Sign Language - Tumblr Posts
Deaf in a Hearing World
It's hard enough to go from middle school to high school, even harder when you are going to a brand new school, but imagine doing all of that AND being deaf - the only deaf student in the school. That's what Jocelyn was going through when she entered 9th grade - alone in a big new school, without a friend, and feeling so out of place being a deaf person in a hearing world. Her cochlear implants ASL helped her to hear, just a bit, but they also looked strange to the other kids. She didn't know anyone, had no friends there, and nobody seemed to care about her, or noticed that she was all alone. In fact, because she was deaf, the other kids ignored her, or looked at her strangely and whispered to each other. This all made her feel even more alone, more different. She felt so isolated. Her deafness seemed to be holding her back and and stopped students from getting close to her in a way she should be just like any other kid. Then, one day in poetry class, a boy sitting in front of her passed her a note. She had never gotten a note before. He asked her is she wanted a friend. She could hardly believe it, hardly trust it - but there he was, asking, sincere. She said yes and, eventually, they became best friends! He spoke to her as if she wasn't deaf, and that made her so happy. He made her feel like she belonged. He treated her just like any other hearing person. And they did what any other friends would do, went to the Mall, to Starbucks, and the library to study and draw. He began to experience a day though a deaf person's eyes. Now they are always hanging out together. And he taught Jocelyn the true meaning of friendship, which was the greatest gift she had ever received. It changed her, brought her back to life, and for that, Jocelyn will always be thankful and grateful.
He can't stop thinking about her so much every day. And he said "no matter what, no matter how old we are." (Gap age)
dope resource
Resources For Writing Deaf, Mute, or Blind Characters
Despite the fact that I am not deaf, mute, or blind myself, one of the most common questions I receive is how to portray characters with these disabilities in fiction.
As such, I’ve compiled the resources I’ve accumulated (from real life deaf, mute, or blind people) into a handy masterlist.
Deaf Characters:
Deaf characters masterpost
Deaf dialogue thread
Dialogue with signing characters (also applies to mute characters.)
A deaf author’s advice on deaf characters
Dialogue between deaf characters
Mute Characters
Life as a Mute
My Silent Summer: Life as a Mute
What It’s Like Being Mute
21 People Reveal What It’s Really Like To Be Mute
I am a 20 year old Mute, ask me anything at all!
Blind Characters:
The 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Blind Characters.
@referenceforwriters masterpost of resources for writing/playing blind characters.
The youtube channel of the wonderful Tommy Edison, a man blind from birth with great insight into the depiction of blind people and their lives.
An Absolute Write thread on the depiction of blind characters, with lots of different viewpoints and some great tips.
And finally, this short, handy masterpost of resources for writing blind characters.
Characters Who Are Blind in One Eye
4 Ways Life Looks Shockingly Different With One Eye
Learning to Live With One Eye
Adapting to the Loss of an Eye
Adapting to Eye Loss and Monocular Vision
Monocular Depth Perception
Deaf-Blind Characters
What Is It Like To Be Deafblind?
Going Deaf and Blind in a City of Noise and Lights
Deaf and Blind by 30
Sarita is Blind, Deaf, and Employed (video)
Born Deaf and Blind, This Eritrean American Graduated Harvard Law School (video)
A Day of a Deaf Blind Person
Lesser Known Things About Being Deafblind
How the Deaf-Blind Communicate
Early Interactions With Children Who Are Deaf-Blind
Raising a DeafBlind Baby
If you have any more resources to add, let me know! I’ll be adding to this post as I find more resources.
I hope this helps, and happy writing! <3
dope resource
Resources For Writing Deaf, Mute, or Blind Characters
Despite the fact that I am not deaf, mute, or blind myself, one of the most common questions I receive is how to portray characters with these disabilities in fiction.
As such, I’ve compiled the resources I’ve accumulated (from real life deaf, mute, or blind people) into a handy masterlist.
