Melanie Page

ASL Interpreting: career goals, reflections, activities in the Deaf community

Deaf World: essay reflection

This is the tenth post in series of reflections on essays from the book Deaf World, edited by Lois Bragg. All essays in this text are by d/Deaf authors, meaning it is both a primary resource and, thanks to the scope of essays, a historical reader.

The essay “What Happens When Languages Come in Contact” by Ceil Lucas and Clayton Valli was the most surprising I’ve read so far. To sum up, the authors look at the arrival of sign language in the U.S. and the ways in which written French and English affected what became ASL. As oralism rose in popularity, it affected sign language, but also, many people became deaf after learning English, so some could read and write. The children who learned at the American School for the Deaf spread across the country to open schools for the deaf, and the language would change as it came into contact with English in various regions. 

To begin, I hadn’t even considered how Gallaudet’s and Clerc’s new pupils communicated before the establishment of the first school for the deaf. The story always begins poor Alice Cogswell was excluded by other children. But, folks were using home signs and gestures, and one gentleman already knew sign language. What was he using?! The authors imply the man’s language was fully structured, making me think the arrival of Clerc was not the birth of sign language in America, but perhaps the commencement of formal deaf education. 

The reason I chose this essay is because I had learned to avoid all English signs. I did not sign AND or WITH, ever. Only in ASL 4 have I gotten somewhat used to signing NOT. And now, Lucas and Valli propose that ASL is a language that has grown up with English and is naturally affected by it. I was surprised when they proposed it would be preferred if folks got rid of initialized signs and followed ASL grammar—minimal requirements, I would think. Even then, some initialized words appear to be accepted by the deaf community, and others are not, which suggests to me that ASL is forever evolving—like any other language. Final question, then: how do I, as an ally, protect ASL? I’ve seen that signed by several Deaf people: PROTECT ASL. 

Grab the Lapels

2 responses to “Deaf World: essay reflection”

  1. wadholloway Avatar
    wadholloway

    French people work very hard to protect French, but is it worthwhile? Other languages sometimes do things better, which is why we import them. I can see why you might be sympathetic to “protect ASL”, but American English is going to prevail sooner or later, in ASL as in Australia (and France).

    Like

    Reply
    1. Grab the Lapels Avatar
      Grab the Lapels

      I believe that my role is to support what the Deaf community wants. As a hearing person who did not grow up in Deaf culture, I don’t get to make such decisions. In interpreting, we talk about what it means to be an ally. Since the concept of a Deaf ally was started, it has since evolved into Deaf accomplice. What this means is hearing people don’t just support Deaf people in what they want to do in their community, but you’re there in the trenches, fighting with them. One question that really nags at me is if the Deaf community protests shutting down the local Deaf school, do interpreters fight alongside them? And if interpreters fight alongside them, are they betraying the Deaf community by taking jobs interpreting in the local public schools where the Deaf children have all been mainstreamed?

      Fun fact: ASL is actually intruding on Auslan. Some Deaf Aussies have decided ASL fingerspelling is more practical because it uses one hand instead of two, like Auslan.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment