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Whozawhatzit!?!
By Anton | March 27, 2009
Many people are aware that the sign language we use here in the Dominican Republic is very similar to ASL. The congregation of course is ALL ASL since we are officially an ASL congregation. The challenge though lies in using whatever gets the point across in the ministry.
A common problem that we face mostly with younger kids (4–18) is the lack of any understanding of questions. For the most part, they know that they are being asked a question and that I am expecting some sort of reply but… exactly what kind of question; that is up to their interpretation. The two questions we have the hardest time with are “who” and “what”. The school does not teach the difference between these two signs here and therefore they attempt to learn their meanings by watching other kids use them. Of course, this leads to a problem when the kids around them don’t know how to use them either.
It seems like such a simple concept, “who” and “what” and yet it seems to take months to master. Here we are giving Billy a crash course in their meaning (this is after I got sick of him pointing at the Bible and asking “who???”. We were able to get a basic understanding down by asking whether things have a heart beat or not. If they do, it is a “who” question, if not it is a “what” question. This is only a crude outline of their meanings but at least it is a first step in the right direction. I think the best part is when he still catches himself mid-sentence and corrects his “who” for a “what” or vice versa.
Topics: Billy, Deaf culture, From the Dominican Republic, From the Ministry | No Comments »
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