineural hearing loss, results from damage to the sensory hair cells or the nerves of the inner ear and can range in severity from mild to profound deafness. Such loss occurs in certain sound frequencies more than in others, resulting in distorted sound perceptions even when the sound level is amplified. A hearing aid may not help a person with a sensorineural loss. The third kind, mixed hearing loss, is caused by problems in both the outer or middle ear and the inner ear. Finally, central hearing loss is the result of damage to or impairment of the nerves or nuclei of the central nervous system.

Deafness in general can be caused by illness or accident, or it may be inherited. Continuous or frequent exposure to noise levels above 85 dB can cause a progressive and eventually severe sensorineural hearing loss.

Some diseases of the ear can cause partial or total deafness. In addition, most diseases of the inner ear are associated with a disturbance of balance. Ear problems should be evaluated by specially trained physicians called otolaryngologists, who treat conditions ranging from eardrum injuries caused by physical trauma to bony deposits in the inner ear caused by the aging process.

The auricle and the opening into the outer auditory canal may be missing at birth. Acquired malformations of the outer ear include scarring from cuts and other wounds. Othematoma, known popularly as cauliflower ear, is a common result of injury to the ear cartilage followed by internal bleeding and excessive production of ear tissue.

Inflammation of the outer ear may result from any condition that causes inflammation of the skin, such as dermatitis, burns, and frostbite. Erysipelas, a skin disease caused by bacteria, and seborrhea, a skin disease caused by the malfunction of the skin’s oil glands, are common afflictions of the auricle. In the outer auditory canal, foreign bodies such as insects, as well as abnormal buildups of cerumen, cause ear disturbances and should be removed by a physician.

Diseases of the middle ear include perforation of the eardrum and infection. Perforation of the eardrum may be caused by injury from a sharp object, a blow to the ear, or by sudden changes in atmospheric pressure.

Infection of the middle ear, whether acute or chronic, is called otitis media. Acute otitis media with effusion includes all acute infections of the middle ear caused by pus-forming bacteria, which usually reach the middle ear by way of the eustachian tube. Bacterial infection of the mastoid process, a cone-shaped, honeycombed projection of bone behind the auricle, may occur as a complication of middle ear infections. Hearing impairment often follows because newly malformed tissues affect the mobility of the eardrum and the ossicles. Painful swelling of the eardrum may require a surgical incision to permit drainage of the middle ear. Since the use of penicillin and other antibiotics became widespread, mastoid complications have become much less frequent. Sometimes acute otitis media with effusion leads to a chronic infection that does not respond readily to antibacterial agents.

Acute and chronic nonsuppurative otitis media, which do not involve the formation or discharge of pus, are caused by closure of the eustachian tube due to conditions such as a head cold, diseased tonsils and adenoids, inflammation of the sinuses, or riding in airplanes without pressurized cabins. The chronic form can also result from bacterial infection. Because the watery discharge impairs hearing, chronic otitis media in young children may interfere with language development. A variety of treatments are employed, including use of antibiotics and antihistamines, removal of tonsils and adenoids, and insertion of tubes into the middle ear to allow drainage.

About 1 in 100 adults has hearing loss due to a condition called otosclerosis or otospongiosis, in which an abnormal amount of spongy bone is deposited between the stapes and the oval window. As a result, the stapes becomes immobilized and can no longer transmit sensations to the inner ear. If the condition progresses, surgical removal of the bony deposit is necessary, followed by reconstruction of the connection between the stapes and the oval window. Sometimes the surgeon will replace the stapes with a mechanical piston-like device. Even after successful surgery, deposits of bony tissue may again build up and cause hearing loss several years later.

Diseases of the inner ear can affect the sense of balance and cause symptoms of motion sickness. Anemia, tumors of the acoustic nerve, exposure to abnormal heat, disturbances of the circulatory system, skull injuries, poisoning, emotional disorders, and hyperemia, or increased blood flow, may also cause these symptoms. Meniere's disease results from abnormalities in the semicircular canals and produces nausea, hearing loss, a disturbed sense of balance, and tinnitus, or a persistent ringing in the ears. Destruction of the inner ear by cryosurgery or ultrasound is sometimes used to combat intractable dizziness.

