Notes Flashcards
What is ASL?
American Sign Language is a visual-gestural language. It is the primary sign language used by deaf and hearing-impaired people in the United States and Canada.
Give a brief history of ASL.
In the early 1800’s, a hearing minister named Thomas Gallaudet became friends with a young deaf girl. Gallaudet took an interest in teaching her, and her father encouraged Gallaudet to establish a school for the deaf.
In 1815, Gallaudet headed to Europe. He met with several program directors, but they refused to share their techniques with him. Fortunately, in England Gallaudet met with the director of a Paris school for the deaf by the name of Sicard, and two of his deaf pupils, who were also teachers. The Paris school, which had been founded by the Abbe Charles Michel de L’Epee in 1771, was using French Sign Language in combination with a set methodically developed signs.
Gallaudet persuaded one of the students, Laurent Clerc, to return with him to the States and in 1817 the first American school for the Deaf was established in the city of Hartford, Connecticut. Over time, the signs used at that school, plus the signs that were already being used by Deaf people in America evolved into what we now know as American Sign Language.
Briefly explain deaf culture.
People who feel that being Deaf is about “language, culture, and a visual orientation to life” subscribe to the “cultural model” of Deafness.
In general, members of the American Deaf Community do not think of themselves to be disabled. They don’t see or label themselves as impaired versions of Hearing people. They see themselves as a cultural group bonded together by a common language.
People who feel that “deafness is problem to be solved” subscribe to the “pathological model” or the “medical model” of deafness and are not culturally Deaf.
Describe the difference between ASL and SEE.
ASL is a language of hand gestures and symbols widely used by deaf and hearing-impaired people for communication. It has its own grammar rules, and puts words in different order than English.
SEE) is a specific signing system which incorporates word endings and English word order in a specific signing style. Little regard is made for conceptual accuracy. In other words, SEE’s grammar, unlike ASL, is exactly the same as English, which means you will not have to learn the grammar in addition to the signs, and it will be virtually devoid of the Deaf cultural influence.
What is Pigdin or PSE?
A pigdin is a combination of two languages. PSE, or Pidgin Signed English, is a mix of ASL signs and English grammar. It is used to bridge the gap between Hearies and Deafies when they are together.
