[sw-l] BELGIUM: New SW Literacy Project and new web area...

Tini Pel tinipel at ONLINK.NET
Fri Oct 15 01:30:42 UTC 2004


Hello Antony.
Were have you lived in Dordrecht?
I have lived in Dordrecht all my younger years. My home was in Rozenhof, or Levensverzekering straat as it was called for a while.
Tini Pel.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Antony Daamen 
  To: sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 9:12 PM
  Subject: Re: [sw-l] BELGIUM: New SW Literacy Project and new web area...


        14/10/04

        Hallo Kathleen!

        welkom to this site!

        I am Antony and am a 'listener'. Ik bedoel dat ik all de verhaaltjes lees, maar niet vaak antwoord...... (I mean that I read all the posts, but rarely answer.....)

        I live in Australia, but grew up in Dordrecht, Nederland.  I always understood that Nederland was a very oral-oriented country....  So how excited I was when you shown me your website!  wowowowowow.

        I never knew any of this!

        Thank you ver very much, you made my day!  

        Also good to see that you use SignWriting in this webiste and with the teaching in the class!!

        I myself work for the Qld Deaf Society (I don't know for how much longer...) and have been to busy with my work, to be involved with the promotion of sign writing.  I have shown this method to anyone htat wants to listen, but most educators here are very much set in their ways....

        QDS staff themselves are also very very un-interested!  very disappointing...

        Nevermind we will plot along.

        OK, if you feel like a chat in Dutch (don't understand French) pls tell me! I love to hear more from Belgie Nederland etc.



        -------Original Message-------

        From: sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
        Date: 10/14/04 06:06:42
        To: sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
        Subject: Re: [sw-l] BELGIUM: New SW Literacy Project and new web area...

        SignWriting List
        October 13, 2004

        Kathleen Heylen wrote:
        > What can I tell you about Belgium? Better ask me what I can't tell you
        > about Belgium because it is such a fascinating country ;o) We ARE the
        > capitol of Europe ;o)

        This is absolutely fascinating, Kathleen! Thank you for sharing with
        us. So Belgium is the capital of Europe? grin...a side note....I come
        from California and I know some Californians feel we are the capital of
        the USA...but the rest of the USA does not agree - ha!! smile...

        But now I realize maybe Belgium is the head of the European Community?
        is that right? In 2004 I believe you have a Dutch president of the EU?
        http://www.eu2004.nl/

        > And we have some beautiful city's to visit. Like; Antwerp, Brussels,
        > Brugge, Gent, Liège, Namur, ...

        oh yes! They are beautiful! I have been to Brussels, Brugge, Gent,
        Leige, and Antwerp...I love Belgium...


        >  It is so that we officialy have 3 languages: Flemish, French and
        > German.

        I had no idea that German was spoken in Belgium!

        > Flemish is the upperside close to Holland where people understand us
        > pretty good because they speak Dutch. Brussels is situated in
        > Flanders, but used to be and still mainly is French (Wallon) speaking.

        So there is a French-speaking city in the middle of Flanders, and the
        French dialect is called Wallon ? smile...

        > The lower side of Belgium is near to France and this is where the
        > people live that we call 'Wallon'. This used to be the 'rich' part of
        > Belgium in the early 19th century, but that changed about 70 years
        > ago. Now Flanders is the economic drive of Belgium. Some people in
        > Flanders want to be seperated from the Wallon part. I myself dont see
        > me going on a trip and telling people i'm from the independant 'state
        > of Flanders'. Who ever heared of Belgium, so WHO will know what
        > Flanders is? :s

        Oh. Wow. I see. I think Belgium is fascinating as one country with many
        regions and languages!


        > And then there is a VERY small part of German speaking people in
        > Belgium, but they are such a smal part that they are fogotten about
        > frequently. (shame on us!)

        Do they use German Sign Language, or is it a separate Belgian-German
        Sign Language?

        >
        > So far the general situation of Belgium. Now for our other languages
        > that do exist in Belgium but are not recognized are the signed
        > languages. There is a Flemish Signl anguage in Belgium wich consist
        > also of many dialects as you can see on the website of the University
        > of Ghent. ( http://gebaren.ugent.be/ )

        All those dialects can be written in SignWriting, as you know...


        > There is also a 'French' Sign Language or better said 'Langue des
        > Signes Wallon'. I'm sorry i dont have any information on the existence
        > of 'Germang Sign Language' in Belgium. (Deutche Gebarensprache)

        You answered my question above...thank you!

        > I know the signlanguage in Wallonië is recognized to use in the
        > schools, but not as an official language. There are actions at hand to
        > promote the recognition of Flemish signlanguage.
        > (www.doofactiefront.be) this site is availible in English as well ;o)

        Great!


        > Now for my school. Being it is situated in Brussels you will think,
        > Jeezus all those languages?? No, it is true at my school there are
        > Flemish speaking and signing people aswell as Wallon speaking and
        > signing people. This used to be all mixed up, but a few years ago the
        > two groups where seperated. So now the children learn 2 languages:
        > Flemish SignLanguage (FSL) and Dutch (Flemish) written and/or spoken.
        > This is how we see Bi-lingual education. The children are brought up
        > in there mothertongue Flemish signlanguage and learn to read and write
        > (speak) Dutch. I myself teach FSL (VGT - Vlaamse Gebarentaal) and
        > d/Deafculture together with Sara (my sweet friend and Deaf
        > coöperator).

        I see. Very interesting. So you have the school divided into two
        sections...one section for the Flemish and the other the French
        (Wallon)? So do the Deaf kids inter-mix on the playground? Because we
        could also write their Wallon Sign Language too, and then the kids
        could learn each other's signed languages! Just a thought...but for the
        future...smile


        > We teach the children the grammar and sytaxis of VGT and do this by
        > using SignWriting. What is our population? Well all the children run
        > trough our classroom, no matter there hearingloss. Some student have
        > more ours VGT a week then others.
        >  
        > I would love to get some information on other people using SignWriting
        > in Belgium, the people i know dont really use it or are not working as
        > educators. My french is not as good as I would want it to be. So i get
        > more information in English and Flemish then French. It's more
        > difficult for me to read a book in French then in English. But i will
        > do my best to work with my Belgian partners ;o)
        >  
        > More news WILL follow ;o)
        > Greetings Kathleen
        >  ps: hope i don't make to many mistakes (my spelling isn't that great)
        > pps: i have a disk that has a DOS program for SignWriting (Kristof De
        > Weerdt gave it to me ;o)


        Please send my best wishes to Kristof! Your English is excellent - no
        problems at all! I will send you some contacts in Belgium -

        it may take a few days before the web area is ready and I will write
        when it is!

        Val ;-)

       
               
       
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