Hello all,
This is a short post to clarify what Deaf music looks like. This is a performing group based in Gallaudet University in Washington DC named Rathskellar. I've seen the Pirates skit, and it was stellar. Enjoy the video!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Deaf Culture
Hello all!
I didn't quite make the deadline of posting my blog on Tuesday. It's 12:58 am Wednesday morning... That shows one aspect of the Deaf culture where we all always don't think of time. Today, I went up night skiing at Brighton with a couple of my buddies and after that, we went to Pizza Pi Pizzeria in Draper and left that place 11 pm. Boy, we as Deaf people LOVE to chat and we literally forget about the time most of the time. That's one quip of the Deaf culture and that's why this post is a little delayed because I'm deaf and I love to talk, haha.
Enough of that. Let's recap on my week from the MTC. This week the missionaries have improved a LOT in areas that we've worked on in the past two weeks such as language and teaching skills. The other problem is that they're getting lazy about the rules and such, but that'll be taken care of. I can see the missionaries having issues with accepting the Deaf culture and the Deaf missionaries dealing with the Hearing culture. When two worlds collide, things don't get pretty if one or two of them aren't humble and willing to work it out together. Missionaries often show up at the MTC with a "know it all" attitude. As we face a different culture, it is not a simple task adjusting to it, and it requires humility and patience. There are several companionships who do not appreciate the Deaf culture, YET. I had a companion on my mission who fell in love with the Deaf culture but he couldn't give up his music, and stuff like that. We all have to remember that once we appreciate the other culture, we also need to know where we are from as well. They are going to teach Deaf people and since their language is different, their culture will be different as well. This week's topic is about the Deaf culture, as you already see (not heard, wink), and I'm going to start off with a video. This video is a comedic sort where we will discuss why Deaf people are like that, and I'll explain about the differences between the Hearing and the Deaf culture.
Keith Wann describes that technology ruins the precious culture of the Deaf people. We all understand that from my story after skiing at Brighton, me and my buddies gathered and chatted all night. With the advancement of technology in the past several years, Deaf people have been able to keep in touch with people all over the country and the world. A lot of Deaf people don't have many Deaf friends who live nearby which leads to the increased reliance of communicating through technology. Yes, this is a fact and don't expect to see that everywhere because there are also Deaf people like us who definitely put down their iPhones and Blackberries for a while to chat with the Deaf people around us.
We, as a Deaf community, are a very tight knit group where we all basically know who's who. We all operate on networks of friends, like Facebook for example. That was invented waaaaaay before MySpace or Facebook even came out by the Deaf community. We all become tight knit because of our differences and struggles in the world, and we're able to recuperate with our own kind. Imagine yourself doing something really difficult such as Calculus (for the most of us!), or Art (for the rest of you!), we have to work really hard to master it. It is human nature for us to choose the most convenient way instead of the challenging one to unwind and redeem ourselves. The Deaf community does that by meeting with other Deaf people and hang out, have long conversations, go to parties, and so on...
We are not outsiders, we are still in the world, it's just that we're not trying to be a part of the world because we know it's better off being with the people with similar struggles and differences. It's the same with everyone as demonstrated by cliques in high school, groups of similar interest such as clubs and many other classifications. The Deaf community is one of them, and we're no different.
There are a lot of big and small differences between the Hearing culture and the Deaf culture. Let me explain what we mean by "Hearing" culture... We mean the people who speak and hear in general regardless of language. The "Deaf" culture is the group of people who use sign language regardless of hearing loss. Here are some examples that I've adjusted for correction (there were some mistakes) from a sweetly written article I found online.
For me, I grew up bilingually in a Hearing family who can sign ASL. I am very fortunate to understand the differences of both cultures when I was very young. I am able to behave properly for either culture, but there are times where I do things naturally and that might offend the Hearing people sometimes, or cause some confusion. It is essential for both sides to understand each other. There are thousands of factors causing the differences between both worlds and cultures, but once we keep an open mind about it, we can understand each other better. The Deaf culture is unique because of the amazing language, American Sign Language.
click on cartoon to see it enlarged
That's all folks!
I didn't quite make the deadline of posting my blog on Tuesday. It's 12:58 am Wednesday morning... That shows one aspect of the Deaf culture where we all always don't think of time. Today, I went up night skiing at Brighton with a couple of my buddies and after that, we went to Pizza Pi Pizzeria in Draper and left that place 11 pm. Boy, we as Deaf people LOVE to chat and we literally forget about the time most of the time. That's one quip of the Deaf culture and that's why this post is a little delayed because I'm deaf and I love to talk, haha.