Deaf Characters:
Deaf characters masterpost
Deaf dialogue thread
Dialogue with signing characters (also applies to mute characters.)
A deaf author’s advice on deaf characters
Dialogue between deaf characters
Mute Characters
Life as a Mute
My Silent Summer: Life as a Mute
What It’s Like Being Mute
21 People Reveal What It’s Really Like To Be Mute
I am a 20 year old Mute, ask me anything at all!
Blind Characters:
The 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Blind Characters.
@referenceforwriters masterpost of resources for writing/playing blind characters.
The youtube channel of the wonderful Tommy Edison, a man blind from birth with great insight into the depiction of blind people and their lives.
An Absolute Write thread on the depiction of blind characters, with lots of different viewpoints and some great tips.
And finally, this short, handy masterpost of resources for writing blind characters.
Characters Who Are Blind in One Eye
4 Ways Life Looks Shockingly Different With One Eye
Learning to Live With One Eye
Adapting to the Loss of an Eye
Adapting to Eye Loss and Monocular Vision
Monocular Depth Perception
Deaf-Blind Characters
What Is It Like To Be Deafblind?
Going Deaf and Blind in a City of Noise and Lights
Deaf and Blind by 30
Sarita is Blind, Deaf, and Employed (video)
Born Deaf and Blind, This Eritrean American Graduated Harvard Law School (video)
A Day of a Deaf Blind Person
Lesser Known Things About Being Deafblind
How the Deaf-Blind Communicate
Early Interactions With Children Who Are Deaf-Blind
Raising a DeafBlind Baby
If you have any more resources to add, let me know! I’ll be adding to this post as I find more resources.
I hope this helps, and happy writing! <3
Can anyone confirm this??
M6 With An MC Who Uses Sign Language
am I just projecting my Arcana MC without any other context? yes. am I actually gonna give context later on? possibly. do I miss my babies? without question.
GN Reader, my MC is mute and uses sign language as one of their ways of talking but this is for mute/deaf/HOH people
🔮Asra Alnazar🔮
He's lived with you for years, he definitely knows sign language
If you do want to talk in a more magical way, he's one hundred percent up to helping you find something that works for you. Projecting your thoughts into words in the air? What color do you want your text? A magical telepathic link? What ingredients does he need?
If you just want to use sign language, wonderful! I think he'd like to make little shortcuts for phrases you use a lot so you don't have to make the whole phrase, and it's like a secret language for you two lol
If you're deaf/HOH and you can read lips, he does make sure that he enunciates a little more and has a sign in the store that tells people to make sure their mouth is uncovered
He's more than happy to take over the shop if you're getting overwhelmed with trying to talk to people
If someone tries to mock you they will get kicked :3 maybe hexed while he's at it :3
⚰️Julian Devorak⚰️
He canonically knows seven languages, sign language has got to be one of them
The two of you will have entire days where neither of you talk (if you do talk) and when he finally has to talk to someone his voice is strange in his tongue
I feel like if he's not playing a part in a play, he'd be one of the interpreters who stand alongside the actors and act along with them. He'd have so much fun with that
He tries to write notes to you around the house, little reminders like "we're out of coffee" or "don't forget to feed the leeches" but....this poor man has the worst handwriting and it's all illegible
If you're deaf/HOH then he would be extra careful not to accidentally sneak up on you. If you're in public then he just kinda hovers around you to make sure no one else does the same thing. He's a tall boi it's pretty easy
He's a little hesitant about you using magical means of talking but will in no way demean you for it. He thinks it's wonderful that you've found something else, he's just always a little hesitant around magic
He loves you so much and he wants to do everything he can to make you happy in your own skin, please my darling I love him
👑Nadia Satrinava👑
If she was taught sign language back in Prakra, it was most likely Prakran sign language and not Vesuvian, and even so she probably doesn't know very much of it. Learning verbal languages was probably more important in sign language, for diplomatic purposes
