Palm Orientations For Handshape B

PALM   IN

 

 

PALM  OUT

 

PALM  UP

 

PALM  DOWN

 

PALM  SIDEWAYS



How Western Philosophy Can Ruin ASL and Democracy

Socrates and the Hemlock Cup

 



And, truly, what of good ever have prophets brought to men?

Craft of many words, only through evil your message speaks.

Seers bring aye terror, so to keep men afraid.

 

__The Agamemmon of Aeschylus



Five hundred years before Christ in Athens, Greece, in the cradle of the western civilization, a strange new power at work. Outside the Bible.  Something had awakened in the minds of the Greeks which became so important it influenced out democracy today.  We are democratic in our thinking because of what Athens did twenty-five centuries ago.

What brought this new Greek democracy to pass, how the Greeks were able to acieve all they did, is important to us today.  Great literature, compiled by Plato--Greek philosopher-founder of The Academy, a prototype for colleges and universities today--is the expression of great knowledge; writing is a great art, the expression of a solution of the conflict between the demands of the world without and that within; and in the wisdom writing would seem to make a lot of process as well as hinderance.

Let me cite American Sign Language (ASL) as an example here.  The knowledge of sign language in ancient Greece can be read in Plato's book Cratylus, published in the late fifth century BC.  And in the Cratylus Socrates deals with two primary interlocutors, Hermogenes and Cratylus about being clear about what is meant by ‘names’.  Plato has Socrates question whether the signs by the Deaf are equal with the names spoken and written.It is of first importance in acknowledging deaf people's intelligence which is a vital distinction.  "all things are to be examined and called into question" is an old Grfeek definition of no limits set to thought.  However, Aristotle--the third in the trinity of western philosophy--thought differently.  Through his syllogistic argument, he pointed out that the inability of the Deaf to repeat the same sounds implied imbecility (mental incapacity).  Hence, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle together became the ruin of the western philosophy.

Today we have been listening to not only insults but also sound arguments against American Sign Language (ASL) in the United States and most of Canada.  Our world society has yet to understand that being deaf is so philosophical that the sense of hearing can never be restored naturally, which is not debatable.  We also have a big responsibility to point out that ASL is the product of social, political and economic developments.

Speaking of politics, ASL is always in danger of being described in another language, that is, English.  Although we the native or near native users of ASL can be said to be the product of three important federal mandatories: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (the rights of citizens), The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities, and The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (no discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities), today we have been listening to conservative and divisive politics attempting to shrink federal mandates and to write us off 100%.  Aeschylus is probably correct in making us afraid of being described in another language, English.

Yes, My Mind Is Deaf

 

I will present a philosophical approach to the question whether my mind is deaf. Studying in detail about the mind that is deaf is enormously important for our society. Our knowledge of deaf people and ASL has changed dramatically in the past 50 years, and we all need to know as much as we can about ourselves. It is critical that we understand as much as we can about our brain.

I am reading Steven Pinker's book, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, and there is a paragraph on page 95 about the physiology of what I would dub as a Deaf brain. Let me quote it for your readership and discourse:

"With deafness ... one of the senses is taking over the controls suitable circuitry, rather than just moving into any old unoccupied territory. Laura Petitto and her colleagues found that deaf people use the superior gyrus of the temporal lobe (a region near the primary auditory cortex) to recognize the elements of signs in sign languages. They also found that the deaf use the lateral prefrontal cortex to retreive signs from memory, just as hearing people use it to retrieve words from memory. This should come as no surprise. As linguists have long known, sign languages are organized much like spoken languages. They use words, a grammar, and even phonological rules that combine meaningless gestures into meaningful signs, just as phonological rules on spoken languages combine meaningless sounds into meaningful words. Spoken language, moreover, are partly modular: the representations for words and rules can be distinguished from the input-output systems that connect them to the ears and the mouth. The simplest interpretation, endorsed by Petitto and her colleagues, is that the cortical areas recruited in signers are specialized for language (words and rules), not for speech per se. What the areas are doing in deaf people is the same as what they are doing in hearing people

My own nerdiness about my being Deaf and use of ASL is hard won. I am the worst writer you could ever imagine. Fortunately for me, my mother still believes that I'm smart. To sum up, to figure out whether there is a deaf mind, we need to "pick the brain apart" in the hope that we will have a sneak preview of it. Actually scientists usually picked apart the brains of animals for clues as to how the human brain worked. As a dog's man guy myself, I'd opt for observing deaf people who use ASL for important breakthroughs.

My Encounter with Socrates and Plato

 

Myth, or history? Thoth laughs.

The Greeks!—they love to paint themselves

grander, wiser, more generous than they really are.

The Greeks are pretenders, actors, lovers of lies, and

their stories are full of lies, because a story full of lies

makes a better story—Thoth swears it. 

—Duncan Sprott, The Ptolemies

I wake up confused! Am I reading too much!

