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From:  "Judy A. Kegl" Date:  Mon May 7, 2001  11:06 pm Subject:  Re: SignWriting and Deaf culture ; collection of SW stories

Hi, Stefan, Clever, clever, clever --- I am impressed, and I think our students will be, as well. -- James ---------- >From: Stefan Woehrmann2 >To: SignWriting List >Subject: Re: SignWriting and Deaf culture ; collection of SW stories >Date: Mon, May 7, 2001, 6:57 PM > >Hi James , > >I was very surprised to see item # 6 on your wonderfull list. > >"6) The Mouse and the Lion: lion spares mouse; later, mouse frees lion >from >net. Was Aesop involved in this?? Anyway, this is one of those >cross-cultural animal morality fables good anywhere. Moral: watch your step >in the bush. " > >It is La Fontaine - who wrote this fable ;-) Aesop as well ??? > >Nevertheless I ±> very interested to look at your Nicaraguan Sign Language >version - >Do you know our Signed German Version (LBG) which is posted on our homepage > >https://www.gebaerdenschrift.de/school/loewe%20und%20maus/01_loewe.htm > > >All the best > >Stefan ;-) > > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Judy A. Kegl >To: >Sent: Monday, May 07, 2001 5:39 PM >Subject: Re: SignWriting and Deaf culture > > >> Thank you, Valerie, for your kind remarks regarding the collection of SW >> stories we just assembled for the students in Nicaragua. There are 19 >> items, out of some 30 or 40 texts that we have prepared. (The next >> collection will be prepared in the fall.) Since we are talking about >> cultural issues, I will list the 19 for whatever inspirational value they >> might have for the members on this list: >> >> 1) The Nicaraguan national anthem (adapted, of course, into the grammar >and >> syntax of Nicaraguan Sign Language) >> >> 2) La Cucuracha -- yes, it is a song, but music, like poetry, can be >> adapted to sign -- and it is a lot of fun, anyhow >> >> 3) Olmo and the blue butterfly: appears to be set in San Francisco, >deals >> with multiple forms of urban transportation from skateboards to rocket >> travel >> >> 4) Caps for Sale: about a peddler and monkeys, presumably set in small >town >> Europe, although when you think about it, one is much more likely to >> encounter peddlers and monkeys in Nicaragua >> >> 5) Three Little Pigs: some students in our class actually live in stick >> and straw houses, No wolves, though >> >> 6) The Mouse and the Lion: lion spares mouse; later, mouse frees lion >from >> net. Was Aesop involved in this?? Anyway, this is one of those >> cross-cultural animal morality fables good anywhere. Moral: watch your >step >> in the bush. >> >> 7) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie -- definitely a well-off, industrialized >> country mouse, although Nicaraguan children like to draw with crayons, >too. >> The format is full of conditionals, which are presented somewhat >differently >> in Nicaraguan Sign Language. We like the grammar lesson. >> >> 8) The Story of Babar, King of the Elephants -- okay, this is steeped in >> early twentieth century French colonial philosophy: savages encounter >> Western Civilization, then undergo transformation as old ways are >abandoned. >> You just can't get more politically incorrect than this. The older Deaf >> students immediately recognize the parallel with their own lives >> (languageless waifs enter school, exit refined.) If this story keeps one >> student from chomping on poison mushrooms, then it was all worth it. >> >> 9) I Want My Banana: monkeys, snakes, tigers and bananas: this story >good >> BE in Nicaragua (except for the hyena) >> >> 10) David and Goliath: underdog tramples giant, i.e., Sandino holds U.S. >> Marines at bay (and you thought this was about a little Jewish kid) >> >> 11) Pirate Queens: a women's lib story: female pirates attempt to save >> ship while drunken macho males play poker below deck. Not wishing to be >> insulting to Nicaraguan masculinity, but, gee, sounds like day-to-day life >> here. Moreover, Bluefields was a hangout for pirates way back when. >> >> 12) Louis Pasteur: French doctor fights rabies. The doctor was a white >> guy, but germs don't notice such distinctions, and Deaf kids in Nicaragua >> need to know about vaccinations, too. >> >> 13/14/15) The Trojan War/Odysseus and the Cyclops/Odysseus and the Cattle >> of the Sun: The Trojan War is about a military strategy. I have never >seen >> a one-eyed cannibalistic giant in Nicaragua, but I have serious doubts the >> Greeks encountered any, either. For those who do not know the cattle >story, >> the Greeks, confronting starvation, cook a cow belonging to the sun god. >> They tried fishing, but as a little joke Zeus wouldn't let them catch >> anything. Infuriated by the sacrilege (eating a god's cow), Zeus drowns >> them all, save Odysseus. Great wrath of the gods stuff -- lots of insight >> into Greek theology. Why deny this to a child because he was born 3,000 >> years later on the other side of the Atlantic? >> >> 16) The Spirit of St. Louis: probably the best story about work >exhaustion >> ever, and a terrific geography lesson to boot. On his next trip, by the >> way, Lindy headed south, overflying Nicaragua due to the ongoing civil >> hostilities below. >> >> 17) Nicaragua is White: Meteorologist predicts snow; Somoza declares >> holiday and orders parade on the eventful day; winter clad soldiers and >> schoolchildren collapse while marching under Managuan sun. We performed >> this satire as a school play after a group in England donated winter >> clothing for our students -- just goes to show anything can be put to good >> use. >> >> 18) The Flying Frog: boastful frog claims he can fly, then persuades >ducks >> to carry him aloft -- things go quite well until ducks get cocky. The >claim >> is that this is an old Nicaraguan indigenous folktale, but this plot could >> come from anywhere. >> >> 19) Tailypo -- an African-American folktale, more of the ghost tale genre. >> Hermit eats tail from animal unknown, which later exacts vengeance. Half >> our students are of African descent, and all of them are Americans. >> >> >> As you can see, not one of these stories features a Deaf protagonist or >> villain. But, I don't see anything culturally insensitive in any of this. >> What would be really culturally insensitive and really "politically >> incorrect" would be to have these translations and adaptations prepared >> entirely by non-native signers. You would end up with a pidgin. >> >> -- James Shepard-Kegl >>

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