Sign Language (was Dances with Wolves)

[lcumberl at indiana.edu]

Quoting cstelfer at ucalgary.ca:

>
> I recall an anecdote which suggested that Stoneys could understand the
> spoken language of the Assiniboines, but the reverse was not true.  I
> think it was Linda Cumberland who told a story along these lines, but I
> could be mistaken, or have the relationship reversed.
>
Correct - I observed this at the first "No Borders" gathering of all peoples who
self-designate as Nakota, which incluldes Assiniboine, Stoney, (and Yanktonai,
although there were only two or three of them there). The meeting was held in
Alberta, hosted by the Alexis band of Stoneys. There are way more (and younger)
Stoney speakers than Assiniboine, so many of them gave their talks in Stoney -
all the Assiniboine folks sat there uncomprehending, but when at last one of the
few fluent Assiniboine speakers (Wilma Kennedy) gave some comments in
Assiniboine, all the Stoney folks followed along just fine, laughing in all the
appropriate places along with the Assiniboine folks in attendance, some of whom,
though not fluent speakers, understand their language quite well.


 What is of interest is that this sign
> language bears no relationship to Plains Sign Talk as far as I know, as
> his relatives tell me that they are the only ones who can interpret for
> him.

Among sign language specialists (I used to work for the Georgia Registry of
Interpreters for the Deaf when I was in the interpreter training program in
Atlanta) this is known as a "home signs" system. It is quite common among
congenitally deaf children of hearing parents. Each home-signs system is unique,
originating independently of each other.

So it seems that perhaps, at this point in time, the Stoneys have
> lost Plains Sign Talk altogether.  Another interesting part of this story
> is that this man's wife sometimes helps him "practice" ASL, I guess
> because their ad hoc sign language isn't considered to be "real".

It's real, since it succeeds as a communications sytstem, just unique.

> However, for a person who lives in an isolated area, has several relatives
> and descendents (he's a grandfather) who can interpret for him and who has
> no contact with a deaf community, it seems completely futile to learn ASL
> -which probably explains why he has never mastered it.

Right again. Sign is a medium just as sound is, and just as combinations of
sound can generate an infinite number of spoken languages, so can gesture
generate an infinite number of signed languages. It makes no more sense for a
home-signer to learn ASL than it would for me to learn Navaho as a means to
understand Assiniboine better.

Linda