Cultural Notes

Deaf people have their own distinct culture.

1. Deaf culture is equal to that of other cultures such as American, French, and English cultures.

2. Just like all cultures, Deaf culture includes a set of shared customs and values

3. As in any language instruction, cultural information must be included when learning ASL.

How do you get a Deaf person’s attention?~A gentle tap on the shoulder~Waving one’s hand towards the person~Stomping foot that causes vibration

How do Deaf person wake up in the morning?~ A brief flashing light alarm~ A tap-on-the-shoulder~ Bed shake alarm

There are two common ways or views of looking at Deaf people.

“Handicapped Perspective”AND

“Cultural Perspective”

“Handicapped Perspective”

Views Deaf people with PITYEmphasizes what Deaf people CAN’T do (can’t talk, hear, laugh, or lead normal life)Perceives being Deaf as a “problem” that needs to be fixed.

“Cultural Perspective”

Views Deaf people as belonging to a culture equal with all other culturesViews Deaf people in a positive light.Focus on potential of Deaf people:

They can have full lives, laugh, have good times and bad.

Grammatical Notes

ASL grammar and English grammar are different.ASL tends to place the sign showing negative at the END of the signed sentence.A negative headshake shows negation.EX. Me understand not

Y/N Questions

There are many ways of asking questions in ASL:Yes/No question includes:

Eyebrows raisedHead is slightly tiltedEye contact

WH-Questions

WH-question asks who, what, where, when, how, which, why, etc.:Eyebrows are downHead is slightly tiltedLast sign is held, waiting for response

Adjectives

ASL: tends to put adjective AFTER the nounEnglish: tends to put adjective BEFORE the noun.

EX. Car blue me have

Non-manual Signals (markers)

NMS refers to physical movement including eyebrows, eye gaze, head tilt, and mouth movements.NMS provide important grammatical information such as question types.