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Justine Archuleta
English 113: Enhanced Composition
Mr. Basso
Spring 2017
March 10, 2017
American Sign Language
In the United States, many people speak a language other than English; we have many

Spanish, French, and German speakers. However, there is only one language that uses hands and

expression to communicate: it is called American Sign Language (ASL). It is the primary

language for the Deaf community. I learned ASL when I was a junior in high school and I fell in

love with it. I love learning new signs, different types of sign language, the history, community,

and culture. I knew I wanted to work with the Deaf community as an interpreter or an oral

education teacher. American Sign Language means more than learning the signsit is about

understanding the importance of the language to the deaf and hearing world.

During my junior year of high school, I started learning ASL and I fell in love with the

language because of its history, community, and culture. Before my junior year, I did not know

anything about sign language. I never knew there was a community or culture for the Deaf. After

I started learning ASL, I figured out what I wanted to do with my life after high school. My goal

is to become a sign language interpreter and oral education teacher for the Deaf community. In
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New Mexico, there are only a few interpreters and oral teachers for the Deaf. I want to help the

deaf children learn sign language or oral education. I hope to work at the Santa Fe Deaf School

someday. American Sign Language instantly changed my life because it helped me figure out

my goals in my future career. When I sign, I feel proud of myself because I am learning a second

language. I practice my sign when I work at the Albuquerque Sign Language Academy with

children. I can communicate to my deaf co-workers, in return they teach me new signs and help

me communicate better with them and the children. Someday I will become fluent in ASL and

make a difference in the Deaf community in New Mexico. I want to make an impact the lives of

many deaf children because they deserve the right to communicate with both the Deaf and

hearing world.

Deaf history is very interesting to learn about because it tells the story of how sign

language came to America, and how it became the primary language for the Deaf population.

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc were the first to develop American Sign

Language. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was from Hartford, Connecticut. He lived next to a family

who had a deaf daughter. She communicated with her father by writing words in a sand box.

Gallaudet knew there was a better way to communicate with the Deaf. He went to France to

study French Sign language from Laurent Clerc, who was a teacher for the Deaf. In return,

Gallaudet asked Clerc to come back to America to help open a school for the Deaf. In 1817, the

American School for the Deaf opened in Connecticut. In 1864, Gallaudet University opened in

Washington D.C. It became the first university for the Deaf. American Sign Language changed

the lives of many deaf people because a language was created for them to communicate and

become educated.
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American Sign Language is a visual language that uses hand and facial expressions. There are

five important parameters of ASL. First, handshape determines the shape of the sign. For

example, the sign for mad is a bent five hand-shape. Second, the location indicates where the

sign starts and ends. An example would be the sign for "white." The sign starts at the mid-

stomach and pulls out into a bent o handshape. Third, movement shows how to sign. The sign

flower is a side-to-side motion. It is located on the face and tapped once on the left and right

side of the nose. The shape is an r handshape. Fourth, palm orientation directs where the palm

will be pointing. For the sign your, the palm is opened and faced outward in the mid-chest

area. Last, facial expression must match the meaning of the sign. For example, when signing the

word sad, the facial expression must express sadness. Those are the five important parameters

and it will help one learn the basics of sign language. American Sign Language is an expressive

language because it is like creating a story with the hands and face.

There are many different types of sign language. There is oral method, Pidgin Sign English

(PSE), and Signing Exact English (SEE II). The oral method is learning how to speak or lipread.

Pidgin Sign Language (PSE) is when hearing and deaf people talk while they are signing to each

other. A speech therapist and teachers will use PSE when working with deaf people. Signing

Exact English (SEE II) is about signing direct English. A person will sign every word in a

sentence. Lastly, American Sign Language must follow certain rules. In ASL, deaf people do not

sign English. Instead, they follow a different structure of sign language and it is a basic structure.

In the deaf community, people will sign ASL because they all know ASL and the rules of the

language. There are many different types of sign language and it is interesting to see how deaf

and hearing people use them.

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The Deaf community is not a community where all deaf people meet and live; it is a community

where all deaf people share traditions, beliefs, social interaction, and know ASL. It is a knit-tight

community because almost every deaf person knows who is in their community. Hearing people

can be part of the deaf community, but they must know a deaf person and know ASL. There is a

Deaf community in Albuquerque. I do know some deaf families because I work at the

Albuquerque Sign Language Academy (ASLA) after-school program to watch their children. All

deaf people have sign names, and hearing people who are in the community can have sign

names. Only a deaf person can give a hearing person or another deaf person a sign name. Sign

names are based on appearance and personality. I have a sign name and the children from the

academy gave me my sign name. My sign name is based on my long hair and the handshape is a

j." It spirals down the side from my hair. The deaf community is a great community to be

involved in because the deaf people are nice and love when a hearing person knows ASL. I love

working with deaf children because I learn a lot about them and they teach me new signs. When I

go to ASLA, I gain more experience being part of the Deaf community. As a hearing person, Im

learning a lot about the Deaf community and it is changing my views about the community. Im

realizing that deaf people are normal human beings and they can achieve anything in the deaf

and hearing world. In the future, I hope to be more involve with the Deaf community and

develop a close relationship with all the deaf people in the community.

Deaf culture is important in ASL because it tells a story about each deaf person. The

culture can be seen in art, poetry, acts, and comedy. In art, deaf artists make pieces about their

experiences as a deaf person and views about Deaf culture. They like to draw in deaf

metaphors, deaf perspective, and deaf insights in relationship with the environment, spiritual, and

everyday life (National Touring Exhibit of Deaf Culture Art. (1999-2000). Deaf Art. Retrieved
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from http://www.deafart.org/index.html). There is a lot of emphasizes on facial expressions, ears,

mouth, eyes, and hands. Deaf artists will put their work on social media to prove a point about

Deaf culture because they want the hearing people to know that they are human beings too. At

Gallaudet University, the student hold a Deaf Way art festival in May. The artists get to show

their work and spread their message. For ASL literature, it is combined with ASL poetry, acts,

and comedy. The signers use the five parameters (handshape, movement, location, palm

orientation, and facial expression) to explain their story. They will sign about their memories of

growing up as a deaf child. In ASL poetry, the signers will use a lot of visual movements. Some

signers will do a dramatic performance to explain their lives. There are many famous deaf poets

like Bernard Bragg, Dorothy Miles, and Peter Cook. The hearing people have a hard time

understanding Deaf culture because they are not used to it. They must know a deaf person to be

involved in Deaf culture and can speak ASL. Deaf culture is a major part of American Sign

Language because it describes the atmosphere of the deaf people living in the deaf and hearing

world.

American Sign Language has a lot of history behind it. It is not all about learning the language,

but understanding the rules, history, community, culture, and different types of sign language.

Anyone can learn sign language, but it takes a dedicated person to go further into the field. Every

deaf person has a story to tell because they want the hearing world to see them as important as a

hearing person. Deaf people have encountered a lot of things in their lifetime and they want to

spread awareness about deafness. American Sign Language will always be important to my life

because it helped me know what I wanted to do with my lifethat is to teach and change the

lives of many deaf children.