Hey folks-
I know this is long overdue, but you know, I'm a college student and things
just seem to pile up so quickly for me to do.....
I just did my presenation on ASL storytelling of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
today in my class. My goal was to introduce ASL to the students by giving
them a feel of what ASL is and etc. The SW's pictures- the flashcards- were
a hit with the students. However, I only had 10 minutes on me and my partner
to do our presenation about listening skills for ASL, I couldn't introduce
SW to them. I know that if I had 5 more minutes on me, I would have done this.
But I did show this to my partner who I worked with. She has little background
in Sign, and she was both 1) intrigued with the idea of reading ASL on paper
and 2) could compehrend the SW's system after my explaination of the positions
of the palms. I could see how much she appreciated it and she practiced
the signs from reading the SW.
My question about ASL storytelling in general. I was asked in class about
the difference between storytelling and daily chatting. The student wanted
to know how much I really signed in ASL and etc. Because I did emphasize
a lot on facial expressions and body language (again this was supposed
to be a beginner level) and the boundary line to distinguish from storytelling
and ordinary talk seemed to be more explictive according to the student.
Of course, it's true in every language- Signed and spoken, but I realized
one thing and I wanted to ask the SW list about this.
Is it possible for the story to be completley presented on paper? I am
thinking of the terms of body language not only the facial expressions, but
the body itself. The personification of chairs, beds, and etc requires
my whole body to show the characteristics of these objects. I'm trying
to picture how it is possible for SW to show the complexity of the movements
within the body- legs, arms, and torso. Or is the concept of storytelling
(in all languages) differ from writing (transcribing) stories on paper?
erin
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