6.257 Sum: Sign-singing

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LINGUIST List:  Vol-6-257. Mon 20 Feb 1995. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines: 232
 
Subject: 6.257 Sum: Sign-singing
 
Moderators: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar: Texas A&M U. <aristar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
            Helen Dry: Eastern Michigan U. <hdry at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Asst. Editors: Ron Reck <rreck at emunix.emich.edu>
               Ann Dizdar <dizdar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
               Ljuba Veselinova <lveselin at emunix.emich.edu>
 
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1)
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 1995 09:04:57 +0800
From: "RANDY J. LAPOLLA" (HSLAPOLLA at ccvax.sinica.edu.tw)
Subject: Sum: sign-singing
 
-------------------------Messages--------------------------------------
1)
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 1995 09:04:57 +0800
From: "RANDY J. LAPOLLA" (HSLAPOLLA at ccvax.sinica.edu.tw)
Subject: Sum: sign-singing
 
A few weeks ago I posted the following query:
 
)Here in Taiwan there is a TV program in which people compete
)to see who is the best singer. There are different categories
)for different types of songs/languages, etc., and one category
)is for "sign singing". A tape of a song is played, and a signer
)signs along with the words of the song (all those I've seen
)compete were not deaf). I was wondering if this is common in
)other countries, and if so, what the criteria are for judging
)who is "the best", and also if it is done at all by people
)who are deaf.  Thanks.
 
I received a number of interesting responses:
 
)From Jane Edwards (edwards at cogsci.Berkeley.EDU):
)Thought not pertaining to contests or even singing, for that matter,
)I saw something on PBS a couple months back which I wanted to mention.
)They showed a "Music Appreciation" class taught to totally deaf high school
 
)kids, in which they each were wearing pad on the back, which converts the
 
)acoustic output into pressure stimulation.  The students were dancing to
)the music, and commenting on different types of music.  They weren't
 
)singing/signing to it, but perhaps they could?
 
)From Jakob Dempsey (jakob at u.washington.edu):
)One of the largest, most popular choruses in Seattle regularly
)has a sign-language "interpreter" on stage during performances; the
 
)particular one who has been doing it for a long time is not deaf; he seems
)to also appeal a lot to the general audience with his expressive, exaggerated
)style.
 
)From Midori Yonezawa (yonezawa at student.msu.edu):
) I believe that there is a sign singing contest because music can be shared
) by everybody and it is natural to want to show different expressions each
) other.
) I learned Japanese sign language in Japan (a little bit), and sometimes I
) practiced sign singing, too.  I went to concerts where the singers were
) all professional "shanson" singers ("shanson" is French loan into Japanese).
) They have a concert every year for those who are handicapped, not only
) for deaf people.  Some singers sang with sign language at the same time as
) they sang vocally, and when the singers didn't do so there was an interpreter
) of sign language on the stage.  I noticed and surprised that the ways of
) expressing by sing language are very different from each other and from
) occasions, e.g. fast/slow, soft/pressing, emotional/calm, etc, etc..
) I also remember a TV program (on NHK) about equipment to help those who have
) difficulty in hearing.  A technical group developed the equipment so that
) they can hear music.
 
)From Peggy Swartzel Lott (PSLOTT at utxvms.cc.utexas.edu):
)when i was a sign language interpreter and interpreter coordinator in
)san diego, california, there was quite a to-do a few years back over
)the issue of song sign.  i first remember encountering song sign in
)the early to mid 70's when a few groups of deaf performers (i.e.
)musign) toured the country performing popular songs in sign along
)with recorded sound tracks.  later a pair of excellent performers,
)sharon neumann solow and gary sanderson, both individuals who were
)raised with deaf parents and fluent in ASL, toured and performed
)songs in sign.
)
)the controversy in san diego centered on a local "annual song sign
)competition" hosted by the area's RID branch, sanscrid.  the
)competition was open to the public and was established both for
)a general "deaf awareness" activity and to raise funds for various
)purposes.  prizes were given out for best individual song, best
)group, etc.  the performance of the competition was quite popular
)and seemed to be growing in attendance and participation each year.
)
)a group of deaf people contested the competition on various grounds.
)the points i remember best about their objection (because i
)personally found these issues most compelling) were that the
)actual performances were offensive to some native signers because
)of the way putting sign to music distorted the linguistic and
)aesthetic dynamics of ASL.  that is, in order to make a signed
)narrative conform to the lyrics of a song, to translate it
)simultaneously with the recorded music, many grammatical patterns
)in normal signing had to be altered.  often the performance bore
)little resemblance to normal signing.
)
)there was great debate for a while in the community over this issue.
)certain deaf people and many hearing interpreters and sign
)students defended the practice of song sign.  some insisted that
)they be allowed to exercise their own artistic talents in playing
)with signing in this way.  others felt that song sign provided an
)important bridge that enabled many uninformed hearing people to
)become aware of and appreciate the beauty of signing.  the
)community was divided over the issue and eventuall y the whole
)thing was dropped.  in the meantime, however, certain concerns
)of deaf people were brought to the surface and continued to be a
)source of discussion: issues about who has the right to make poetic
)use of signing and what sorts of alterations in signing style are
)acceptable to native users and which are not.  i found the whole
)debate quite interesting and was genuinely convinced by the
)argument of the deaf people who were opposed to the practice.
 
