Warm reception? (was Re: Hi - Newbie here...)

[Keith Lehman]

Hello Nancy,

Thanks for the reply.  However, with the less-than-warm reception I have
thus-far received, I am beginning to seriously consider just dumping the
SLLING group.  Of the responses I did receive, yours was the easiest
to swallow.

I appreciate your method of informing me that this group may not be the
best place to post my queries.  Unfortunately, the purpose of the essay
assignment is to base it on conversation (whether live or on-line).

Concerning research and looking up previously published work...
I can do that.  That's not a problem.  ASL is my 2nd language.  I have a
somewhat working knowledge of some of the linguistic aspects involved.
However, there are some questions that I haven't been able to resolve
thru reading other people's research.  For example:  How does the idea
of phonetics fit with ASL?  How about the cultural aspect of the language
regarding proxemics and "loudness"?  I also have questions about ASL
and ethnic prejudice (certainly a linguistic concern).

The idea of "eyes vs. ears" as a topic is interesting, but I don't see how
this really fits a linguistic topic.  That is unless we wish to pit the S.
Pinker's
operational definition of language against that of N. Chomsky.  However,
musings of this type were not the intent of the essay assignment.  The point
of the essay was to write about my direct observations and discussions
with other individuals.

By the time you receive this, I will have already sent the Signoff comand
to the listserver.

Thank you.

PS - I know my Spanish I rusty.  I've not had much opportunity to use it
since
I studied it in high school more than 20 years ago.  Also, in light of my
own
hearing loss, I don't see that I'll really need it.  Thus I say that ASL is
now
my second language (for the last 7 years).



-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Frishberg <nancyf at FISHBIRD.COM>
To: SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA <SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA>
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 1998 14:34 PM
Subject: Hi - Newbie here...


>Congratulations, Keith, on finding the SLLING group.
>
>In fact, linguistic aspects of ASL (and other sign languages) is much of
>what this group discusses when it's active.  I suggest, however, that
>querying a group of several hundred world-wide experts on what has been
>their life's work for the past N years (where N may be as much as 25) for
>essay material may not be the best strategy.
>
>How about going to the library (and I know that UWisc Milwaukee has a
>decent library of sign language materials), picking a book or two and
>finding some topic of interest to explore?
>
>Look at Klima & Bellugi's "Signs of Language" (from 1979) or Lucas and
>Valli's more recent work on sociolinguistics, or any issue of the journal
>Sign Language Studies.
>
>While I might not have done it intentionally, my delay in responding to
>your message gave you time to say you're supposed to write your essay out
>of observation and conversation. So perhaps you and your instructor need to
>be clear about what the goals of writing the essay are. Are you supposed to
>muse about linguistics of ASL after having had some interaction with a
>signer or signers?  Or are you supposed to have this interaction with
>someone else?
>
>Or here's a topic you might enjoy:  Think about the bandwidth issues for
>eyes vs. ears or the degrees of freedom for the mouth as articulator vs.
>the hands, arms (and face?) as articulators.
>
>P.S. you may want to review your basic Spanish also:  Muchas (sic) gracias
>
>>From: Keith Lehman <lehmankj at csd.uwm.edu>
>>Subject:      Hi - Newbie here...
>>To: SLLING-L at ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA
>>X-Rcpt-To: nancyf at fishbird.com
>>
>>      Hello.  My name is Keith Lehman.  I'm  a student at University of
>>Wisconsin - Milwaukee, planning to graduate with a degree in Electrical
>>Engineering.   As part of my requirements, I registered for a  linguistics
>>course.  The instructor gave her blessing to write an essay about the
>>linguistic  aspects of ASL.  Anybody care to discuss this topic?   Muchos
>>Gracias.     ---  Keith
>>
>
>Nancy Frishberg  +1 650.654.1948  nancyf at fishbird.com
>