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ASL: "Deaf King Kong" (Joke)

PowerPoint for this lesson: "Deaf King Kong Joke" (PPT)
Address of instructional video: https://youtu.be/JFLVeNqiNxA



Did you know that King Kong had a Deaf brother?
He was named Deaf Kong.  He was captured in Africa and brought to America.
Deaf Kong escaped and ran! People ran and screamed!
Deaf Kong roared and noticed a long-haired, shapely woman with big eyelashes and red lips.
Deaf Kong grabbed the woman and roared. She signed to him "Eww you have bad breath!"
He asked her if she was Deaf?! To which she replied "Yes!"
Deaf Kong saw a building that looked like the empire state building and he climbed it.
He sat on the top of the building, took in the view, then looked at the woman.
Deaf Kong signed, "You are Deaf. You are beautiful. I want to…"
"Marry You!"

 

Sample suggested gloss:

KNOW-THAT KING KONG HAVE BROTHER?
DEAF KONG
HAPPEN CAPTURE DEAF KONG THERE AFRICA BRING AMERICA
DEAF GORILLA ESCAPE GORILLA-run PEOPLE "run and scream"
GORILLA roar! NOTICE WOMAN long-HAIR SHAPELY EYELASHES RED LIPS
[Deaf Kong] GRAB, ROAR

[Woman] EWWW BAD BREATH YOU,
[Deaf Kong] YOU DEAF are-YOU?

[Woman] YES!
THERE BUILDING shape-of-building pole-on-top CLIMB
sit-roof hold-woman LOOK-sweep LOOK-at woman
YOU DEAF YOU BEAUTIFUL I WANT
MARRY (!)
 



 

Notes:

There is actually more to the story.  In some retellings of this joke the storyteller adds:
----------------------
WIPES HAND on fur.
[Looks at audience]
SEE!?! THAT! WHY ORALISM BETTER!
----------------------

The secondary joke here is that for many, many years a "war" has been going on between "oralists" who oppose sign language and promote lip-reading and maximization of residual hearing for communication versus the "signers" who promote the use of sign language for communication.

It is "funny" because it is nonsensical that the marriage proposal of a big Deaf ape (who has grabbed a woman, climbed a building and proposed to a Deaf human female) didn't work out because he used sign language. 
 

 




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