Enough of that. Let's recap on my week from the MTC. This week the missionaries have improved a LOT in areas that we've worked on in the past two weeks such as language and teaching skills. The other problem is that they're getting lazy about the rules and such, but that'll be taken care of. I can see the missionaries having issues with accepting the Deaf culture and the Deaf missionaries dealing with the Hearing culture. When two worlds collide, things don't get pretty if one or two of them aren't humble and willing to work it out together. Missionaries often show up at the MTC with a "know it all" attitude. As we face a different culture, it is not a simple task adjusting to it, and it requires humility and patience. There are several companionships who do not appreciate the Deaf culture, YET. I had a companion on my mission who fell in love with the Deaf culture but he couldn't give up his music, and stuff like that. We all have to remember that once we appreciate the other culture, we also need to know where we are from as well. They are going to teach Deaf people and since their language is different, their culture will be different as well. This week's topic is about the Deaf culture, as you already see (not heard, wink), and I'm going to start off with a video. This video is a comedic sort where we will discuss why Deaf people are like that, and I'll explain about the differences between the Hearing and the Deaf culture.
Keith Wann describes that technology ruins the precious culture of the Deaf people. We all understand that from my story after skiing at Brighton, me and my buddies gathered and chatted all night. With the advancement of technology in the past several years, Deaf people have been able to keep in touch with people all over the country and the world. A lot of Deaf people don't have many Deaf friends who live nearby which leads to the increased reliance of communicating through technology. Yes, this is a fact and don't expect to see that everywhere because there are also Deaf people like us who definitely put down their iPhones and Blackberries for a while to chat with the Deaf people around us.
We, as a Deaf community, are a very tight knit group where we all basically know who's who. We all operate on networks of friends, like Facebook for example. That was invented waaaaaay before MySpace or Facebook even came out by the Deaf community. We all become tight knit because of our differences and struggles in the world, and we're able to recuperate with our own kind. Imagine yourself doing something really difficult such as Calculus (for the most of us!), or Art (for the rest of you!), we have to work really hard to master it. It is human nature for us to choose the most convenient way instead of the challenging one to unwind and redeem ourselves. The Deaf community does that by meeting with other Deaf people and hang out, have long conversations, go to parties, and so on...
We are not outsiders, we are still in the world, it's just that we're not trying to be a part of the world because we know it's better off being with the people with similar struggles and differences. It's the same with everyone as demonstrated by cliques in high school, groups of similar interest such as clubs and many other classifications. The Deaf community is one of them, and we're no different.
There are a lot of big and small differences between the Hearing culture and the Deaf culture. Let me explain what we mean by "Hearing" culture... We mean the people who speak and hear in general regardless of language. The "Deaf" culture is the group of people who use sign language regardless of hearing loss. Here are some examples that I've adjusted for correction (there were some mistakes) from a sweetly written article I found online.
Deaf humor
Since much of hearing humor is based on word play, the Deaf do not “get it” most of the time. Many times Deaf humor is just as “interesting” to our hearing minds. The Deaf humor mainly consists jokes about oppression, liberation, and using facial expressions along with body language. The jokes the Deaf mainly use either has a visual or cultural value within.
Deaf language
The language of the Deaf is a visual/gesture based language. Deaf have their own idiomatic expressions. American Sign Language is a recognized foreign language in many states and schools. It is based on hand shapes, movements, sign placement and location, facial expressions and their intensity as well as gestures. Hearing language depends mostly on tone, volume and the formation as well as timing of sounds. It also uses expressions and body language.
Deaf are naturally frank
They tell you what they think. Deaf people are notoriously straightforward in their conversations and expressions. If you ask their opinion (and even if you don’t), be prepared to get it! Understand, they DO NOT mean to intentionally hurt or harm with their words. The Deaf are straightforward because they don't "beat around the bush" like Hearing people do.
Deaf are visually stimulated
This is for obvious reasons. Hearing folks are visually AND aurally stimulated.
Deaf music is rhythm or beat-based
Deaf music has three elements – timing, flow and coordination. Hearing music has three elements as well – melody, harmony and rhythm.
