2008 Woodie Awards
ASL @ WOU
Erica Bloch
Issue date: 11/9/07 Section: Culture
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American Sign Language (ASL) and the Deaf Culture are very prominent at Western Oregon University, but a lot of people don't know much about them. The Deaf Culture has not always been acknowledged in society. Even today there is only one Liberal Art's college for Deaf and hard of hearing students. In the 1800s there was a ban on using ASL in schools. Instead teachers used a method where only spoken word and speech reading were allowed. Students were not permitted to sign and were expected to speak orally. Schools did not start using sign language until 1970. Just like with anything new or different, people were resistant to accepting the language. Thankfully, ASL is becoming more prominent in today's society. Since there has been an increased interest, more schools are offering ASL courses.
The book "Teach Yourself American Sign Language in 24 hours", uses what Dr. Kannapell calls the five basic concepts of Deaf Culture. According to her they are communication, language, perceptions, community and sharing. According to the book, many deaf people would not want to regain their hearing if they could. It's their culture. A community. They have their own events, from clubs to sporting events and performances. Just like any culture, the history and traditions of that culture are passed down and shared through stories and other ways.
Grammar in ASL is completely different from English. In English you would say "I bought an old car." In ASL it would be "CAR ME BUY OLD". There is no verb tense, if you hated conjugating verbs in Spanish or French then ASL is for you. It may seem confusing at first but, like learning any other language, it just takes time to get use to.
It's important to understand; with knowledge comes understanding and acceptance. President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "I have long believed, as have many before me, that peaceful relations between nations require mutual respect between individuals." I think it's the same for cultures. When we understand different cultures we accept them. As more people understand the Deaf Culture, that it is just like any other culture, there will be more acceptance.
Professor Heath Goodall contributed to this article.•
The book "Teach Yourself American Sign Language in 24 hours", uses what Dr. Kannapell calls the five basic concepts of Deaf Culture. According to her they are communication, language, perceptions, community and sharing. According to the book, many deaf people would not want to regain their hearing if they could. It's their culture. A community. They have their own events, from clubs to sporting events and performances. Just like any culture, the history and traditions of that culture are passed down and shared through stories and other ways.
Grammar in ASL is completely different from English. In English you would say "I bought an old car." In ASL it would be "CAR ME BUY OLD". There is no verb tense, if you hated conjugating verbs in Spanish or French then ASL is for you. It may seem confusing at first but, like learning any other language, it just takes time to get use to.
It's important to understand; with knowledge comes understanding and acceptance. President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "I have long believed, as have many before me, that peaceful relations between nations require mutual respect between individuals." I think it's the same for cultures. When we understand different cultures we accept them. As more people understand the Deaf Culture, that it is just like any other culture, there will be more acceptance.
Professor Heath Goodall contributed to this article.•
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
rachael
posted 11/22/07 @ 6:19 PM PST
wow the person who wrote is a very gifted at writing. I'd love to read more she has written.
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