1 / 26

Silent Languages

Silent Languages. Chapter 5. Sign Language. FOR MANY YEARS PEOPLE DID NOT THINK SIGN LANGUAGE WAS A ‘ REAL ’ LANGUAGE THEY THOUGHT IT WAS RANDOM GESTURES THIS IDEA REFLECTS LINGUISTIC IDEOLOGY CALLED ORALITY

lydia-robles
Download Presentation

Silent Languages

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Silent Languages Chapter 5

  2. Sign Language • FOR MANY YEARS PEOPLE DID NOT THINK SIGN LANGUAGE WAS A ‘REAL’ LANGUAGE • THEY THOUGHT IT WAS RANDOM GESTURES • THIS IDEA REFLECTS LINGUISTIC IDEOLOGY CALLED ORALITY • THIS MEANS THAT PEOPLE TOOK FOR GRANTED THE IDEA THAT SPOKEN LANGUAGE WAS BETTER THAN ANY OTHER TYPE OF LANGAUGE • THEREFORE EDUCATION FOCUSED ON the oral approach of FINGERSPELLING AND LIPREADING and Manually coded English • Artificial language that follows exact structure of spoken English

  3. Sign Language • William stokoe, jr learned and taught MCE but saw that students used sign language to communicate outside of class • this sign language had its own unique language structure

  4. History of Sign Language • American sign language (asl) was developed from French sign language in the 1800s by Gallaudet and Clerc • all sign languages are different (British, French , Nicaraguan, etc.) and deaf people cannot speak to each other in these different forms of sign language • While most deaf people were taught the oral approach, they kept using sign language as a way to communicate with each other outside of class

  5. asl • Asl has a different structure than spoken English • One-handed signs are made with the dominant hand, so they may be made with either the left or the right

  6. asl • Asl has a different grammar than spoken English as well • English is subject-verb-object while asl is time-topic-comment • Example: • I ate a banana yesterday • Day-past me eat banana • Question words (why? How? Etc.) are at the beginning of sentences, not the end • Example: • WHAT DID HE BUY? • HE BUY WHAT?

  7. asl • SOMETIMES ONE SIGN CAN STAND FOR A PHRASE OR SENTENCE • THERE IS ONE SIGN FOR ‘I ASK HER’ • THIS IS DIFFICULT FOR NON-ASL SIGNERS TO LEARN, SINCE THEY WANT TO MAKE A NEW SIGN FOR EACH SPOKEN WORD • Furrowing eyebrows or other facial features are also part of asl communication • Asl grammar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QC9UYAW8j8

  8. Manually coded signs • This is not natural sign language • In mcs, people attempt to teach spoken English to the deaf and uses the exact structure of spoken English • So, in order to sing the word ‘improving’ you would need to sign the word ‘improve’ and then sign the suffix ‘ing’ • In natural sign language improving has its own sign • When deaf children are taught mcs, they become very confused about morphemes and how to use them

  9. Describing and analyzing signs • Review: • Phoneme = minimal meaningful portion of language • Chereme = structural unit or basic descriptive unit of signing; also called primes or sign phonemes • Sign language phonetics has: • Dez: hand shape and orientation • Tab: hand placement • Sig: hand movement • These are the building blocks of the language

  10. Describing and analyzing signs • Sign language phonetics has: • Dez: hand shape and orientation • Flat hand, fist hand, index hand, cupped hand • “A,”“b,”‘c,” and ‘d’ (see pg. 123) • Tab: hand placement • near the face, head, and upper body • Sig: hand movement • up, down, toward the body, away from body, twisting, and across body • Practice the different signs for apple and candy on pg. 123

  11. Change in sign language • Like any other language, sign languages change over time • New signs get introduced • Changes occur in placement • Varieties exist in northern/southern signers • There are differences by region; what we call ‘dialect’ • Differences exist between ages, genders, and ethnicities •  the variety of (any) language you choose to speak/sign can convey information about you, including your identity, what group you belong to, etc.

  12. modality • Modality is the channel through which a language is expressed • Spoken languages use oral channel • Sign languages use visual-gestural channel • Example: pronouns • In spoken English, we have these for people, number, gender, etc. • In asl, pointing indicates the person • For a person not physically there, an infinite number of pronouns can be made because the signer uses the empty space to describe him or her • Does this difference in the languages mean that the people using them have different views of the world?...

  13. ASL In non-humans • We will discuss this more in a later chapter, but chimpanzees and gorillas have learned to communicate through asl • Washoe (chimp) • Koko (gorilla)

  14. Nonverbal communication • Different cultures use different gestures to mean different things • You cannot effectively communicate in a culture until you know gestures and nonverbal communication • this includes • Gestures • Posture • Facial expressions • What we call ‘body language’

  15. Nonverbal communication • Over 60% of messages are conveyed nonverbally • Sometimes nonverbal cues can override verbal signs

  16. Nonverbal communication • There can be many misunderstandings • In Nicaragua, you point with your lip and signal a question by wrinkling nose • In Comoro islands, you signal ‘come here’ with what looks like ‘go away’ • Thumbs up can be a big insult • ‘okay’ sign can mean money in japan but an insult in germany • There are some guidebooks for this, but remember: • These constantly evolve • These can reinforce stereotypes • READ “9 INNOCENT GESTURES THAT WILL GET YOU PUNCHED IN THE FACE OVERSEAS”

  17. Nonverbal communication • Proxemics is the study of how people perceive and use space • These vary by culture • Americans tend to not like to touch • How much space is between you and your classmates right now? • Even in subways, new Yorkers leave space between each person, while in Tokyo people are densely packed into each train • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7kor5nHtZQ

  18. Personal space • There are four types of space: • Intimate • For americans, 0-18 inches • Personal • 18 in – 4 feet • Social • 4-12 feet • Public • 12+ feet

  19. Personal space • What happens when someone from another culture that values closer spaces moves into your space? • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGVSIkEi3mM • Space can also mark status or dominance, so many times women feel dominated if men come too close • Space is also in workplace • Ceo has biggest office, then vp, …. Down to cubicles • Space in home • Master bedroom for parents and smallest room for youngest

  20. kinesics • Kinesics is the study of body movement, facial expressions, and gestures • Gestures are not the same as signs; they are supplemental to language • Five categories: • Emblems: direct verbal translations (waving hello) • Illustrators: illustrate what is said (mimicking talking on phone) • Affect displays: convey emotion (smiles or frowns) • Regulators: control or coordinate interaction (indicating it is someone’s turn to talk) • Adaptors: facilitate release of body tension (nervous tapping)

  21. kinesics • Kinesics also includes facial expressions, body movements, gaze, and posture • Direct eye contact is expected in some cultures and forbidden in others • Eyebrow movement is part of asl • Gestures can be simple systems or complex systems

  22. kinesics • Kinesics also includes facial expressions, body movements, gaze, and posture • Direct eye contact is expected in some cultures and forbidden in others • Eyebrow movement is part of asl • Gestures can be simple systems or complex systems • Simple: • Routine (example: signals between pitcher and catcher) • Complex: • Can be used almost effectively as spoken language • Develop in situations in which people cannot verbally speak • Follow syntax of spoken language

  23. kinesics • Facial expressions are most important • Some are universally recognized, and some are not, and sometimes people are deceitful

  24. Language and Power • Language’s power, or effectiveness in communicating, allows people to use it to increase their personal power, or influence. • Very common in politics (we will discuss this more in chapter 7)

  25. Nonverbal communication • Video log: • http://ed.ted.com/lessons/your-body-language-shapes-who-you-are-amy-cuddy

More Related