Damage to the organ of Corti in the inner ear accounts for the condition of many people who are either totally deaf or severely hearing-impaired. Scientists have addressed the difficulties of such people by developing an electronic device called a cochlear implant. This device is more sophisticated than a hearing aid, which merely increases the volume of the sounds that pass through the normal hearing organs. The cochlear implant works by translating sound waves into electric signals. These signals are relayed to electrodes that have been surgically implanted in the cochlea so that the auditory nerve is directly stimulated. After successful surgery, once deaf or severely hearing-impaired patients can usually detect a wide range of sounds, but results depend on factors that include the health of the auditory nerves and the duration of deafness. Nonetheless, lip-reading ability often improves, and implant users have varying degrees of success in using the telephone.

Otalgia, or earache, is not necessarily associated with ear disease; occasionally it is caused by impacted teeth, sinus disease, inflamed tonsils, infections in the nose and pharnyx, or swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck. Tinnitus may also result from these conditions. Permanent tinnitus is most often caused by prolonged exposure to loud noise, which damages the hair cells of the cochlea. A sound masker, worn like a hearing aid, may offer relief to some sufferers by blocking the perception of ringing in the ears.


Monday, September 22, 2003

Tonight I attended my third class. It was great! I learned that I had some badly signed letters; I will practice correctly now. It was a very informative two hours.

-Class Notes-

Class Outline:

Review/Questions
Lesson 2
Story Time
Practice Quiz

Class Lessons:

When signing YOU-PL and/or YOUR-PL, focus/follow eyes on person(s); For THEM, THEY, and THEIR, eyes don't move.
Grammar structure: TENSE - TOPIC - ADJECTIVE - VERB.

Sign Vocabulary:

movie
hot dog
coke (soda)
apple
wine
beer
gum
cake
sushi
cracker
oatmeal (or "cereal")
carrot
corn
juice
ice cream
pizza
banana
fruit
water
spaghetti
waffles
diet ("fake" sign)
complain
football
child
team
group
cousin
twins
In-laws
Step-(brother, sister, mother, father: "fake" sign)
sweetheart
older
Grand-(son, daughter)
wedding
married
engaged
drink
ride-in (as in a car)
ride (as in on a horse)
go
finish
in-summary
people
celebrate

-personal study notes-

Girolamo Cardano: An Italian physician who was one of the first known scholars to recognize that hearing is not essential to the learning process. In the 1500s, he announced that deaf people could be educated through the written word. Believing that "the mute can hear by reading and speak by writing," Cardano tried using a code of symbols to teach his own son.

Pedro de Leon: A Benedictine monk from Spain demonstrated success in educating the deaf sons of Spanish noble families. He taught the boys how to read, write and speak so that they would be permitted to inherit their family's property.

Juan Pablo de Bonet: A Spanish monk who used his own variation of proven methods in teaching the deaf. Bonet used not just reading, writing, and speechreading as tools for education, but also a manual alphabet, in which a series of hanshapes represented the various speech sounds. In 1620, Bonet published the first book on instructional methods for teaching deaf people, which included his manual alphabet.

Abbe' Charles Michel de L'Epee': A French priest who established the first religious and social association for the deaf in Paris. One day he met two deaf sisters while he was visiting a poor section of Paris. When the girls' mother asked him to give their daughters religious instruction, L'Epee' was inspired to help the two girls and other children like them. This chance meeting sparked his lifelong commitment to deaf education.

National Institute for Deaf-Mute (1771): L'Eppe's first free public school for deaf children. Children from all over the country came to the school, bringing with them the different sign systems used in their own homes. The priest learned his student's signs, and then used the signs to teach them the French language. Gradually, a standard language of signs emerged. L'Epee's language of signs gained popularity throughout France. In all, L'Epee' established twenty-one schools for the deaf. He published some writings; among them was the first dictionary of standard French signs. He is considered, "The Father of Sign Language and Deaf Education" because of his many contributions to the deaf community.

Samuel Heinickle: A German educator and one of the most successful promoters of oralism. He taught his students speech by having them feel the vibrations of his throat as he spoke. Heinicke's contributions provided that deaf people are as capable of intelligent thought and communication as hearing people.

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet: A minister living in Hartford, Connecticut, met his neighbor's nine-year-old deaf daughter, Alice Cogswell. Gallaudet recognized that Alice was highly intelligent, even though she couldn't hear or speak, and became interested in teaching her to communicate. Gallaudet didn't know of any effective methods for educating deaf children. So with the help of Alice's father, Mason Fitch Cogswell, Gallaudet gathered support from the community, and by 1815 had raised enough money to travel to Europe, where he could study proven methods in deaf education. In London, Gallaudet met Abbe' Roche Ambroise Sincard, the successor to Abbe' de L'Epee'. Sincard was visiting London to lecture on his theories of deaf education and to demonstrate his successful teaching methods. With him were two highly accomplished deaf teachers, Jean Massieu and Laurent Clerc, who had once been Sincard's students. Gallaudet accepted an invitation from Sincard to visit the Paris school. During the two months at the National Institute, Gallaudet studied their methods of teaching. When Gallaudet was ready to return home, he invited Clerc to join him and Clerc agreed! Gallaudet founded the first free public school for the deaf in American with the help of Clerc. Gallaudet retired from his job as principle of the Hartford school in 1830. He died in 1851.

American Asylum for the Deaf and Mute (1817): First free public school for deaf in American (Hartford, CT) founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Today the school is called the American School for the Deaf. American Sign Language emerged from this school in the same manner as it did L'Epee's National Institute- the students themselves brought with them the different signs used within their own communities.

Edward Miner Gallaudet: Son of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. He and his brother, Thomas Gallaudet (founder of Saint Ann's Church for Deaf-Mutes in New York [1852]) continued their father's pioneering work in deaf education. In 1857 Edward Miner Hopkins received a donation from Amos Kendall- a wealthy philanthropist. The donation was for several acres of Kendall's own Washington, D.C. estate to establish a residential school- the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind. Congress allowed this college to confer college degrees; the schools college division became the National Deaf-Mute College, which opened in June of 1864. In 1893, in honor of Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, the school was renamed, Gallaudet College. The name changed once more in 1986 to Gallaudet University. Gallaudet University is known as the first and only liberal arts university for the deaf in the world.

In 1867, the Institution for the Improved Instruction of Deaf-Mutes in New York and the Clark Institution for Deaf-Mutes in Northampton, Massachusetts began pioneering techniques for teaching by oral means alone: Oralism, or the oral method, uses a system of speech and speechreading instead of signs and fingerspelling. Alexander Grand Bell was an ardent supporter of oralism so in 1872 he opened a school in Boston to train teachers of deaf to use the oral method; and in 1890, he founded the American Association to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf, Inc. Today it's called, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf.

In 1880, the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (Milan, Italy) Oralism triumphed when this congress passed a resolution in support of oralism. The results were dramatic and far reaching. Because of this resolution, the use of sign language in education declined and lipreading and speech were added to the curriculum in many schools for the deaf. By 1920, 80 percent of deaf students were taught in oral education programs. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was founded and gained support in reaction to the Milan resolution. The NAD was instrumental in keeping sign language and manual education alive.

William C. Stokoe (1960): A hearing Gallaudet professor that published a breakthrough monograph that "legitimized" sign language once and for all. In Sign Language Structure, Stokoe presented his thesis that American Sign Language is a unique, separate and distinct from English. His research proved that ASL is a natural language with its own grammar and syntax, as capable as spoken languages of communicating abstract ideas and complex information. As a result, ASL was finally recognized as an important national language.

Babbidge Report (1964): A report issued by Congress that finally and effectively dismissed the Melan resolution. This report was a long-overdue acknowledgment of the superiority of sign language in deaf education.

A movement that began in 1970 attempted to blend several different methods; the result was a philosophy that became the foundation for a new approach of deaf education: Total Communication. Total Communication allows deaf people the right to any information through all possible means, including sign language, fingerspelling, pantomime, speech, lipreading, writing, computers, pictures, gestures, facial expressions, reading, and hearing aid devices.

Public Law 94-142 (1975): his law requires free and appropriate education and allows mainstream into regular public schools, where they receive special instruction but interact with the general public school population.