I find myself en route to ancient Athens, Greece, and I am accompanied by someone who claims to be my sign language interpreter.

I look around and find there are about twenty of us huddling together in an open wagon pulled by a fine-looking horse. All of them are using sign language that is foreign to me so I look back to my escort for some explanations. Most of them are mutes—the term my escort uses to mean ‘DEAF’. They tell me we are going to meet Socrates in the marketplace, or as my escort points out ‘agora’ or ‘gathering place.’  I realize that the English verb ‘to gather’ is from the Greek verb ‘ageiro’ so the noun agora must come from the same Greek term.

I still get confused because I'm not sure if I'm dreaming. Maybe not! Oh, the horse-drawn wagon stops, and we better get off now.

Oh my goodness, there are so many people milling about the agora, they are not minding our presence. And I am learning to distinguish between public gestures and a few new signs, and they must be ancient and complex.

Yes, I'm a fast learner simply because I have undergone language change and culture shock, which is lingering within me for a lifetime.

Oh, I see in the center of the marketplace—pardon me, but my escort insists it's agora—a short, robust gentleman that resembles Santa Claus in his light toga. I know he must be Socrates. As he speaks, he makes a lot of gestures I could almost laugh because I just know what he is talking about, with my escort interpreting.

I laugh because Socrates must have repeated his thoughts and ideas so many times they have become ancient. Oh my, he is now talking about us. He makes some people around him to look at us and give us a courteous nod. One of them gives us two thumb-ups, and my escort tells me to return my thumb-ups. I look back to this guy and recognize his broad physique. Plato!

Am I still dreaming? Or am I waking up? Or am I still reading? Or am I telling myself some lies?

:)

Reactions to LEGO People

 

Student A

 

This exercise helped me better understand the LEGO blog.  Descriptive.  Naming.

 

Student B

 

Great practice to conversate in sign.  Will be practicing more with friends.  Also interested in signing on Fridays.  Please raise your hand, Sarah & ???  :)

 

Student C

 

I love LEGO's and LEGO people.  It just makes it funnier to learn!  Yay =)

My son thinks it is super cool that LEGO's related to my school work =)

 

Student D



 

I thought that was a lot of fun.  It was cool watching Erin sign so fast, but you should stay your normal pace or I'll get lost.

 

I thought it was fun.

It was a little odd to sign my name to them though.

 

Had fun :)

 

Student E

 

Practicing in here is always fun.  This exercise fave everyone the chance to sign as much or as little as they liked.

 

Student F

 

This activity was cool!!  Very fun :)  Introducing myself to LEGO people....  Can't wait for my sign name so I don't have to spell it out anymore  ;)

 

Student G

 

It was funny.  It was a good learning experience for name signs.  I understand them a lot better now.

 

Student H

 

Very fun & informative :)  Actually understood it all!!

 

Student I

 

Fun way to learn greetings and how to sign our names.  Not boring at all!

 

Student J

 

It was good.  Not a fan of all the asking about our reactions though  :)

 

Student K

 

WOW

 

Student L

 

I feel silly introducing myself to an inanimate object.

 

Student M

 

I love meeting the LEGO people!  Learning how to greet someone in sign language is a very good skill to learn early on.

 

Student N

 

I got all of the handshapes but Greg's?

 

Student O

 

Very interesting, and fun.  Great way to interact.

 

Student P

 

I am THRILLED we are getting the chance to apply what we have learned. :) So very excited!  I have wanted to learn ASL since I was 12 :) (Only 25 yeaers later)

 

Student Q

 

Love the LEGO people!  A very fun way to learn :)  I need more practice though!

 

Student R

 

I like that you use the LEGO people.  They are a great practice "tool."  I can't wait until we get our own name signs.

 

Student S

 

Does each one have a personality, too?  :)

 

Student T

 

So Much fun!  That was pretty cute! :)

 

Student U

 

It was very nice to meet the LEGO people!  I also know now how to sign my dad's name.

 

Student V

 

Funny!

 

Student W

 

It was fun!!  I definitely enjoyed it!

 

Student X

 

It was great.  Had lots of fun signing to them.  Thanks

 

Student Y

 

It was fun!

How To Write Reaction/Response Index Cards

Reaction/response index cards are usually requested by instructors so that you will consider carefully what you think or feel about something you have done or learned in the class.  The following guidelines are intended to be used for reacting to a class activity although they could easily be used for reactions to videos, too.  Do whatever you have been asked to do, and while doing, think about the following questions.

·         How do you feel about what you are doing in the class?

·         What do you understand or misunderstand?

·         Can you identify with the acquisition of American Sign Language?

·         What would be the best way to evaluate the learning activity?

Your reaction/response index card should include a concise, two or three sentences, focused “thesis” which is the statement of your thought.  A good reaction/response can be a prediction of the effects of what you are learning in the class.

:)

LEGO People Are People, Too!