Responses concerning ASL as a foreign language

[Jennifer Dickinson]

Thanks to everyone who sent or passed along information and resources
about getting ASL approved to fulfill foreign language requirements,  
especially Barbara Lemaster, Richard Senghas and Ron Klephart.  I only  
got a couple of "negative" responses from people whose institutions  
don't accept ASL - if your institution does, and especially if it is  
not on Wilcox's list  
(http://web.mac.com/swilcox/iWeb/UNM/univlist.html), I'd very much  
appreciate an email.

It has been striking to me how much misinformation remains out there
among our non-linguist colleagues regarding ASL.  On the plus side,
there is now a good range of resources available online, some of it
specifically addressing issues related to ASL as a "foreign language."  
  Richard also had good recommendations about contacting faculty at  
schools like the University of Rochester and, of course, Gallaudet  
University for assistance.

What has been striking to me in this process is the lack of what might  
be called "linguistic literacy" in the US, and a corresponding lack of  
understanding of the complexity of terms like "language" and  
"culture."  Interest in linguistics and linguistic anthropology seem  
to be on the rise, so hopefully this will change as we keep doing what  
we do...

Each institutional argument about ASL is different, even though some  
of the themes remain the same.  This may have to do with different  
foreign language requirements as well as the perceived philosophies  
behind those requirements.  I found that putting together a simple FAQ  
tailored to the questions
I have been fielding at my institution for the last couple of years,
as well as a webpage oriented towards our faculty that presents a list
of web resources for them to surf has been helpful for moving faculty
past the first "but is it a language?" question.

Here is a list of
webpages and academic sources recommended by linganth list members and other
linguists I have contacted so far.  It is in no way complete, just a  
"taste" of what is out there:

Publications:

Academic Acceptance of American Sign Language.  1992.  Sign Language  
Studies Monograph Series.  Sherman Wilcox, ed.

Includes an article that was recommended to me by several people:

Armstrong, David F.     1988    Some Notes on ASL as a 'Foreign' Language.
Sign Language Studies 59:231-239

American Deaf Culture: An Anthology.  1989.  Linstok Press,  
Incorporated.  Sherman Wilcox, ed.

Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture.  1990.  Harvard University  
Press.  Carol Padden and Tom Humphries.

Many Ways to Be Deaf: International Variation in Deaf Communities.   
2003.  Gallaudet University Press. Leila Monaghan, Constanze  
Schmaling, Karen Nakamura and Graham Turner, eds.

Richard Senghas notes:  " Also, much of the work by Carol Padden, Tom  
Humphries, Harlan Lane, Nora Groce are also quite accessible to a  
general audience."  Barbara   Lemaster also recommends work by Susan  
Rutherford, a folklorist from UC Berkeley.  I found discussions of ASL  
verbal art helpful in discussing whether there is an ASL "culture"  
because the rich storytelling and verbal play traditions in ASL often  
go unnoticed by hearing people.


Sherman Wilcox's webpage has many rich resources, including a page on  
ASL as a foreign language and a list of Universities and Colleges that  
accept ASL for foreign language credit:

http://web.mac.com/swilcox/iWeb/UNM/ASL.html

For a useful description of ASL grammar, see:

http://facstaff.gallaudet.edu/harry.markowicz/asl/

Karen Nakamura's webpage also contains many helpful links and resources:

http://www.deaflibrary.org/

On one of these pages, The Ethnologue's catalogue of world sign  
languages was referred to ? this is available at:

http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90008


I found Boston University's online record of their fight to get ASL  
approved as a foreign language very helpful:

http://www.bu.edu/asllrp/fl/

I found a reference to ASL University  
(http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/) in an intro linguistic anthropology  
textbook.  I found the discussion of Deaf Culture helpful.

Both Dawn Sign Press and Sign Media have excellent online resources  
explaining ASL poetry and explaining the unique qualities of  
linguistic creativity in ASL.  As Richard notes, writing systems are  
not widely used to represent ASL and so an explanation of the  
centrality of live performance and video technology must be a key part  
of discussions of ASL literature and practices of verbal art.

http://www.dawnsign.com/

http://www.signmedia.com/


Like I said, it's just a taste of what's out there.

Best to all,
J. Dickinson


-- 
Jennifer Dickinson
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
University of Vermont
email:  jennifer.dickinson at uvm.edu