Deaf are very cliquish
They tend to be wary of new people entering their culture. Once in, hearing people are generally well accepted as long as they maintain their respect for the culture of the Deaf.
Deaf tend to have difficultly with forgetting wrongs or offenses even after forgiveness
This is a strong difficulty to overcome. Confidence is easy to gain, but once lost, it is very difficult to regain. It is very common among the Deaf culture, just as any other culture out there in the world.
Deaf think differently
The average deaf person generally does not think in words or sentences but in visual concepts. Highly educated Deaf however, can and do think much like hearing people mainly because of their bilingual ability.
For me, I grew up bilingually in a Hearing family who can sign ASL. I am very fortunate to understand the differences of both cultures when I was very young. I am able to behave properly for either culture, but there are times where I do things naturally and that might offend the Hearing people sometimes, or cause some confusion. It is essential for both sides to understand each other. There are thousands of factors causing the differences between both worlds and cultures, but once we keep an open mind about it, we can understand each other better. The Deaf culture is unique because of the amazing language, American Sign Language.
click on cartoon to see it enlarged
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Purpose of Learning ASL
Hello all!
The picture shown right is the sign for I LOVE YOU in ASL. It's a combination of all of the letters I, L, Y from the manual alphabet in one sign. :D
It was an interesting week for me at the MTC. The missionaries are progressing very well with ASL. They're starting to grasp the basic concept of how signs really work. Funny enough, when we describe some of the most simple words in the English language by gestures such as "car", that gesture is usually the right sign for the word "car" in ASL. They all have memorized several phrases in ASL for basic communication.
I would like to recall a story about what happened in class several days ago. When I was teaching them how to sign ASL vocabulary, we decided it was time for a language game to help them learn ASL in a fun way. We all got together and had a finger-spelling competition. Boy, it was fierce... everyone was into it and finger-spelled each word ridiculously fast! The native signers had a very easy time winning because their hands were already accustomed to spelling the manual alphabet of ASL. It was interesting to see how non-native signers learn how to spell with their hands and fingers. It's as hard as learning a new craft such as knitting or drawing figures. I felt really good because they all were enthusiastic to get better with the language. They truly understand their purpose of learning ASL in the MTC.
All of them will serve in areas with deaf people using sign language. Missionaries can choose whether if they want to learn or ignore ASL. Once they enter the field of work, they will be instantly immersed into the deaf world using ASL 90% of the day. They know that they MUST learn ASL here in the MTC. Their calling is to proselytize in ASL and they expect US to do the best as we can. Missionaries will spend the next 18-24 months using ASL most of the time, and for them to help the people understand their unique message, they have to be proficient in the proselytizing language.
Suppose you went to Italy for vacation, and you can speak a little Italian, and you get in a situation where you feel overwhelmed by its culture and language difficulties. This happens with ASL as well. The missionaries will be put into an entirely different culture, known as the Deaf Culture (the next blog will be about this), and language is not that easy to follow at first sight. It is the same with all other languages and cultures over the world.
Missionaries come to the MTC with a strong desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and yet, we're training them to teach deaf people using ASL. It's definitely not easy, and becoming a master teacher takes years and years of practicing and understanding the language. By their desire to serve and share His message with all deaf people in the world, they WILL learn ASL and do their best to bring the message to them like native speakers. It is true that some missionaries come home after two years being fluent in that language. I believe that this group in the MTC right now has potential that every missionary will be fluent once they finish their missions.
Here's a link to the video of a comedian who's perfectly fluent in ASL interpreting a rap song. He starts out signing exact English with no ASL. A deaf person will not understand the song until Keith Wann decides to start using ASL then the deaf people will finally understand music. Myself, I don't understand music and this is one example of how I can understand music through ASL.
VIDEO OF KEITH WANN - ICE ICE BABY
I want you to recognize the differences between signed English and ASL. It is a BIG difference, and ASL is definitely better for the deaf people. This is why the missionaries at the MTC learn ASL so they can communicate and send His message to all deaf people fluently.
One more video for your pleasure. I find it very pleasing to watch and it's in BSL (British Sign Language). DEPARTURE LOUNGE
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Introduction to ASL and the MTC
Hello everyone!
I have to apologize for the late posting tonight, but it's still Tuesday!
