Deaf in the Hearing World Workshop: Jan DeLap Group: William Ennis, Barbara Kannapell, Don Pettingill JUN 24 1981

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Dick Moore/Stephen Jones (interpreter): Jealous looking people. And there goes the starter gun. The gates open. There's the horses going around the track, the people walking with their binoculars

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O, P - people, mouths are dropping open, R - the cigars are dropping out the their mouth, S - they're cheering, T - he crosses the finish line, he's looking at the people they're all looking at him he's worried now, that's X - he's not worried at all, that's Y - he's got the trophy. Slow down. [[laughs]] Slow down.

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It's hard for him to go slow because he gets confused. [[laughs]] [[laughter]] Want to see it again? Raise your hands if you want to see it again.

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See it again fast. Okay, I'll, what I'll do, wait, wait a minute, Dick, wait a minute, I'll explain. What I'll, what I'll do, as narrator, is I'll just explain. I'll just say, I'll just say the letters

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when, when they happen. Okay.

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You do that. That's an A, B... C... D... E... F... G... H... I that's imagining, J... K... L, there's the starting gun, M... N... O... P... Q... R... S... yay! T... cross the line, U... V... W, worried? no. X... nah, I got the trophy. Y... Z, I succeeded.

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[[applause]] oh stop, stop. [00:1:55]
Shirley Schultz: This is a deaf tent. Clapping is no good. He turns his back. Clap, clap, let's hear you clapping, he can't hear it. Can you hear them? No, so what do we do?

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Yeah. Wave! If you like it, wave! It helps the air circulate better too.

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Jan DeLap/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): I know one ABC story. That's fine, come on up.

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A knocking at the door, B door opens, C looking around, D hearing something, E a screeching sound,

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F eyes moving, G a queen? H someone lying there. Nope, sorry, time out. This is a family show. Can't. [distant laughter] Oh.

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We have other games called puns, plays on signs instead of words. Signs for "understand" is that the formal sign. Understand. Ahh! I understand! But, the play, with playing on words or playing on signs, the sign for understand is-- that's the sign for stand, under stand. Ha, ha, ha. Stand, and now it's under. Under Stand. Just playing on signs.

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Give another one. See this little finger? It's a tiny little finger, right? So the index finger you understand a lot, the little finger you understand a "little" bit... I understand a little bit. Do you understand clearly, it'd be the other way, that way

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Jan DeLap/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): Also, a little bit of a sound puns, along with sign puns. The sign for milk. For. Here's milk, pasteurized milk.

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Past your eyes, get it? P-A-S-T-Your eyes. Pasteurized milk. It's the sound of it, that's being played with.

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Oh, there's another one. Steve, Steve, you talked about mother in laws.

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[[background inaudible talk]]

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[[laughter]]

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[[laughs]] Are you sure about that? That means -- No.

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It means it up here, but not down there with her.

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[[silence]]

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Okay. Our deaf culture has what we call name signs.

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Jan DeLap/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): You all have names, given to you by your parents. We were given names when we were born, but we also have name signs.

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Mine is J for Jan, why? Because my first name is Jan. And I was given this name sign with the letter J. Everyone, every deaf person has their own individual sign.

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Usually they get it at school, the residential school, from other children. When they first get into school the kids would say, "Ahh, you're new, what's your name?" And they'd say "Steve" and they'd say "Steve, huh?"

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to another kid, "this kid's named Steve, we're gonna need a name sign for him." We don't want to spell his name all the time, every time. So it's easier to have a name sign. So, hmmm

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how about that? S, Steve. You can decide with the first letter of the name, or the first letter of the last name.

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For instance B, uh, that could be a sign name. Or B there, or a B there. Different places on the body.

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Do you have a name sign? Yeah. She has a name sign. Her name is Libby. What's your name sign? L. Where did you get it? Says from my parents, they gave me that sign.

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Her parents are deaf. And that's another place where you get name signs! From deaf parents. From schools, and also from counselors, or supervisors at the school, house parents, from people that you work with, deaf friends will give you name sign, um, let's see.

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Another reason. Sometimes we have name signs related with a family. Can you give one story of the history of a family? Said yes, I know one family, mother is deaf, this is her sign. Nona. She has three daughters, the oldest one is Karen, same sign, K with a K, second one is Janet, and the third baby sister is Doris, same position with a D.

