Question:
I meet people who want to learn sign language. I often ask, "Why do you want
to learn sign language?" Why learn sign language? So you can talk to deaf
people. Why talk to deaf people? Because they use sign language. It's
circular. The second reason for learning sign language? Church. School and
church are the two main places hearing people get exposed to sign language.
Learn sign language, and you can lecture the deaf!
Signing melody fails. Signing lyrics fails. Oh, something comes through, but
not the music as written or played. A person highly skilled with both sign
language and music could not watch an unknown song signed through a window
and then play it, or even chant the lyrics truly.
Signed music is for hearing people to watch. So sweet. It's not for deaf.
Deaf do appreciate what's going on. It's very nice. Don't think for a minute
the song comes through. It's not like watching a movie, it's like watching
the shadow of a movie. Do deaf people sign songs in the shower? Deaf talk
to themselves with sign language, but never sing to themselves.
Now for all of you who are unhappy with what I've written, I repeat: Signed
music is appreciated. And I don't claim to be a spoksman.
Monkey wrote: "I just wish I could read the signs as well as I do them."
Hi monkey. To understand deaf you must learn to read lips.
Answer:
I learned sign language because it's more apt for use by visual people
like me. I like to watch what's being said, and my older eyes aren't
as good at watching tiny movements for speechreading from a distance
as they used to be. I don't have that problem with signing. This is
great for attending to lectures and the like where an interpreter is
present. It also makes the few social events that I attend better if
they are Deaf ones. It's like manual dexterity, some people are really
good at handling tiny parts, others need bigger pieces or they fumble.
That's how my eyes are now, and the limitations of hearing aids give
me a headache. It's reassuring to know that when I'm elderly, I have
done something good for myself to avoid social isolation and also for
emergencies etc.
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