First of all, I want all of you to be aware of what American Sign Language (ASL) is and what does the Missionary Training Center have to do with ASL? ASL is a language primarily used by the deaf community to communicate with each other using hands, facial expressions and body language. ASL came to origin when Laurent Clerc from France visited Thomas Gallaudet, who had a friend who had a deaf daughter and wanted an education for her, to teach him sign language. Clerc and Gallaudet founded the first deaf school in America in 1817 (for more details, click here). The first picture is of
Laurent Clerc while the second one is Thomas Gallaudet.
Today, over two million people use ASL to communicate. American Sign Language is now officially recognized as a separate language from English in several states. Many colleges, universities and high schools offer courses in ASL.
Now, what does the Missionary Training Center have to do with ASL?
The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints sends missionaries all over the world speaking in hundreds of different languages, dialects and so on... The church also sends ASL missionaries mainly to big cities in America such as Los Angeles, San Jose, New York City, Houston, Miami, Phoenix and many other cities to teach the deaf who is interested in joining the church. I served my mission for two years in the California Los Angeles mission and it was an awesome experience for me.
The MTC is a place where missionaries gather to learn the language and prepare before leaving into the actual field of work. Usually, missionaries called to proselytize in ASL stay in the MTC for 9 weeks to learn the language. We, as MTC teachers, have the responsibility to faciliate their learning to becoming proficient ASL signers before the leave to work in their areas where they have been called to serve.
We had a new group of missionaries who arrived last week Wednesday. There are 18 missionaries, 12 elders (male) and 6 sisters (female) called to serve in various cities over the United States in ASL! We have 6 skilled signers, 5 of them are deaf and one's a certified interpreter, and the rest of the group knows a little ASL or none at all. They're about to embark the journey of mastering the language in 9 weeks!
The next blog will be more about the missionaries and their progress in learning the language. The next post will be much more fun to read, I promise!
Please leave a comment if you have any questions or comments about the blog!
I have to apologize for the late posting tonight, but it's still Tuesday!
First of all, I want all of you to be aware of what American Sign Language (ASL) is and what does the Missionary Training Center have to do with ASL? ASL is a language primarily used by the deaf community to communicate with each other using hands, facial expressions and body language. ASL came to origin when Laurent Clerc from France visited Thomas Gallaudet, who had a friend who had a deaf daughter and wanted an education for her, to teach him sign language. Clerc and Gallaudet founded the first deaf school in America in 1817 (for more details, click here). The first picture is of
Laurent Clerc while the second one is Thomas Gallaudet.Today, over two million people use ASL to communicate. American Sign Language is now officially recognized as a separate language from English in several states. Many colleges, universities and high schools offer courses in ASL.
Now, what does the Missionary Training Center have to do with ASL?
The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints sends missionaries all over the world speaking in hundreds of different languages, dialects and so on... The church also sends ASL missionaries mainly to big cities in America such as Los Angeles, San Jose, New York City, Houston, Miami, Phoenix and many other cities to teach the deaf who is interested in joining the church. I served my mission for two years in the California Los Angeles mission and it was an awesome experience for me.
The MTC is a place where missionaries gather to learn the language and prepare before leaving into the actual field of work. Usually, missionaries called to proselytize in ASL stay in the MTC for 9 weeks to learn the language. We, as MTC teachers, have the responsibility to faciliate their learning to becoming proficient ASL signers before the leave to work in their areas where they have been called to serve.
We had a new group of missionaries who arrived last week Wednesday. There are 18 missionaries, 12 elders (male) and 6 sisters (female) called to serve in various cities over the United States in ASL! We have 6 skilled signers, 5 of them are deaf and one's a certified interpreter, and the rest of the group knows a little ASL or none at all. They're about to embark the journey of mastering the language in 9 weeks!
The next blog will be more about the missionaries and their progress in learning the language. The next post will be much more fun to read, I promise!
Please leave a comment if you have any questions or comments about the blog!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Hello Everyone!
Konichiwa tomodachi!
Welcome to my new blog.
I'm Austin. I'm Deaf, and I'm a student at Brigham Young University (BYU, www.byu.edu) majoring in Animation. I'm applying to the program this April and hopefully I'll be good enough to make it in! I work at the Missionary Training Center (www.mtc.byu.edu) in Provo, Utah teaching missionaries American Sign Language (ASL). I was raised bilingually so ASL and English are both my native languages.
The first post will be this Tuesday January 19, 2010, and it'll be about learning ASL in 9 weeks!
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