Mouthing Words

sc24evr

sc24evr

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Question to the Deaf/HoH community. How often do you find people mouthing the words as they sign them? Is it common or appropriate? As a hearing person I am trying to avoid SEE like the plague but I notice myself sometimes mouthing some of the words I am signing, is this inappropriate? Thank you!
 
As for mouthing "signs" is it the expectations that one can speechread?
 
drphil said:
As for mouthing "signs" is it the expectations that one can speechread?
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No, I have just told her what she is looking at. Perhaps I should have made a more complete English sentence.
 
I just keep catching myself try to mouth the english sentences while signing ASL. Sometimes its whole sentences, sometimes just a few words. Like if a sign has multiple meanings sometimes I am mouthing the specific word I want to use. Thank you
 
In the Deaf community, we used silent mouth movements while we signed. There were few Deaf signers who did not use mouth movement. It was and still is common in the Deaf communities. :)
 
I do both...mouth and at times, silent...met many pure ASL'ers who mouth their words too....(and some hollar....even slam their foot :giggle:).... just haven't met a deafie who does somersaults...:giggle:...lots of deafies are so expressive....and noisy too...
 
Overall, mouth movement (no sound) is more desirable than not. It is just one more feature for more complete communicative expression.
 
sc24evr said:
Question to the Deaf/HoH community. How often do you find people mouthing the words as they sign them? Is it common or appropriate? As a hearing person I am trying to avoid SEE like the plague but I notice myself sometimes mouthing some of the words I am signing, is this inappropriate? Thank you!
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You'll find a wide variety of signing styles and techniques in the Deaf community. Some people use their mouths hardly at all (including a minimal use of adverbials or mouth morphemes), others will mouth specific words for clarity, and others will mouth (and even vocalize) entire sentences, even when talking with other Deaf people (I used to think they were doing it only for my benefit as a hearing person, but observation indicated that this was not the case).

I have no idea what is considered "proper" or "appropriate" -- or if that's even a consideration -- but my rule of thumb is that it doesn't really matter as long as you effectively communicate your message to the other party.
 
I see nothing with mouthing words while signing . I have notice this being done on TV during news brief about storms and they have an ASL interpreter . There could be people that do not know how to sign but they can read lips . The public will also be right in the city hall or wherever the news brief in taking place. And there could be some HOH or deaf people listening to the update.
 
We've been taught about non-manual signs, some of which are similar to mouthing but only for certain words.
 
I usually try to incorporate several non-manual signs when I am signing but sometimes I also incorporate the actual word into my mouthing. As long as it isn't completely frowned upon by the community, I won't be too worried about it. Thanks
 
I sometimes mouth to stress words, seems to be automatic when I emphasize, like if I sign 'amazing' I mouth how I would say it, like a MAAAAAAAAAAAZ ing. Honestly though I think it depends what I'm signing and to who, it sort of goes on and off.
 
The opposite extreme is what my instructors referred to as "funeral lips", a rather morbid reference to how morticians will sew a cadaver's lips together to prevent the mouth from grotesquely hanging open during a viewing. You'll often see novice signers concentrating so hard that they press their lips together tightly while signing.
 
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