Posting #4: Chapters 16-18

Ch. 16:

Before I read this chapter I knew that there were home video courses in ASL. In our class we use a DVD program that goes along with our workbook. I really enjoy this because it is a way for me to make sure I am practicing the signs correctly when I am outside of the classroom and “you can go at your own pace” (pg. 115). In that case I think that the video courses available for ASL may be beneficial but there are also some negatives. I learned that “Multimedia programs are costly” (pg.116). This could be a negative thing for someone trying to learn ASL who already due to financial reasons could not take an ASL course. For those interested in purchasing a video course I agree that it would be better to try to check one out one from a local library before purchasing it. This way you can make sure you like it and see if it will be beneficial to you. Another alternative they suggested for learning ASL is that “community colleges and agencies offer beginners’ Sign classes in a noncompetitive atmosphere” (pg.117). This would be a good alternative for those who do not learn well by home video courses.

This chapter also briefly talks about how some people have a hard time understanding words that have multiple signs. I read that “Different teachers favor different signs” (pg. 116). To me this made perfect sense and made me think back to accents discussed in Chapter 10.

Ch. 17:

I found this chapter very interesting because I had never heard of Pidgin Sign English before. I then discovered that it was a “blend of American Sign Language and American English signs” (pg.119). Some find this a comfortable way to communicate.  The main idea I learned from this chapter was on the first page when it said, “Pidgin Sign English, in other words, is a method of communication-not a distinct language as such- that uses signs borrowed from ASL in a basically English word order, but with some grammatical characteristics of ASL” (pg.120).

I then began to wonder if I have seen Pidgin Sign English (PSE) used before. Not every deaf person knows ASL so I began to question if some interpreters use PSE as a way to use signs from pure ASL but with the English syntax in order to help people understand. Later on it said “Hearing people rarely get to see ‘pure’ ASL being used in their presence. What they take for ASL may actually be PSE” (pg.121). After reading this I am going to pay extra attention to the interpreters at my church to see if they are using “pure” ASL or PSE, I am going to do this by watching their syntax and seeing if they sign in the English order or if they put the time or the topic first like the syntax used in ASL.

Ch. 18:

This was a good chapter for me to read because it will help me obtain the goal I set for myself after reading chapter 17, which was to be able to tell if an interpreter or signer is using ASL or signed English. I learned about the sign-language continuum which shows the populations of certain types of sign language users. It was stated in the chapter to “think of a broad arc” (pg. 123). In order to picture this better I made myself the scale below.

Pure EnglishàSigned Englishà Pidgin Sign EnglishàPure ASL

Before taking ASL 1, I was on the far left side of the scale. I knew a few signs but not enough to communicate. When I signed up for the class I was thinking the class was going to be Signed English. Now after being in my ASL class for a little over half a semester, I realize the huge difference between Signed English and Pure ASL. Pure ASL, which is what our teacher is teaching us, in my opinion, is harder than signed English because it is a whole different language. There are differences between the two such as facial expressions being used as grammatical markers and even the basic syntax. I agree when the authors state that, “ASL has a different flow, a different ‘look’ from Signed English” (pg.124). I think the difference in sentence structure is what gives ASL a different look.

 I also think that because I expected my ASL 1 class to be like Signed English is one of the reasons I mouth out everything I sign, which can be confusing since the syntax is different. This chapter really helped re-emphasize for me the difference between ASL and Basic Sign Language.