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She, the first daughter had four children. Eric is the first, Judy the same position with a J, Chad, same position with a C, and Keith same position with a K.

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The second daughter Janet had one daughter, signed R like that. The third had three children. Juun... Joanne... Joan, Jessica JC like that on the same position and Jimmer with a JR on the same position.

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So each of them were uh, the positions were classified by families, with the change in the initials. And Dick?

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[silence]
Jan DeLap/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): We were talking about name signs in families. You have a name sign? Where'd you get it?

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Uh, from my father. Who's deaf? Yes. Your grandmother and grandfather deaf also? Yes. So you're third generation. Do you have a fourth generation? Yes. [laughing tone] FOUR generations of deaf in his family.

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[responding to inaudible question] I don't know where it is but uh, he has a deaf daughter. Okay. [00:10:54:00] Your grandmother had a sign way back, right? That was her sign. You know, why was it that? Because she had a scar right there. Ahahhhh.

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Some signs are related with the person because of some aspect of their character. Maybe they have long hair, for example, and that would be the sign. Barbara, for example. Because she has long hair.

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Ahhh, anyone you have a name sign that you want to share with us? What is it and where did you get it? Come up, come up, come here. She has a name sign for her husband. Fat, because he has fat cheeks. What's your husband's name? Winston. Do you have a name sign, what's your name sign?

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R. Like that. Why? [[laughter]] Why? [[more laughter]] Oh because he eats too much. He's got a gut. Another name sign you want to share?

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Michelle? Because she's cute. [laughter] And that's a sign for that

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Jan DeLap/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): Penny? Oh, and she signs, as the word, which is the sign for penny, that is one cent. One cent. And her name is Penny. Other name signs?

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Gentleman over there's name sign is A his last name starts with an A, Altiser. Altheiser. And her sign is also A. Aha, good, that's a good example, same position. Stand up.

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Now, let me show you something. She has the name sign A on the cheek, and this gentleman has the same sign. In the same school, they don't have the same name signs for each person, because of the confusion.

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So often when they're finished with school and meet other deaf people from other communities find that they have the same name sign so they must change it so maybe they would add AK

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two name letters - two letter names. He said "So where'd you get that name sign?" Oh he made it up himself? She made it up herself, your mother gave it to you?

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Okay he, the man, [[inaudible question from audience]] I don't know. Oh we also have name signs for presidents of the United States.

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We should start with uh way back, uh, Washington, our first president. It's Washington with a W, this is a W, letter for W Washington. We have the name sign for Lincoln, L, Lincoln. We have a name sign for Nixon, like that, which is also the sign for-- I don't know, should we explain that?

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Audience member: Please.
Jan DeLap/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): Well, ah, maybe I'll show you example of a, a name sign that is similar to a real sign. In this case, N, Nixon, the real sign is lie. Lie.

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And we take it with an N instead of the regular handshape. Nixon.

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Oh yes, and also, Simon was saying that before Watergate his name sign was Nixon, because of the nose. After Watergate he became Nixon--

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And the next president Ford we didn't have any, there's no name sign, really. The next one, president, guess who that is. Carter.

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What is that the sign for? Why? Peanuts! That's, he's a peanut farmer, and the sign for peanut is that. Like that. And then we just take it with the C.

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Yeah, we have different signs for that, nut. Let's see, what else. President today?

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Reagan. Reagan, just do that. That's also the sign for Republican. So, Reagan. Some say uh, Reagan, from his movie days.

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Oh yeah, some people say movies, that's movies, so R, Reagan, movie star, once a movie star. That's it.

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Yeah Reagan with the guns. Many deaf invent their signs within their different groups or different towns, so there might be differences among signs, I'm glad you can share all of them.

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Jan DeLap/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): The lady wants to know what's the sign for Roosevelt? Roosevelt.

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He says I think it was that with an R because he wore a pince-nez, the one, I forget what to call it, piece of glass over his nose, one eye, glass for one eye.

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See what else, um.

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Okay we have jokes that, uh, are special to the deaf world. They make, we, they are making fun of ourselves, really, but if you laugh, whatever, whether you can hear or not, I think it still sounds the same. I want you to enjoy this.

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This joke is a classical joke. It's called The Honeymooners. They're just married and now they're going to their motel. How about you two, the honeymooners.