That being said, she will absolutely learn sign language to help you two talk. She'll hire the best tutors in Vesuvian to teach her
If you so wish, she'll have someone by your side to interpret, but she understands if you want to be more independent. She has the resources to make you comfortable and dammit she will use them
If she catches the slightest whiff of someone making fun of you during a ball or a meeting or something they will feel a glare so fierce their spine will crawl out of their back :)
If you use writing as a way to talk she will get you the finest papers and the most exquisite quill, one that holds ink inside it rather than having to be dipped. Or she'd make one herself, and you see a proud gleam in her eyes whenever she sees you use it
She will devote her entire attention to you whenever you're signing, and if it's during a meeting and someone tries to talk over you they will get a shoulder colder than the South. She's so good at being intimidating I love her
🐻Muriel of the Kokhuri🐻
Honestly, the less he has to talk, the better
He would definitely learn sign language, but he'd prefer if you taught it to him. Not just because he doesn't wanna go into town for a teacher, but because he wants to spend more time with you
Like with Asra, you two create simple signs for popular phrases. Once again another secret language thing, something just for the two of you
If you're deaf/HOH and you wanna go in the forest, he's gonna insist on going with you. The forest can be a dangerous place, even more if you can't hear when danger is coming
He loves sitting in the bed with you, fire crackling in the fireplace, Inanna spread out between both of your laps with his hand on her stomach as you tell him a story, fingers flying and face animated, acting out all the emotions you felt in that moment. The way you tell stories, it's unique only to you, and only he gets to hear it
He does his very best not to sneak up on you by accident, but unfortunately he's too big and quiet (regardless if you can hear or not) and he always feels so bad 😫 please kiss him and tell him it's alright
🐱Portia Devorak🐱
She doesn't know any sign language right out of the gate, maybe "hello" and "I love you" but that's about it
Nonetheless she would love to learn it! She's a very fast learner and would pick up on it pretty quickly
She's normally very expressive in her face which I've heard is very useful in having signed conversations so she's pretty much made for it
Pepi would keep thinking you're trying to play when you're signing and she'll attack your hands lol
It doesn't always work the best when she's working and you're trying to talk though, so she would like some sort of magical verbal communication, like a telepathic connection
She will absolutely stand up for you if someone is getting on your nerves about not hearing/not talking. She is a 5 foot brick house and she will throw a punch in your honor
*slight spoilers for her Upright Route* knowing sign language would also be great for her ambassador job. Granted it would only be Vesuvian and sign languages can be quite different but still
🐩Lucio Morgasson🐩
He might be a little...insensitive at first. If you're mute he'd ask why you can't simply talk, but I don't think he'd be like that if you're deaf/HOH cuz there's not much you can actually do about that
He'd be better about it though as his character develops, and he feels sorry about it and works to better his understanding. Well, okay, when I say "works on it" I mean that he doesn't ask the question again and that's about it
He tries to learn sign language, but he doesn't exactly pick it up. He's better at understanding what's being said than actually saying it, but he'd still prefer writing
If you can do something magical, he'd show you off to everyone, like "Look everyone, my wonderful partner can make words appear out of thin air! Aren't they incredible?"
If you're deaf/HOH, sometimes you put your ear to his chest when he's talking in bed so you can hear the vibrations of his voice alongside his heartbeat. You can't see it, but Lucio is practically smitten
Look I don't particularly care for him, but there are times where he can be cute, I'll admit that
Thought of a really captivating way to learn BSL; I’m translating songs. It’s really fun. My grammar is probably shit but at least I’m doing it.