)From Richard Arnold (Richard.Arnold at vuw.ac.nz):
) Here in New Zealand we have an annual New Zealand Sign Langauge Story-telling
)Competition. Mostly the competitors are Deaf, but some CODAs also partipate as
)well. I have yet to see any hearing compete, however I know of some deaf for
)whom NZ Sign Language is a second language learnt later in their adult life
)also participate.
)
) The winners are usually those who are quite fluent in NZSL. The criteria for
)judging is (to my understanding) as follows:
)
) - is the signing clear to the audience ?
) - does the signer get the audiences attention ?
) - is the story well structured ?
) - is the story within the time limits set (usually 3 minutes) ?
) - does the signer keep to the rules ?
)     This usually consists of - no dirty jokes.
)                             - no overzealous religious contexts.
)
) The competitior must give a title to his/her story and state its type, (ie
true
)story, joke story, sad story, not true story etc...)
)
) If the story exceeds the time limit a point is deducted. However the signer is
)not interrupted if he/she exceeds the limit but is allowed to complete the
)story (unless it really is too long !!!).
)
) Sometimes, at the end the winner (if he/she is popular with the audience is
)asked to repeat it or give another story).
)
)...sign-singing is not too common among the Deaf community far as I am
)aware.  It is mostly done in religious situations. I think it isn't a strong
)component of deaf culture. However story-telling is a strong part of Deaf
)culture and especially of making jokes and light-hearted teasing. Anyway thats
)my deaf experience here in New Zealand.
 
)From Karina Bingham (karina at uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu):
)There is an African-American a cappella group called "Sweet Honey in the
 
)Rock" who have a full-time signer in the group.  She performs with them and
 
)signs her interpretations of the songs.  They recently published a book
)for their 25th anniversary :
)
)Reagon, Bernice Johnson.  The Long Journey Home.  1994.
)
)in which the signer discusses her experiences in the deaf community and
)a deaf church (where the congregation sang in sign).  Her parents were both
 
)deaf; she is not.
 
)From Marina McIntire (mmcintir at lynx.dac.neu.edu):
)You have inadvertently touched upon a very tender issue in the Deaf
)Community here in the US. First, let me say that only in the US have I
)seen this phenomenon. Brits (both Deaf and hearing who work with them)
)are confounded and amused by it. In the US, it used to be quite the
)thing to translate songs and develop routines to go with them, produce
)recitals and concerts, and the like. It arose, most likely, out of a
)strong church-related tradition of "helpers" for Deaf people.
)
)In the last ten to fifteen years, however, Deaf people have begun their
)own liberation. Song-signing has been a casualty, by and large. It is
)viewed as representing one aspect of a pathological or clinical view of
)deafness, i.e., that the worst "loss" resulting from deafness is music.
)This is, of course, far from the truth. And for culturally Deaf people,
)music is a peculiarity belonging to the mainstream hearing world and of
)no consequence in their lives whatsoever. So *that* motive (helping
)D/deaf people appreciate what they're missing) is not acceptable.
)
)Another complaint is that, by and large, translations are more
)influenced by the rhythm of the music than by any sense it might make in
)ASL, presenting D/deaf audiences with nonsensical or distorted versions
)of signs and signed syntax. This arises partly, of course, out of the
)difficulty of translating any poetry into any language.
)
)Worst of all, and perhaps most puzzling to D/deaf people, is the
)insistence of most song-signers on including things like "tra la la" or
)humming. There is *nothing* that could make less sense to a D/deaf
)audience!
)
)I will say that I have seen some wonderful song-sign translations done,
)including some with rather elegant dance routines. Sometimes these have
)been done by D/deaf people and sometimes by hearing folks. By and large,
)however, this practice is no longer an acceptable pasttime in our
)community. Exceptions are made, ironically, for interpreters who work in
)theater. Musical productions, because of their general inclusion of
)dance (a more interesting visual event) and costume/props/etc... are
)quite popular and well-attended (comparatively speaking) by D/deaf
)theatre-goers.
 
Many thanks to all those who replied.
 
Randy LaPolla
Institute of History and Philology
Academia Sinica
 
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