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[background noise]

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I don't think it needs interpreting, do you? You think it does? Oh. Are you gonna do it? Oh, okay. I thought it was very clear. Yeah, you're right. [chuckle]

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Jan DeLap/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): [man yells] He's outside the motel wondering, yeah he can't get in cause the door's locked. Yells, all the lights come on except for one. [[applause]] He knows his room.

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How did he know which room it was? Only one room is not lighted, yes. So he know's it's his wife because she's deaf so he runs to the right room.

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[[SILENCE]]

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OK. Yeah.

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Stephen Jones: We'll stop soon here. Ask any, if there's any general questions you have, anything you're curious about our language, our plays, skits and so forth, happy to answer any of your questions.

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Hearing people, raise your hands, we have interpreters here so you can ask questions. Alright.

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Shirley, want to come up? [pause] You thirsty? [pause]

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Shirley Schultz: Talking is thirsty work. Talking is thirsty work. [laughter] Yeah! Hope that was--

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Shirley Schultz: Okay first, ah, you can all help, uh, thank them for their acting for you today. Thank you.

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Do you have any questions you want to ask them about their performances, their jokes and various things, sign language? If you have questions please raise your hand. No?

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Oh here's one. What's your name? Do you give a sign for each name, oh giving signs for each names?

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Why women have a, oh women get their signs by their first names, the reason is because when they get married they won't have to change their name sign.

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They have, they will change their last name but they will continue with their name sign. Any other questions?

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Young audience participant: Why do women change their name now. Why do they change when their name, why don't they just change their initial?

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Shirley Schultz: Changing the name sign you mean? Why can't they change their name--

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[[silence]] Well, deaf people uh, have a habit of, uh, if you have a name sign, you don't want to go around telling your friends, changing it, my name is you know, it's like changing your phone number, you hate to do it, and contact all your friends that your name sign has changed or your number is changed.

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Regularly when you move to a different town, and people there uh accept the new, well they will accept the new name sign, but your old town just have habit and will forget and are use to your old sign.

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Jan DeLap/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): For this performance, I'm using a mixture of both. I can sign as I'm deaf in ASL but I'm also trying to use English order to make it easier for the interpreter, and for you hearing people to understand.

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But, if we use ASL, I mean straight, pure ASL, the interpreter would slow down a little bit and have to watch the concepts and then translate or interpret into English, it's a much more difficult job.

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That's why I got, brought water, dirty water. [[laughter]]

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Okay, any other, I missed what you said. Any more questions before we close? There's one question over here.

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male audience member: What's the alphabet? The ABC's?
Jan DeLap: Go ahead, go ahead.

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male audience member: Were the ABC signs developed to help kids learn how to speak the language?

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Jan DeLap/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): No.
male audience member: How did they develop it?

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Dick Moore/Shirley Schultz (interpreter): Well I'd like to give my comment on that. I've seen many deaf people enjoy seeing ABC stories and also number stories and some deaf people like to develop their own ideas of, uh, amusing everyone.

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That's, uh, it's like a word play. Uh, why don't you give your own show?

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He says I can give you my ABC stories and hand number stories. Like uh, it's hard for my interpreter to interpret but, the show, but uh, like an A to Z story.

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Here's A knocking on the door the door opens, C looking D E F, G H, I J K, L M N, O P, Q R S, T U V, W X Y Z.

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And, go out. Uh, another one the story is on numbers.

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One to fifteen. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.

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OK? Now, I'll tell a story about cowboy and Indians. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 [[laughter]] [[applause]] That's enough for now.

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Shirley Schultz: We'll have another program at the other tent, and if you'd like to see our models of different alarm clocks that help deaf people get up every morning, please go to the other tent.

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And we will have an American Sign Language course given at five o'clock, five pm today, if you want to learn something about American Sign Language itself, please come at five o'clock.

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And now, we have another program taking place in this tent. We call it, the program, Being Deaf in a Hearing World. Come to meet here at two o'clock for that. Thank you. [[applause]]

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[[cut in tape]]

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Jo Radner: I'd like to welcome you all to the 15th Annual Festival of American Folklife.

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Today you're in the deaf Americans area and we're about to have a storytelling workshop. We have participants here who are going to discuss with you the subject of Being Deaf in a Hearing World.

