Yes, you, the Native ASL Users! I challenge you! I have questions for you. I have this suspicions ever since I noticed it myself.
Icthus Deafies brought an interesting pointview on the language, "Questions and Thinking about Language." He made me think and review on this, because I had this quest on myself for a long time.
Now, I am ready to ask you Deaf guys who born to Deaf parents! You ready? :D
Okay, here it is. Since you acquired the language at birth, you were able to express freely in the language. You understand the translation of languages, because of experiencing the translations at early age too. Am I right on the track?
Now, the question is:
"Do you understand the interpreters better than the general Deaf population?"
Or, better yet, "Do you understand the languages better than the general Deaf population?"
I have witnessed this from time to time. Gee, for example, in my graduate classes, I had this Deaf peer from Deaf family. We used the interpreters all the time with our classes. I understood most of the interpreters. It just happened that we got one interpreter that I could not get information from myself. In the beginning of the course, I actually dozed off on and off, especially with this interpreter in the difficult course. I came to realize how concerned I was about understanding the whole course. I began to study this Deaf peer to see whether this person could understand this interpreter. This student did! Oh, my goodness! I studied this again the next time. Yes, this person ACTUALLY did! Ohhhhhh, I am in serious trouble, I told myself! So, I had to ask this peer how this person could understand this interpreter. This student said, this person only paid attention to the grammar of English, or the concept of the lecture. I was signless (speechless). Then I expressed my frustration to the interpreter about not able to get the information from her. She was glad to help me out with that. So, we were the team altogether. I even took a picture of them, I guess, based on the experience I learned a great deal from.
Again, at Gallaudet University, I was ended up in a course with a lot of Deaf students that were from Deaf families. This professor was hearing, but had an intelligence that those Deaf students were appreciating with. I TRIED to understand this professor, but his signing were SO bad! I was impressed that they understood this professor. Looked like the same thing about focusing on the grammar of English or the concept of the lecture, like my graduate peer's.
So, you Deaf Native ASL Users! Yes or No? :D
Thank you, Butterfly, like me...Deaf
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
Maybe the question should be...
Are you bilingual, ASL/English?
This is why it is so important to start bilingual ideology for all deaf babies.
John
Yes to both questions: I learned from early on how to think "meta-linguistically," that is, to think in both languages, ASL and English. In my case, where I was born in Holland, I thought in Gebarentaal and the Dutch language, and I was able to transfer my "meta-physics" to the United States where ASL and English are dominant languages within the Deaf community. I am even able to "evaluate" interpreters, teachers and even native users of ASL in terms of clarity, coherence and consistency. Like poor English, there exists poor ASL.
Ah, I knew it!! Smile! Thanks, Carl!
John, maybe... Actually, I was looking for the subject specifically, understanding the interpreter better than general Deaf population.
Thanks, b-deaf
Carl S. just responsed to my challenge by putting his vlog. He answered almost all to my questions and quest. I appreciate his answer.
Here is his vlog, Kalalau's Korner:
http://carl-schroeder.blogspot.com/2008/03/responding-to-butterfly-challenge-three.html
thank you. deafk
Hmm, I am not sure if I understand your question correctly.
If I "read" you right, I can answer, "YES" , a deaf of deaf,or a born deaf can get along much better with an interpreter than a late deafened person can.
I guess,what I am meaning to say,if Spoken English is the first language, yes, there is a problem understanding an interpreter fully, unless it is on a one-on-one situation. I myself have found my mind wandering and paying more attention the the terp's clothes,jewelery, etc. than what she/he is saying!
SOME interpreters can keep me wide awake tho, they need to insert little inflections every now and then to keep me on my toes and lessen my boredom. Terps that use an ASL "monotone" escape me entirely!
Lantana
aslvblog.blogspot.com; You saved my day again.
Post a Comment