Grammar is a social construct. I’m only doing vocabulary now
Thought of a really captivating way to learn BSL; I’m translating songs. It’s really fun. My grammar is probably shit but at least I’m doing it.
i'm hard of hearing and i have an auditory processing disorder, but i don't know sign. so my opinion is definitely of lesser importance than those who are deaf
please pardon any mispellings as i am dyslexic, am writing this on my phone, and am not editing it too seriously
i think it's overall fine to use ASL or SSL in the same way it is fine for one's fantasy world to use English; however, ive learned that's really only the case if a person is fluent in it. you're fluent in English, so it makes sense for you to use English throughout this story; if you are not also fluent in ASL and/or SSL, it is less recommended for you to, utilizing the same aforementioned logic as using English language, use either of these two languages throughout your story from what i have seen from the deaf community. (it might be easier to understand through a hypothetical. it isn't an exact equivalent, of course, but it will help illustrate the point; just indulge me in a suspension of disbelief and "be silly". let's pretend i am writing a story where, for whatever reason, i am using a singular Swedish-only speaking character while everyone else is English-speaking. i know that'd be silly to do pragmatically, but again: "be silly" with me for a second. i have one Swedish-speaking character, everyone else is English-speaking. this would be fine for me to do if i was fluent in both languages, as you are fluent in Swedish and English. however, i am not fluent in Swedish. as a result of this lack of fluency, unless i am actively practicing to learn Swedish, there is going to be a LOT of mistakes in me saying "this is the Swedish equivalent of xyz in English", i am going to get grammar wrong, i am going to miss nuance, and i am going to assume there are Swedish words that might not exist because they exist in English. i may be using an official "Swedish to English" website as reference, but i am going to fuck up so much in my lack of Swedish fluency that for any Swedish-speaker like yourself: you are going to cringe and wish i had became fluent in Swedish before writing this or that i gotten in contact with someone who is fluent in Swedish to correct my mistakes in linguistics, nuances, culture, and whatnot. that's what i mean by "it's fine for you to use English, ASL, or SSL in fantasy if you're fluent!" and why im suggesting thoughtfulness in proceeding if you are NOT fluent. i hope this makes sense lol but yeah! sign language of any kind is, ultimately, a language. so the same respects applies to sign language as to Swedish in this sense when it comes to application of dialogue and the nuances inherent within that language's culture. this is by no means saying "no deaf characters or sign language allowed unless you are in the community!",of course, that'd be as ridiculous as "no Swedish characters allowed unless you are Swedish/have lived in Sweden for x amount of years!". no, of course, do it! inclusivity: yay!! we just have to be proceed thoughtfully when we create a character that represents a specific identity lmao but yeah, to summarize this hypothetical: if you has wanted to do a Swedish-only-speaking character amongst your English speaking cast, you are fluent in both, of course you can do that! but i would need to proceed with caution as a monolingual English-speaker and rely on someone Swedish-speaking checking my work)
and, of course, there are cases of a person not fluent writing a really good story staring a deaf person, like the manga "A Sign Of Affection" by Suu Morishita (which is a duo going under one pseudonym if my memory recollects right); however, they have a consultant named Yuki (who is a deaf person who uses sign in Japan. they also named their female lead after her in thanks lol but for clarity, ill be using "Yuki" to refer to the consultant, not the character) who they interview before every chapter to ensure they are portraying their deaf character realistically, to help them brainstorm future chapter and scenarios, for final approval of past chapters before they finish it up, and will also ask her to translate the dialogue for the deaf characters to say through sign (they film her signing her translation to use as an art reference, and also use her to find out what exactly the characters can say since very few sign-languages have one-to-one translations of a hearing-language. the sentences grammar and the available vocabulary for one's diction are different). you can read more about their process with Yuki within the manga, they explain it as a bonus feature between chapters and have also done interviews for magazines and whatnot. so there is fluency in that example, it just doesn't come from the mangaka duo. if you have a resource to apply that to with ASL or SSL, i think that makes perfect sense to do so! have that person help you out! it is overall preferable to have someone who doesn't know sign try to depict fluency in THAT way, from what i understand after looking into deaf people discuss preferred characterization anyway