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They're going to share some of their experiences and their favorite stories with you, and then after they've done that I'm going to ask you all if you'd like to have questions for them, or if you, yourself if you're deaf, if you have experiences or stories that you'd like to share with the rest of us.

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We have two interpreters here. If you're hearing and you haven't asked a question through an interpreter before, let me suggest that you simply ask the question directly to the participant, the interpreter will act as a translator. You don't ask the questions to the interpreters during the session. Okay?

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I'd like our participants today to introduce themselves, to tell you their names, where they come from, what their jobs are when they're not sitting here on the stage. And then we'll go on and we'll talk a little bit about Deafness in a Hearing World.

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Jo Radner: Bill, would you like to begin?

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William Ennis/John Ennis (interpreter): Am I supposed to sit or stand?

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Jan DeLap: That's fine to stand up.

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William Ennis: Ok, my, Bill. Ennis. See, what were the next question you asked? I live in, uh, Greenbelt, Maryland.

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I work right, not far from here, about two blocks, I work for the USDA. It's a food nutrition service, FNS, as a programmer. I guess that's about it.

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Jo Radner: Fine, thank you. Barbara, will you introduce yourself?

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Barbara Kannapell/John Ennis (interpreter): My name is Barbara Kannapell. From Washington DC. I work at Gallaudet College as a linguist specialist with people who are developing materials.

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Jo Radner: Thank you.
Don Pettingill : I'm Don Pettingill I'm director of the demonstration program at Gallaudet College.

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By the way can you people hear me alright? Can you understand me alright? Is the mic working? [[taps mic]]

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Jo Radner: Yes.
Don Pettingill : I will check that out because the first time I ever talked into a mic I talked for fifteen minutes before I found out it wasn't even working. [[laughter]]

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And I get excited when I'm speaking and the last time I used one of these I almost hung myself. So you're in for some excitement this afternoon. [[laughter]]

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Jo Radner: [[laughs]] Don has just given us a very fine example of the first topic that we decided we would talk about today. Sometimes titled The Hazards of Deafness.

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All of these people have shared with us in the past stories of their own experiences and other people's experiences, about the kinds of pickles you can get into when you can't hear and everybody assumes that you can.

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I wondered if I could ask them perhaps if they can remember some of those experiences to share them with you now.

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Bill I remember you had told us you had some problems sometimes cause you work in a tourist area. Do you want to talk about that?

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William Ennis/John Ennis (interpreter): Yes. Especially right over here. The USDA building is right there on the corner of 15th and no, let's see 14th and Independence Avenue. And you know a lot of tourists come in to visit Washington DC.

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William Ennis/John Ennis: And that corner where I would sometimes stand to wait for the traffic light to cross, to go across, there would be a lot of people coming by on the way down to the money, engraving.

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And of course, the people would want to know how to get down there. And they'd see me standing there on the corner and they'd come walking up, and say "Hey, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah" [[laughter]]

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Oh, oh, yeah. "Right down that way, yes. Huh, huh. Just go right straight down there, you'll be fine." Well, one day, some people were, they seem to always ask the same question. It always felt like I knew which way they wanted to go down to the Engraving Department and somebody said something and I said "right down that way".

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And they looked at me [[laughter]] and gave me a really funny look. "What's that?" And I said "Uh, oh, wait a minute, let's see. No, no, don't go that way, go this way then."

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[[laughter]] And then I ran across the street. [[laughter]] That's sometimes is the problems that you have to deal with.

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Jo Radner: [[laughs]] Barbara, have you ever had experiences like that? Or do you have friends with experiences you can think of?

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Barbara Kannapell/John Ennis (interpreter): Well, let's see. I don't consider that as a hazard of deafness. But maybe some funny experiences I've had with hearing people that didn't know I was deaf and we'd meet they'd start speaking,

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and I'd have trouble understanding what they were saying and then they'd start pointing to the watch and then I'd show them the watch and they'd go on by.

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They really didn't know I was deaf. Same thing with smoking. They'd come up and maybe looking for a match. And I'd say "Oh, you need a match?"

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And I'd find one and give them a match, they'd get a light and probably never realize I was actually deaf. Connected with hearing people, I have some, like some hazards of deafness, but maybe I'll hold that for later.

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Jo Radner: Fine, sure. Don, how 'bout you? Do you have any favorite hazards?