Deaf President Now (DPN): A movement at Gallaudet University that triumph for deaf rights. DPN was set in motion in March of 1988, when the University Board of Trustees named a hearing candidate, Elisabeth A. Zinser, as Gallaudet's seventh president. Students, faculty, and alumni of Galluadet were stunned that a hearing candidate was chosen over two qualified deaf finalists. Protesters shut down the entire campus and after a week of pressure, Zinser resigned and I. King Jordan, a long-time faculty member at Gallaudet, was appointed as the university's first deaf president. The DPN movement unified the deaf and hard-of-hearing people in a collective struggle to be heard. Their ultimate triumph was a reminder that they don't have to accept society's limitations.

Monday, September 15, 2003

My class notes:

Tonight, in my second beginners ASL class, I learned more about what we (class) will be doing as a final project: Signing a children story. I must find a simple childrens tale and learn to sign it in ASL. That sounds very interesting and fun!

I also learned about Name Signs. First one must fingerspell his/her name and then give the Name Sign. The first letter of the name (C) is used and its movement indicates something about his/her personality.

Also, in the signer space, there can be no more than three (3) places when indicating individuals we are signing- left, right and in front of body. One fingerspells the individual's name first and then shows where that person is (place) in the signer space.

The word AND is used to emphasis something. Example: He big AND fat he; She smart AND tall she.

The teacher began her instruction of structure by displaying how Tense is used:
TENSE - TOPIC - ADJECTIVE - VERB (What's happening).

Sign vocabulary:

cat
dog
cow
milk
giraffe
lion
horse
turtle
butterfly
monkey
bird
elephant
snake
snake
fish
shark
seal
hippopotamus
alligator
crocodile
nothing
cool (attitude)
big
happy
hello
light (weight)
light (bulb)
kid
warm
ugly
tired
mad
angry
fat
sister
hungry
like
learning
now
past
future
car
truck
van
bus
limousine
train
helicopter
plane
money
voice
_

Monday, September 08, 2003

I just completed my very first ASL class! It was very basic as far as information but I enjoyed it. What really made me happy was the text that will be used for the course (1-3): A Basic Course in American Sign Language by Humphries. This is the same book I purchased two weeks ago in eBay. I only paid about five bucks for it and I have the four video lessons of the text as well! Boy, I made the right moves prior to class. Also, the ASL dictionary by Random House was also recommended for class study and I also own that particular book. I am set and ready for this course.

The teacher is a hearing person. She appears to be an excellent teacher and her lively attitude and humor makes learning ASL much more enjoyable. I will benefit much from her instruction and guidance.

The course objectives:

Develop a basic understanding of Deaf culture.
Use and understand basic principles of ASL
Develop a vocabulary repertoire including lessons 1-8 in text.
Display appropriate conversational skills, facial expressions, and other parameters of ASL.

My notes from class:

It's not consider rude to look directly at the signers hands when he/she is signing.
Always fingerspell with your dominant hand.
Signs using the middle finger usually indicate emotions- feelings.
The open hand is used for possessive pronouns.
Double letters (in fingerspelling) are indicated with an outward bounce to the right.

Sign vocabulary:

(Alphabet)
again
slow
whatever
what's up?
my
name
animals
states
how
fine
meet
meet-you
date
bathroom (toilet)

Fingerspell Drill:

-at
-ed
-ing

Since I have been learning and practicing ASL for about four months on my own, the first class was not too informative for me. I did learn new signs and the correct way to form the letters H, M, and N; and I also liked how the teacher showed that in reading a fingerspelled word(s), not all the letters need to be captured in order to understand it. Extracting a few letters will help in understanding what word is being signed.

I look forward to the next class! Now I must practice and review.
Today marks my initial step into the Deaf culture. As a hearing person, I do not know what to expect. My eagerness is overwhelming and my curiosity strong. I have been learning ASL since mid April (2003) on my own. Video lessons and books being my only source and guide. Tonight, in my very first ASL beginners class, I will apply what I have learned so far in my personal study. I do have two wonderful deaf friends who help me online: Elise (Maryland) and Patty (Canada). So far, they have both been encouraging and helpful in my gathering of information and ASL questions. In fact, they are the only deaf individuals I have met in my life. That will change tonight. Deaf culture here I come!

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?