ASL Rose Newsletter
Vol. 1 No. 8
August 2007

Are you ready to go back to school!? Savor those last few weeks of lazy summer days. Soon, we’ll all be busy with the hustle and bustle that comes with the autumn season. You can almost smell fresh notebooks and bright, pink rubber erasers! Meanwhile, we’d like to give you the gift of visual art: a brilliant, creative piece done by Lois Hoover of Maryland. "Her back-to-school theme is very fitting for this month's newsletter! You can also view her vivid drawing on http://www.aslrose.com/."In addition, this newsletter includes a colorful drawing done by Yiqiao Wang, who is new to the DC Metro area. Thank you, Lois and Yiqiao!

By Lois Hoover

One of the best things about starting school again is the way our minds are stimulated. Here at ASL Rose, we are brimming with ideas for projects and presentations. We’d like to share some information about one of our available workshops for those who teach Deaf children. The “ASL Handshape Rhymes Bring Excitement to the Deaf Learners’ Eyes,” workshop will definitely keep those mental-gears turning. For a preview of the workshop, keep on reading!

By Yiqiao Wang

In order to progress in a world of languages, we must not only learn language, learn through language, but we must also learn about language.

Unfortunately, our community is all too familiar with the problem of linguicism. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas defined linguicism as a language based form of racism. For ASL-users, linguicism is the oppression of ASL in deaf educational settings. Perhaps you’ve seen such a scenario? A three year old deaf child enters a classroom filled with parents and distinguished visitors, where she tells the ASL Story of the Three Bears. Upon finishing, the audience in the room stands to silently, politely applaud and nod with stiff smiles. Next, a three year old deaf boy enters the room. He says one word—in fact, he utters it perfectly. “Ball.” The room thunders with applause and the boy is greeted by beaming faces and glowing smiles. This is an example of linguicism: one language is given more importance than another.

And so, the responsibility falls on us as educators, parents, and community allies to ensure that our deaf children have the opportunity to hold language in the palm of their hands, literally and figuratively.

The word, “word” is a four letter, one dimensional expression. Plain black letters on paper, it conveys an idea of literacy by way of reading and writing. Let’s step back and look deeper—allow your mind to float into new territory, and suddenly, “Word” blurs into “World.” And there you have it, the abstract, colorful land of experiences, concepts, pictures—all connecting together into an art of language. And this is the true definition of literacy: the ability to understand the world. Through language, we learn how to shyly express a giggling ASL story about the Three Bears and one day end up with the ability to articulate an eloquent, rhythmetic ASL poem. We learn how teach math, science, computer arts, social studies using our first language (L1). We learn the urgent problem of having a dearth of ASL corpus and the need for more resources on hand when we meander through that challenging world of teaching.

In learning a language, learning through language, we learn about language. We learn, for instance, about the 5 aspects of ASL: ASL chereology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics. It is so important that Deaf children learn about ASL. The ability to fully grasp one language allows for a smooth transition to a second language, as is evidenced by Cummins’ work. (Keep an eye on future ASL Rose newsletters for more information about learning a second language (L2)).

For many, the concept of ASL Chereology is a new one. “What’s that?” Some might ask. Chereology is the study of hands, and you can find an example of this in Have You Ever Seen? An American Sign Language Handshape DVD/Book. On pages 42-43, you will find a picture of the handshape: Closed 3.

The question asked on this page is: “Have you ever seen a horse painting?” The use of the closed 3 handshape in repetition is an example of a sentence-level chereology. You might find a similar concept in Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat.

“Put me down!” said the fish.

“This is no fun at all!

Put me down!” said the fish.

“I do NOT wish to fall!”

This is an example of sentence-level phonology. Phonology, as you might imagine, is the study of sounds. There is a repetition of sounds in Dr. Seuss’s writing.

Confused? Fascinated? Want to know more? Please contact us at info@aslrose.com to discuss the possibility of bringing this workshop to your area!

If you are a school, organization, or agency interested in making a large purchase order from ASL Rose, you may get a tax exempt. Just send us your purchase order form. There are two ways you may place an order: You may go to www.aslrose.com and make your purchases, then check out through the shopping cart link. You may also go to www.aslrose.com/orderform.pdf, print the form, and mail it to ASL Rose. Don’t forget to ask about our bulk order discount policy at info@aslrose.com!

Once again, enjoy the tail end of your summer. We wish you all an exciting and creative month! [If you enjoy this newsletter, and know other people who would like to read from us, spread the news! Invite your family, co-workers, friends, and neighbors to subscribe to ASL Rose. If you are no longer interested in reading from us (and we will be sad to see you go!), just click on www.aslrose.com, and you will see where you may click on “unsubscribe” with your e-mail address in the subject line of your e-mail.]