AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE: " ... GOING LIKE A STEAMROLLER"
by Stan Griffin

American Sign Language (ASL) is one of the most widely-used languages in this country. It has arguably become the most popular "foreign" language taught to hearing students at our high schools and universities. "It just keeps going like a steamroller," says Sherman Wilcox, chairman of the linguistics department at the University of New Mexico.

Through the past five years, ASL has increased by "leaps and bounds." There are a number of reasons for its resurgence:

(1) People have become more aware of ASL as they watch movies and television. More and more TV series plots are including deaf characters interacting with the regular cast or even a series regular dealing with hearing problems of his/her own. Seeing closed-captions on TV screens also directs the public’s attention to the fact that there are many deaf viewers.

(2) While watching speeches of various types, either in person or on television (political rallies, church services, etc.), people see a man or woman standing near the speaker rapidly moving their hands. They are translating speakers’ words for deaf observers.

(3) There has been a large increase in the number of deaf advocacy groups who actively fight for the rights of their constituents.

(4) A major public outcry occurred in 1988 at Gallaudet University (Washington, D.C.) when a woman who was not deaf was appointed as its president. Protest groups were successful in having a deaf leader hired instead.

(5) In 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act became law. This legislation required businesses and government agencies to accommodate the deaf, among others.

A survey conducted by Columbia University showed 35 states now recognize ASL as a language for public schools. As of 2004, 701 high schools offered sign language classes. That’s an increase of almost 400% since 1995 when the number was only 185.

There’s also a demand in higher education The Columbia survey indicated there are 100 four-year colleges which allow students to take an ASL course for credit to fulfill their foreign language requirement. It is very likely an even larger number of two-year institutions follow their lead.

Enrollment numbers in ASL classes meeting a foreign language requisite have gone from 1,420 in 1998 to over 60,000 today. This is more than four times the increase of any of the 15 most commonly taught languages in those colleges..

Besides enrolling in ASL courses for university credit, there are other motivating factors for students to learn this new language:

(1) Knowledge of sign language gives an individual a chance to better serve the deaf community

(2) It is a skill that could provide an edge in certain professions such as medicine, social work, counseling, emergency services, and others which involve contact with the general public.

(3) Since interest has grown so dramatically, there has been a great demand for ASL translators at conferences, political speeches, church services, trials, government agencies, and community activities, Agencies and organizations are aggressively looking for prospects. A knowledge of ASL might lead to a new career.

This subject is not without controversy. There are critics who maintain ASL is not really a foreign language because it’s used mainly in the U. S. and Canada. It also differs from sign languages in other countries.

In rebuttal, proponents state a language’s country of origin has little to do with its standing as a foreign language. As an example, they cite the fact some universities will accept American Indian languages to fulfill their foreign language requirement. Also, " ... (ASL’s) growing acceptance at schools around the country has diluted opposition ..."

"Qualified ASL teachers are certified by a national professional organization: the American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA). There are also state organizations affiliated with ASLTA."

Christie Thieman, ASL instructor at Mason (Ohio) High School, wants her students " ... to understand (it) is much more than just learning the signs for words ... You have to communicate through a range of gestures, facial expressions, and body language." It is a "visual language ... (with) its own grammatical rules and semantics ..."

There are about 250,000 to 500,000 ASL users in this country and Canada. " ... Besides deaf and hard of hearing of both countries, ASL is used by: (1) hearing children of deaf parents; (2) hearing ... relatives of the deaf; (3) hearing adults who are becoming deaf and learning ASL from other deaf individuals .... (In addition as described earlier) hearing, second–language students ... (are) learning ASL in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary classrooms ..."

SOURCES

"Sign Language Gains Popularity," Lisa Cornwell; The Associated Press, Hamilton (Ohio) Journal-News; November 13, 2005

American Sign Language Teachers Association Website: "ASL As A Language" NC ASLTA and NCAD Ad Hoc Committee

Website: www.vengefulstapler.com:: http://www.vengefulstapler.com/serious/asltl.html; "American Sign Language Is A Foreign Language," Jason Paroline

© Stan Griffin, 2005