asl songs

britmarie11

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Most of the videos of signed songs I've seen seem to be signed english and not ASL. It that just how songs are normally signed? If not, then why is that?
 
Most of the videos of signed songs I've seen seem to be signed english and not ASL. It that just how songs are normally signed? If not, then why is that?

Times are changing. More and more songs are being signed in ASL than ever before. Check out this one: (I'm a Rosa Lee fan! see some of her other vids)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPGoH6iyJX4]ASL Music Video: Ironic by Alanis Morissette - YouTube[/ame]
 
Just a question of opinion I have for the Deaf members of AD.

At the school where I teach, we have 3 ASL teachers. Two Deaf, one hearing. The hearing one, who teaches level 1 often signs songs with her students. They may not come out truly in ASL, but at least PSE-ASL hybrid. (As ASL as possible while still getting some key signs/phrases to line up with the lyrics so kids can make connections with signs & what they hear.)

Another of the teachers, Deaf, thinks this is just awful because it isn't teaching the kids anything about Deaf culture.

Now, as a Spanish teacher, I show American movies (Disney and such) in Spanish...to connect the kids' culture and interests to the language I'm teaching. Some teachers feel this is wrong to be "unauthentic" with culture too.

How do you feel about using songs in an ASL class? On one hand it teaches language in a way that interests kids, on the other it is TOTALLY un-Deaf to use music.
 
Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

I personally don't like signed ASL songs. Mainly because the lyrics often don't translate (half the time they don't even make sense in English!)

I think it would be significantly better and more appropriate to translate English poetry into ASL - focusing on creating parallel imagery.

Also, I think as a learning tool having students create short ABC or 123 stories would be a much better and culturally accurate model.
 
Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

I personally don't like signed ASL songs. Mainly because the lyrics often don't translate (half the time they don't even make sense in English!)

I think it would be significantly better and more appropriate to translate English poetry into ASL - focusing on creating parallel imagery.

Also, I think as a learning tool having students create short ABC or 123 stories would be a much better and culturally accurate model.

Most signed songs help me memorize new vocabulary, even when the translation isn't that great. For example, I learned the sign for flesh/meat when an interpreter used that sign to interpret "Jesus took on flesh." It was wrong, but it was so wrong it helped stamp it permanently on my brain.

Then, when I look at songs interpreted by Rosa Lee or Russell Harvard, or some other native ASL signer, it helps me grasp something new about the grammar or the concepts.
 
I don't find music videos helpful (yet, perhaps?) because ASL grammar is different. I can hear lyrics and think about how I would sign it; but because, as Anij says, song lyrics are often written in 'abstract' English, it's not really easy to follow.

I think an exception (again, for me) is country songs that tell a story, stuff like El Paso or Big Iron, as they generally use proper English sentence structure.
 
Most signed songs help me memorize new vocabulary, even when the translation isn't that great.
This is how I feel. Songs were part of what got me interested in learning ASL. If I had just dived straight into a "voices off" environment without music I don't think I would have learned enough vocab to get a sense that I even liked the language.
 
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