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Don Pettingill : I've had the plumbing business for 16 years, and of course I had to join some of the local civic clubs.

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Like the JC. And every year they had this stag party. One year, I had Las Vegas Night, everybody is around.

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Well, I knew my limits. I never understand anything, so when a friend of mine said, "Come on down and get in this game? We've got one vacancy."

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I said "No, no, I'm afraid I would slow things up.

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I wouldn't understand." "No, we would make sure you understand. We will interpret for you".

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OK, against my better judgment, I planked down my 5 dollars.

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I could understand somebody say "Draw" or "Stud with a deuce wild".

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Finally, my dentist, I never did understand him anyway, always mumbling. Finally I got him down, and I thought, oh I could figure out what the game is, so, I said "OK" and, ah,

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Don Pettingill : He said, um, "Draw". So, I got a beautiful hand - three Aces.

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So, I threw away two and I asked him "Is anything wild?" And they looked at me as if I didn't have good sense.

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"No". Oh. So I bet my money. And, then we made another round. And I just kept betting. And I got two 10's - I had a Full House.

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So, I ran out of money, I bet it all. And I said "I'm out of money. I'll have to call you".

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So, we threw down our cards - and I had a Full House - I had him beat. Oh, these cards were low. And I started raking in the money, and he grabbed my hand. I understood then, he said "This is low ball". [[laughter]]

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Jo Radner: [[laughs]] That's a very expensive hazard. That's a very expensive hazard, I must say. [[laughs]] Sometimes--
Don Pettingill : The dealer made us split the pot, and the dentist never spoke to me again. [[laughter]]

00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:55.000
Jo Radner: Sometimes it's safer that way, with the dentist. [[laughs]]

00:36:55.000 --> 00:37:05.000
Bill was telling us awhile ago, he's a deaf brother in a family that has both hearing and deaf members.

00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:19.000
He was telling us, and showing us, a kind of an act that he often does at family gatherings and at other types of gatherings, that tends to act as an ice breaker, because both hearing and deaf people enjoy it.

00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:25.000
And I wondered if he might feel like showing it to you today, in this kind of a context.

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William Ennis/John Ennis (interpreter): You talking about the golf ball?
Jo Radner: The golf ball.
William Ennis/John Ennis (interpreter): Okay. I think maybes I can do it.
Jo Radner: You want to

00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:37.000
Jo Radner: Do you want to explain it first, or just begin with it?

00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:54.000
William Ennis/John Ennis (interpreter): That might be a good idea. Maybe, John'll interpret. The man who's interpreting there is my little brother. [[Sound of three claps]] And um--let's see, I have to--what am I going to do?

00:37:54.000 --> 00:37:11.000
Alright, well I'll be a -- what we call personification, or a personified, golf ball. And I'll act as the golf ball myself. And I'll try my best here on the spur of the moment.

00:37:11.000 --> 00:38:26.000
We start at the factory. This is the assembly line. [[pause]]

00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:58.000
W - I - L - S - O - N, 8. Being packed in a box. [[pause]] Shipped out in a carton. [[pause]]

00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:18.000
[[laughter]] Being delivered to a sports gooding store. [[pause]] Being put up for sale.

00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:35.000
Wilson number eight. [[pause]] La golfer. [[pause]]

00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:52.000
[SILENCE]

00:39:52.000 --> 00:39:56.150
Let's see, the par's about three, par f--

00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:14.000
William Ennis/John Ennis (interpreter): Hole 1 - three hundred yards - a three par. [[pause]]

00:40:14.000 --> 00:40:46.000
[[laughter]]
[SILENCE]

00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:54.000
Water off to the side. Coming down on the fairway.

00:40:54.000 --> 00:41:40.000
In the grass. [[pause]] [[laughter]] Out of the rough [[pause]]

00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:47.000
Onto the green. [[pause]]

00:41:47.000 --> 00:42:21.050
There's the hole with the pin. [[long pause]] And the putt. [[laughter]]

00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:33.000
[[laughter]] [[applause]]

00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:49.000
William Ennis/John Ennis (interpreter): Little bug. [[pause]]

00:42:49.000 --> 00:42:58.000
[[laughter]] [[general applause]] Thank you.

00:42:58.000 --> 00:43:06.000
Jo Radner: Bill, do you always do that the same way, or do you change it for different audiences?

