DEUTSCHE GEBÄRDENSPRACHE
VS.
AMERICA SIGN LANGUAGE
By: ANNA
About Me
(in ASL)
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My name is Anna
My presentation is on Deutsche Gebärdensprache
and American Sign Language
I know French, I study German and Sign Language
I am 20, my birthday is in 2 months
My favorite color is pink. My favorite number is 7
I live in West Warwick with dad & step-mom. My
mom lives in Coventry. My sister lives at URI.
Culture Project Intro
Why did I chose this topic?
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I have always loved watching people sign to one
another.
I needed elective credits to graduate and ASL was
an option!
I would love to become a sign language interpreter.
What is sign language?
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The dominate language of the deaf community.
Using mostly the hands, body and facial expressions
to communicate.
It is NOT a universal language. It is used all over the
world, but the signs vary from country to country.
There are different dialects and accents!!
How did it start?
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1815 Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a Protestant
minister from Hartford, Conn. visited Dr. Mason
Cogswell in Europe and was asked by Cogswell to
investigate methods of teaching his daughter who
was deaf. While in Europe he meet a student of the
Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris who was
Laurent Clerc. Gallauget asked Clerc to come back
to Conn. In 1817 the two men opened the
Connecticut Asylum for the education and Instruction
of Deaf and Dumb persons(now American School for
the Deaf)
American
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Est. 500,000-2 million
use ASL as primary
language.
Has been historically
discouraged in schools
for the deaf.
Some consider sign
language to not even
be a real language.
Regional accents
 South
signs slower than
the North.
German
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German sing language has
only recently been
recognized as a legitimate
language.
300,000 deaf/HOH with
80,000 deaf. (13-14 million
people with hearing loss)
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Varies in regions of
Germany
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Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and
regions of former East
Germany
Swiss –German (Deutschschweizer
Gebärdensprache) & Austrian
(Österreichische Gebärdensprache) Sign
Language are both thought
to be related to German
Sign Language
American Alphabet
German Alphabet
German Sign Language
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70 Schools for Deaf & Hard of Hearing in
Germany. Each of the 16 federal states has their
own educational system
Deaf students attend public or special school
Deaf & HOH individuals are present in public and
scientific discussions
2000 16 deaf and 12 HOH teachers in schools for
hearing imparied. Makes up about 1% of teachers
in these schools
Before 1980s SL was labeled as “Plaudern”
(chatting)
American Sign Language
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Very similar to many European Sign Languages
Used primarily in America
 Different
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regions have different signs
When asking a Y/N question, raised eyebrows
When asking Who question, lower eyebrows
Deaf Community
 Deaf-
Proud of deaf culture
 deaf- hiding from world
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124 yrs Gallaudet President was hearing
Have to be very careful, many signs look similar
 Coffee
& Make Love
Comparison
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My name is Anna
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I like the color pink
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I learn German and Sign Language
Interesting Facts
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Admit when you don’t understand
Use terms Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Don’t assume all deaf people are good lipreaders
Don’t correct deaf’s english skills
10% deaf people have deaf parents
When watching someone sign it is appropriate to
look at their face, not their hands.
Watching a signed conversation and not indicating
you know sign language and talking without signing
in the presence of a deaf person are considered
rude.
Do
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Don’t
Tap on shoulder
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Wave with only one
hand in front or to the
side.
Stamp on the floor
once, or several times
Quickly turn lights on
& off once
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Tap on head, face,
chest, hips etc…
Wave with both arms
(except emergency)
Stamp loudly in library
or hospital with
hearing people
Keep the lights off, or
play with them in a
public place
Cochlear Implants
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Is an implant that sits behind the ear and is
surgically implanted under the skin
It is to help a person who is deaf or profoundly
hard of hearing, and is nothing like a hearing aid
Using a cochlear implant is different than normal
hearing and takes time to learn/relearn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKJo-krJJNY
ASL VIDEOS
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKnF9CCYQPQ
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2nX41KvnNY
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7things-Miley Cyrus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKnQjBf8wM&feature=relate
d
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Keith Wann- ICE ICE BABY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bNXdFpeASo
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DPAN- Waiting On The World To Change
Party In The USA-Miley Cyrus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC5tWuj7qcI&feature=related
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Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
Works Cited
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http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp
www.youtube.com
Moores, Donald F., and Margery Staman Miller. Deaf People
around the World: Educational and Social Perspectives.
Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet UP, 2009. Print.
Costello, Elaine. Random House Webster's American Sign
Language Dictionary: Unabridged,. New York: Random House
Reference, 2008. Print.
www.about.com
www.wikipedia.com
Nancy Fuller, ASL Professor