if you want to do a conlang for a fictive sign language (especially if you do not have an ASL or SSL fluent deaf person to use as a resource of if you yourself are not fluent in either or), i think that also makes sense. i started learning about how deaf people prefer to be depicted in fantasy works starting at this reddit thread (there's links to further discussion within it, and invitation of where to ask questions). i also like this tiktok user named @/bow_asintakea_rawn who has a lot of deaf content relating to fiction/fantasy that could potentially be a resource (you could even try talking to him if you feel so comfortable). and lastly, i like the youtuber @/oakwyrm, who is a disabled person who does a lot of disabled media analysis (especially fantasy) and whose essays can service as a resource in that way (i forget if oakwyrm is deaf or not though, but he does discuss deafness in some videos despite many deaf people not considering their deafness as a disability, which is fair, and others do, which is also fair). i have other deaf youtubers i could recommend, but none of them interact with fantasy much so i dont know how useful they would be; if you want more deaf resources, i would suggest just googling "deaf youtubers" since i know deafness in respect to "how to portray this community and sign-language in fantasy" is more important to this discussion so i won't detract by offering resources that digress from this topic
i dont know many fantasy pieces that include how to depict deaf people, but i know the overall sentiment about sign language in fiction/fantasy is "Depict signing as functionally the same as speaking" since it is just another language. this sounds counter-productive initially if the idea is new to you, but the idea of novels needing the following reminder makes sense: "There's no need to replace '[deaf character] said' with '[deaf character] signed'. Introduce the deaf character using sign, introduce who knows sign and who needs a translator (if anyone), and from then on carry on using '[deaf character] said' whenever they have something to say. We have grasped from then on that they are using sign. You don't need to make them the odd one out of the group from then on by using a differnt tag just for them. It's alienating. Only use 'signed' as a tag when it's an example where the signing distinction is necessary, like '[hearing character] signed to me not to whisper, his eyes trained on the guard searching for us' or a similar situation" (this is not a quote, otherwise i would cite it. i cant find where i learned this idea from, but i did want to ensure there was a distinction that this was not my idea, but me parroting an idea i have heard and learned from, if nothing else). i mention this to you and your comic because the same logic applies to visual distinctions of signing. from what i have seen: the preferred depiction of sign in graphic novels specifically includes a similar line of logic: "Use the same speech-bubbles as you would use for hearing characters that are not signing", and the idea of "translation boxes" is less preferred unless there is a specific reason why (like maybe a deaf character knows two sign-languages and is switching to one most of the cast doesn't know). though "A Sign Of Affection"'s manga is a great example of deaf characters in manga overall, they unfortunately don't do this (meaning their deaf characters don't use the same speech-bubbles when they sign as when hearing characters are speaking and not using sign), which i personally don't recommend copying unless a deaf person/people who sign DO advise to mimic it. i personally recommend to use the same speech bubbles as hearing characters have when they do not sign, as aforementioned; that's the impression i have been given by those ive listened to in the deaf community. which to do the same speech-bubbles regardless of sign or no sign makes sense, to me, as it better treats sign-language visually as of similar respects as any other language. (but, again: deaf people's opinion over mine. especially if they disagree. i am parroting, what i parrot is biased to what i have seen within my sphere of the internet; i am of far less importance) HOWEVER, something really cool about "A Sign of Affection"'s speech bubbles that the deaf community and hearing community both really like is how "A Sign of Affection" will use speech-bubbles to show what Yuki can/can't hear. they have different text colors to show when their deaf main character hears something being said and when that deaf character does not hear the person (because the hearing character has their lips covered, because the deaf character wasn't looking directly at the hearing person's lips and was not aware they were speaking, because the hearing character spoke literally behind the hearing person's back, and so on). if you want to mimic that aspect, that's totally okay to do so lol and i'm sure there are other graphic novel resources of deaf people to look into, but i haven't encountered many (eg. i know "A Silent Voice" exists but i stay away from stories with suicidal characters due to triggers, so i have no idea if it is reverred as fondly by the deaf community as i know "A Sign Of Affection" is due to my lack of interaction with the content/its fandom)
but i hope this small handful of leads helps you out! if my assumption that you are not CODA or a hearing person fluent in sign is correct (im a newer follower, sorry lol but i do really like your stuff so far and think your "Felt World" comic is fantastic! i just also know very little about you lmao rip), and if you do not have a fluent person in sign to use as a sinilar resource as Yuki is stellarly used in "A Sign Of Affection", i think a conlang is probably the best option for you? i definitely think it might of help to go to some reddit threads with prominent deaf people who use sign to recruit one or a few beta-reader/sensitivity-reader as a resource. bonus if they like conlangs and are willing to help you develop one. or are willing to translate their fluency for you so you know what diction translation is available for your character's dialogue + to film their signs for you to use as a reference. i originally found you through your tiktok, so it might be helpful to formally recruit there through a short video and tag it appropriately to reach out to the deaf and signing community for that type of beta-reader/sensitivity-reader/possible-translator/possible-conlang-help-resource person
my last piece of advice towards finding resources is you might find more information here on tumblr under the tag "writing deaf characters". i think(?) that's the tag people use to discuss how to depict deaf characters, though that is not sign-language specific in the sense of how to depict sign-language in fantasy. you'd probably have to scroll to find posts on that. but it should give you resources of people saying "this is my advice for writing a deaf character as someone who is deaf" who you could then reach out to for more specific questions, resource-help, and whatnot
finally, i know you said "there is *A* deaf character" in your post, but i do want to hesitantly implore you to include that said character as being a part of a deaf community. so having other characters around them also be deaf. it is very unusual, from what i understand, for a deaf character to be the ONLY deaf person they know or that they willingly surround themselves with. the deaf community is very close-knit to the point of people actually all having two names: they have a sign-name as well as their name used in conversation with hearing people. community and solidarity is extremely common with deafness. community is huge part of the deaf culture. being the only deaf character would only make some sense if that character is purposefully alienated from others (think Toph from "Avatar: The Last Airbender"'s family situation, tho she is blind, not deaf) but even then: they had to learn their fluency with sign language from SOMEWHERE and used it often with those people (and this sign language had to get popularized into having a standardization by... like... having a lot of people use it, which would only happen if a lot of people NEEDED it, which means there has to be a significant deaf community lmao). this is especially true if the equivalent-of-face-timing isn't possible in "Felt World" (as video-calls are the predominant form of long-distance communication that accomadates sign); if long-distance communication isn't possible between people who use sign language, they go for proximity (hence there being schools to facilitate deaf community and communication). this can then cause "accents" so to speak (there's even records of families of deaf people having their own family-signs and "accents" in addition to region-based). this is best noticed in how, in the USA, there actually isn't just one form of sign-language originated from here. which, yes, there are multiple "English-associated" sign-languages (i think the most famous trio are ASL, BSL, and SSE to non-Americans?? but there are even more "English-associated" sign languages than that and i'm not talking about any of those rn, but rather the fact that ASL is not the only sign language to originate from the United States of America). i'm talking about how, due to the segregation of Black people in schools, there is BASL (Black American Sign Language). community matters so much to deaf people that something as dividing as segregation resulted in two totally different forms of sign. and even though schools are no longer segregated, that history has lead to two different origins of language that the descendents of which have little to very little overlap now as distinct "accents" from what i understand as someone who uses neither forms of sign (and it should go with saying that many Black deaf people in America have to be fluent in not only English and also ASL, in addition to BASL, in order to gain accommodations in classrooms that are not at a BASL School. it is unfortunate that such a hurdle exists and i greatly admire Black deaf people and their preservation of BASL, as well as anyone hearing who signs BASL to help translate for Black deaf people in their first language so there are less hoops for Black deaf people to jump through. but i digress). so, again, deaf people being surrounded by other deaf people either through technology-that-accomadates-sign or proximity is HUGE. so i would say at MINIMUM introduce this one character as having access to a community of background characters who are also deaf and sign, in addition to hearing people who sign. that insistence you ensure there is a community of deaf characters in this world (if not having multiple deaf recurring characters or main characters) probably goes without saying? i probably didnt need to say all this. but im erring on the side of caution since i feel a bit on thin-ice as a non-sign-language-user speaking here to begin with lol
but yeah! again, i dont know sign so this is me parroting things i have learned from the deaf community about how they prefer sign be utilized (this isn't even approaching the topic of cochlear implants, as that can be seen as controversal to some deaf circles and fine to other deaf circles within the overall community) and giving you the leads i can currently recall having been useful to me when i realized i had a curiosity about how to best utalize sign in fantasy settings (im sure i once used more but i have alas forgotten them, as this post even shows in how i dont remember where to cite certain ideas to). definitely defer to people who know sign, especially those who are deaf, over me as i am not within that portion of the hoh/deaf community as a whole. but i digress. i hope this is helpful, and i wish you and your comic the best of luck! much love ♡
Ah fuck it this is gonna be a spoiler but I genuinely can't figure out what the right course of action is so here goes...
SO THERE'S A DEAF CHARACTER IN FELT WORLD who uses sign to communicate. (Don't speculate, it'll be revealed, but don't make assumptions just in case it isn't who you thought it was and you end up disappointed)
My question is; do I pick American Sign Language, Swedish Sign Language, or do I make up a fictive Sign Language?
My arguments for all:
ASL: the comic is written in American English
SSL: I'm from Sweden, and there are tons of Swedish references in felt world
Fictive SL: would be much easier from a production stand point
What are y'all's input? I'd love to hear especially if you're deaf/heard of hearing and using sign yourself. Thanks in advance!!
Hogsmeade:
Remus: *makes weird sign with hand*
Sirius: *makes an even weirder sign back*
Peter: What are they doing?
James: They came up with a secret language when they aren’t on speaking terms.
Remus: *aggressively makes sign and stops foot*
Sirius: YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW REMUS!!!!
I’m HOH and this is literally so exciting to me. I wish Deaf history and ASL were prioritized even a little bit in education here
https://www.solterrawaycottageschool.com/post/sign-language-on-abraham-lincoln-s-hands-don-t-ask-the-lincoln-memorial-park-rangers
I’ve never seen ASL in an animation online before 😭
My deaf spider OC, Marisol, isn't impressed by Mr. O'Hara
the other day, my ASL professor just casually mentioned that she has a wife. she rarely talks about herself during class, but she was telling us a story and she mentioned her wife during it. it was such a quick thing that I almost didn’t see it, but she definitely did say wife and not husband or spouse (the signs are similar). it was just a nice moment because I rarely see queer people outside of specifically queer contexts. made me happy 😌
i got into an argument over official languages with my nana today but she didn’t let me speak so it’s been bubbling inside of me for fucking ages so i’m just gonna write what i would say here for my own benefit :)
(for context, i live in Aotearoa (New Zealand))
the only reason you would make a language official if it’s 1. important to the people of the country and 2. it’s going to be lost if it isn’t legally protected.
English doesn’t need the protection, we all speak english, we all know english, people aren’t denied opportunities because they only know english. Te Reo Māori needs the legal standing it has been granted to prevent it from nearing extinction, again. Making Te Reo Māori an official language means that Māori people have better chances to be represented accurately in court, hospitals, schools, and everywhere else. Te Reo Māori needed to be protected.
New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) needed to be made an official language as the deaf people of Aotearoa didn’t have access to the country’s resources outside the deaf community. Making NZSL an offical language means that deaf new zealanders get to have a translator in court, in the medical sector, in schools. it gives them a fairer chance to succeed in a hearing dominated world. NZSL needed to be protected.
English didn’t. English doesn’t. you can go ANYWHERE and speak english, and get what you want, you don’t have to jump through hoops if you are a native english speaker of aotearoa. exams are, by default, in english, you don’t need to request a translator, or translated copy. you can understand everything without a middle man in a legal setting. the doctor can tell you directly what is wrong with you. English stands to gain absolutely nothing by making it an official language. it wouldn’t change anything. it’s not necessary, and it would lower the importance of being an offical language. in the public eye, Te Reo and NZSL got a boost up, climbing their way up to be seen as a proper language, not a “primitive” language, as they have both been described. English doesn’t need the boost.
Aotearoa only needs the two official languages.
Te Reo Māori (made official in 1987)
New Zealand Sign Language (made offical in 2006)
Yes I need this in my life! For no reason other than languages are important
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again but it is absolutely an example of civilizational inadequacy that only deaf people know ASL
“oh we shouldn’t teach children this language, it will only come in handy if they [checks notes] ever have to talk in a situation where it’s noisy or they need to be quiet”
Since it's release about a week ago, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding this music video ultimately due to the fact that those people reporting on it didn't do their homework and check their translations/interpretations. British sources initially became upset when they translated the word which was meant to say "valentine (person)" as "enemy", and the word "appear" as "tampon". Now, were this the case, that would terribly embarrassing for everyone who helped work on the video, but instead it was an error on the part of the reporters, probably born of rushed conclusions and sloppy research. For help with the sign language Paul McCartney contacted his sources in Hollywood (to be specific: Hollywood, USA). Despite being from Britain, Paul McCartney used American Sign Language (ASL) in the music video not British Sign Language (BSL). Lo and behold, in light of this realization, knowledgeable viewers discovered that the words did mean "valentine" and "appear", not "enemy" and "tampon". (see definitions at aslpro) The really sad part of the story is that the fact that those words are correct is totally lost in the host of media coverage about the "wrong" signs in the video, from both British and American reporting.
The media mess aside, I really liked the video. Overall it was really lovely and the black and white tone really brought out the "simple but elegant" element. That being said, I couldn't help but feel that there was still something off about it. Upon a second viewing, I managed to discern the cause. During the video Natalie Portman wears a straight face and Johnny Depp is creepily impassive. Normally, this could be dismissed as an artistic/directorial decision, but circumstances are different where ASL is concerned. Now, I am by no means an authority on ASL, nor am I even close to fluent, but I know that facial expressions and other non-manual signs are an integral part of the language, necessary in some of the most basic sentence construction. As far as I can tell, what Portman and Depp are doing with their faces (rather, not doing) gives the signing a very heavy and very strange accent.
I did a bit more research and found that the Deaf community had some very valid and unfortunately overlooked comments on the matter. First, is that beyond the "incorrect signs" debacle, the signing in the video is not so hot. The word choice may be questionable and the actors' ability to communicate those words is a far cry from the expressive gesturing and hand shapes of an experienced signer (which, actually, is understandable considering neither of the actors know ASL). This brings me to the second concern. If Portman and Depp are so bad at signing, why bother to go through the trouble of teaching them if the outcome is mediocre at best? There are lots of really talented Deaf actors out there, why not use them in the video instead? The answer to this, of course, is simply that any other actor would not be Johnny Depp or Natalie Portman.
With all that in mind, the one thing left to consider is: was it worth it? The signing might be bad, the rumors may be false and the actors might have creepy blank expressions, but they did make a full ASL music video; one which is bound to get a ton of publicity. Even if the final product was rough around the edges, it was still a genuinely well-intended and even fairly successful attempt at promoting ASL and, by extension, the Deaf community at large.
This is absolutely incredible, and surprisingly affordable!
The glove is flexible, easy to use, cheap to produce and battery operated. Each glove has 15 flex sensors. The sensors decipher hand motions in the air. A hearing-impaired person would use the glove and app to communicate with someone who doesn’t know sign language.
The glove picks up the hand gestures and the Enable Talk smartphone app translates the data.
this is so interesting guys! i’m not really sure who would be willing to wear this glove all the time, but the video is worth watching and its actually a very cool idea if it wasn’t so expensive and kinda ugly… haha i mean it would be easier to just write out your message but oh well.