00:43:06.000 --> 00:43:15.000
William Ennis/John Ennis (interpreter): Oh it's not possible to keep it the same. It really depends, kinda what's coming out.
Jo Radner: Hmm, hmm.

00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:18.000
William Ennis/John Ennis (interpreter): It's not possible to keep it the same, no.[[laughs]]

00:43:18.000 --> 00:43:30.000
Jo Radner: Well, that's probably true. Well that's a very good way--yeah, go ahead.
William Ennis/John Ennis (interpreter): I might try tomorrow um--if I do it tomorrow it may even be different.

00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:48.000
Jo Radner: Sometimes hearing people ask deaf people rather strange questions about their deafness. And this is, this turns into a kind of series of jokes that are very much enjoyed at the same time that they're a little bit deplored in the deaf community.

00:43:48.000 --> 00:44:05.000
I wondered if any of you would like to share some of those stories about things hearing people imagine about deafness because they don't have a lot of contact with deaf people. Barbara--

00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:28.490
Barbara Kannapell/John Ennis (interpreter): One evening I went to a meeting with all hearing people. I had an interpreter and after the hearing -- after the meeting they came up and started talking to me and I was talking with the hearing people through the interpreter. One person asked me, 'Can you read braille?'

00:44:31.000 --> 00:44:45.000
Barbara Kannapell/John Ennis (interpreter): And I thought that he was teasing me. And I laughed. I thought that's kinda funny. 'No, I don't read braille!' And he was very serious, he had a very serious face.

00:44:45.000 --> 00:44:59.000
And I thought, well, maybe he's confused between blindness and deafness. I said, 'Blind people do read braille but deafness, deaf people don't. So that was one of the questions.'

00:44:59.000 --> 00:45:05.000
Jo Radner: Don, you have a favorite story about that, don't you?

00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:14.000
Don Pettingill/John Ennis (interpreter): Which one, the driving? I can't tell them that one!
Jo Radner: Okay, tell the driving one.[[laughs]]

00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:21.000
Don Pettingill : One thing that never fails to amaze me [[sneezes]]

00:45:21.000 --> 00:45:40.000
when I will drive up to a place and get out of my car and go in to a place, an appointment and so forth, and somebody will always ask me, 'Can you drive?' [[laughter]]

00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:54.000
'Yeah, how do you think I got here?' [[laughter]] And I try to explain, 'Well, you see it doesn't require ears to drive.

00:45:54.000 --> 00:46:23.000
In fact, when you're driving down the highway in a storm, a rainstorm, with the kids in the back seat fighting, the radio on. How much do you depend on your ears?' [00:46:1] I thought that was very clever, until one guy asked me once, 'Yeah but it doesn't rain twenty-four hours a day!' [[laughs]]

00:46:23.000 --> 00:46:32.200
Jo Radner: [[laughs]] That's nice. I'd like to stop at this point and ask if anyone in our audience would like either to ask a question or to share an experience?

00:46:41.000 --> 00:46:57.000
[[inaudible audience question]]
Jo Radner: The question for those of you who couldn't hear her, is: is sign language international, or is, can a foreigner speaking or signing a different sign language understand an American?

00:46:57.000 --> 00:47:02.000
Would one of you like to answer that? How about the linguistics specialist? [[laughs]]

00:47:02.000 --> 00:47:15.000
Barbara Kannapell/John Ennis (interpreter): You both can add to anything that I have to say here. Many hearing people ask me the same question.

00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:25.000
I'm always happy to answer this question because many people believe that sign language is universal, that it's gestures, and that the world all over should understand each other. But that's not true.

00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:39.000
For example, the spoken language all over the world in different countries is different. You've got Spanish, French, and so forth. And that's true with sign language. Each country has their own sign language.

00:47:39.000 --> 00:48:02.000
I've found myself more comfortable in signing with deaf people who are from France than with deaf people who are from England, which is strange, because I grew up in America and I know English, and deaf people in England, they know English.

00:48:02.000 --> 00:48:10.000
The deaf in France, they only know really French, but we can communicate far easier through our signs, you know why?

00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:38.064
Because the first deaf teacher was from France, and he came to America and brought the sign language here, and that really influenced the sign language that we have. Really deaf people have their own sign language in America before the man came but seemed like the sign language here and the French have now merged.