- Bill Vicars
Question:
An ASL hero writes: "When picture books rhyme, would
it be better to use signed English to preserve the rhyme scheme or not worry
about it and use ASL?"
Response:
Part of the reason for rhyme in children's books is that it makes it "fun" for
the child to do.
Ask yourself: Does Signing English to match English voiced rhyme make the
content more "fun" for a Deaf child? Or does it just make the overall message
more confusing and harder to understand?
However, it is a complex topic full of pros and cons. If one of the overall
goals is for a child to grow up to be bilingual in both English and ASL it is
good to see Signed English as "one tool" in a very large toolbox.
I don't use a hammer to turn a screw. I don't throw away my hammer because
someone else doesn't like hammers. I look at my situation and see what is needed
and apply the right tool.
Change the question.
Instead ask a much more complex question such as adding this to the end of your
original question by adding this:
"… or would it be even better still to invest ten times
the effort, discuss the book in ASL, do a play acting skit based on the book,
watch a cartoon depicting the story, return to the book, engage in a complex
translanguaging process involving using specific English signs to map to English
concepts and back to ASL again, while frequently asking the child what they
think is going to happen next and how they feel about what just happened and
why?"
Notes:
I shared the above response because too many people attempt to make Signed
English an "enemy" instead of simply it being one tool in a large toolbox in
which the main and most frequently used tool should be ASL.
Schools or programs that use Signed English to the exclusion of ASL are
attempting to use a screwdriver to "do it all" -- at the expense of the child.
That is why many in the Deaf community develop a single-minded aversion to
Signed English.
What it comes down to is:
Can you sign the story in the book using fluent, clear, awesome ASL? Yes? Good
-- do that first -- that is the priority. Still have time, energy and enthusiasm
left over after fluently signing it in ASL? Still have the attention of the
child? Fine -- start mapping to English and develop the child's bilingual
skills. Then go back and discuss it in ASL to wrap up.
My next statement is not directed at any one person but to everyone:
Stop making Deaf education an "either / or" situation. Make it a "lots and lots"
situation.
Also see: Signed English is a tool ...
* So, if Signed English isn't the enemy (and you feel you simply must have
one) -- then what is?
Answer: Language deprivation.
Notes: