http://abcfamily.go.com/watch/switched-at-birth/SH55120583/VD55131806/portrait-of-my-father
Back by popular demand! Since you all seemed very interested in this topic and tv program, I have decided to continue with it again this week. Please watch the third episode of Switched at Birth and answer the following questions. We will continue to ponder over last week's questions and venture out a bit as well. I will ask you to think about our lecture this week as you watch this episode. Happy Watching!
1. From our lecture this week on American Sign Language discuss the three areas of Intercultural Communication (promemics, paralinguistic, and kinesics). Provide examples from each. Be sure you discuss both English and ASL.
2. How are facial expressions different between the hearing and Deaf world? Give examples you see in episode or past episodes.
3. Speech and Sign rate was discussed in class. Provide examples when the actors engage in code of switch. Is it evident and how? We know that Daphene is confirming to allow successful communication. But really, how successful is it? What does she do? What about Emmett? What about Emmett's mother?
4. What signs of oppression continue to be evident?
5. People say ASL is so beautiful, but really that can be degrading to the language. Why? Can you think of an example in this episode or past episodes that showed ASL in a different light?
6. How do you think the hearing audience sees Emmett and Daphine? Which do you think they would think is more successful? Why? What about the Deaf audience? Support your responses.
7. ASL is not a passive langauge. Find examples of this in the episode.
8. What are some culture differences between the hearing and Deaf world thare you have seen? You may use past episodes. How have these differences been protrayed?
9. Discuss a topic of your choice here. Be sure to create a discussion question that we can ponder in class.
10. Take something from our required text and apply it to what you have seen/ learned in this week's episode.
1. Proxemics is the study of space. An example of proxemics could be that Deaf people talk at further distances than hearing people do. As for paralinguistic, the word means how you say something defines its meaning. An example could be how fast a Deaf person signs versus how slow a hearing person speaks. Kinesis is how the body communicates. While Deaf people tend to use more body movements, facial expressions, and gestures while communicating, hearing people use subtle movement and facial expressions.
ReplyDelete2. I have noticed that when Daphne and Emmett talk to each other, they use more expressions with their eyebrows, indicating how they feel about that certain topic, such as when Emmett was dreaming about his ideal girl. But when hearing people and Deaf people talk to each other, it is evident that facial expression is kept to a minimum, such as when Daphne and Liam speak to each other.
3. When Deaf people speak to hearing people, such as when Daphne speaks to her biological parents, she eases up on the sign and uses more of her voice. On the other hand, when she is speaking to Emmett, it is full on sig n language that has a quicker speed. This can be called the code of switch. For her and Emmett, her mother, and her basketball coach, successful communication is apparent. But when she is speaking with hearing people, not all of the messages that they send or that she sends get noticed.
4. When Bay says that “he might not feel the same way about me” when arguing with Daphne over who her biological father is left Daphne very upset was a sign of oppression. The fact that Liam and Daphne could only speak to each other through another person is also a sign of oppression.
5. In first episode Daphne is explaining something and uses loud sounds and graphic signs. This episode showed ASL in a different light because sometimes the way Deaf people have to portray something is by using graphic signs.
6. I think the hearing audience sees Emmett and Daphne as being best friends who can understand each other very well. They probably see Daphne as more successful because she can communicate with hearing people while Emmett cannot. The Deaf audience, I’m sure, believes Emmett is more successful because he knows who he is and knows that he doesn’t have to conform.
7. When Emmett and Daphne talk, or when Regina and Emmett’s mom talk, they all are paying attention and looking at each other the entire conversation. The tables turn when Bay and her brother talk or when Bay’s parents talk because they don’t have to be looking at each other when they are in a conversation.
8. One culture difference includes the push or need to win. When Daphne’s biological father sees Daphne playing, he automatically wants to coach her and push her to win games. On the other hand, Emmett’s mom the basketball coach, tell him to take it easy and isn’t big on having to win games.
9. In an earlier episode, the parents get into a fight about Emmett and his motorcycle. They assume it is dangerous for him to ride it because he is deaf and cannot hear his surroundings. Do they have a point, or is it more a lesson on equality?
10. In her book, Anna Mindess suggests to “carry a map, tread lightly, and be ready for surprises” when discussing how to cross among cultures. This concept is seen almost perfectly in Daphne and Liam’s relationship. He treaded too lightly when he failed to stand up for Daphne in front of his friends. He is often surprised by her ways of thinking and sarcasm.
Jenny, good question in number 9. First of all, I think all parents of a teenager who has a friend with a motorcycle are going to be a little skeptical but I think Bay's parents in particular were being extremely naive and displaying opression. Emmett is probably a better motorcycle driver than any hearing person simply because of the fact that he can not hear, so he isn't distracted. After all, motorcycles are so loud that what kind of hearing driver can hear anything but the bike itself anyway?
Delete1. Proxemics: the study of personal space. An example from Switched at Birth (SAB) for ASL is when Daphne and Emmett are signing to each other but they are on opposite sides of the table (need more space). And for English, John and Katherine always stand very close to each other and sometimes even hold each other while talking.
ReplyDeleteParalinguistic: the way something is said as opposed to what is said or more often what is not said. For ASL in SAB, Daphne definitely signs differently/slower with her mom than Emmett. For English, Bay talks very fast in general but I noticed she tends to slow down a bit when talking to Daphne. Also another example is how Katherine puts emphasis on certain words to get her point across.
Kinesics: study of body language, eye contact, facial expression, etc. An example for ASL from SAB is how Daphne, Emmett, and Melanie use their whole body and face when explaining something. For English, Bay and John don’t use the most facial expression when talking, maybe sometimes they move their eyebrows or make a confused face.
2. Facial expressions are under kinesics. For hearing in SAB, as I mentioned for questions 1, Bay, John, and Toby do not really use facial expressions. Usually they emphasize what they are saying through their tone, not their face. For Deaf in SAB, Daphne, Emmett, and Melanie really make use of facial expressions especially when talking to each other- Daphne and Emmett use more facial grammar as well (eyebrows, etc).
3. Daphne hardly uses sign with John, Katherine, Bay, and Toby. She usually talks and then tries her best to read their lips. It is not very successful at this point. If they are really trying to get to know her they should learn ASL. Daphne signs at a more natural pace with Emmett and even Regina. Katherine also talks slower with Daphne than Bay. When Melanie talks to John the first time, she has an interpreter by her. The second time, I am assuming she just read his lips and tried to catch everything he said. Emmett still has not spoken in the show and seems to only talk to other Deaf people.
4. The biggest one in the third episode was when Bay insinuated that her biological father left Daphne because she is Deaf. You could definitely see in Daphne’s face that she was hurt. Also I kind of think John yelling at basketball practice in oppression. He doesn’t seem to get that everyone on the team is deaf and it will not help by yelling orders. It is just another example of how he doesn’t know how to communicate effectively with everyone.
5. I think some people only see ASL as a movement of the hands and not a language or a way to communicate. So when ASL is used to describe things (graphic or not) some people do not expect to see that idea signed/explained so vividly. As an example, Emmett signed “passionate love-making” in this episode and in the first episode Daphne described a meat factory.
Delete6. I think the hearing audience sees Daphne as more successful because she speaks, has hearing aids, and could “fit-in” to the hearing world. Daphne doesn’t only sign and sometimes doesn’t even tell people she is Deaf and she just tries to understand everything they are saying. But I think the Deaf audience sees Emmett as the more successful one because he is very involved with the Deaf community and seems to be more accepting of his identity.
7. ASL is an active language because the signer and receiver have to be active in the conversation. Emmett is really good at giving feedback when him and Daphne are having a conversation. He nods and comments on what she is saying.
8. I think one example is how Regina and Katherine/John view how successful a Deaf person can be. Regina tells Daphne she can do whatever she wants and accomplish any job but Katherine and John only think Daphne can go so far in the hearing world and needs more devices (cochlear implant) to be more successful.
9. The show keeps bringing up Deaf and hearing relationships. Do you think relationships can work when 2 people are from different cultures? Do you think relationships will most likely fail because one person will never truly understand the other person’s perspective?
10. The author uses a quote from Jamake Highwater’s The Primal Mind on page 17 of Reading Between the Signs. My favorite line from the quote is “…not one history, but many different and valid ways of looking at events.” I think this quote can relate to how Regina and Katherine and John see Daphne. Regina sees her as an independent young woman and Katherine and John (in the beginning) saw her as a Deaf girl. For awhile, they put a label on her but I think Regina and Daphne are helping them see Deaf people and others in a new light.
Your question about relationships working within two different cultures is very crucial to today's society. I think it is becoming more and more common to see relationships emerge from two different cultures. I think it is definitely possible for these relationships to work, they may just take more effort than those when two people come from similar cultures. A relationship between a hearing and Deaf individual must take patience and understanding, but it can definitely work. If two people are meant to be together, they will cross any barrier to be there; both parties but accommodate to one another to make it successful.
DeleteDerek,
ReplyDeleteThe scene with Bay’s dad shouting at Daphne’s basketball game was kind of ridiculous. I also agree with how you picked up on when Bay said “the hearing girl is trying to work in here” and how that seemed rude. She is a bold character but I don’t think that necessarily had to be added. Your thoughts on the success of Emmett or Daphne seem true. The hearing audience sees success differently than the Deaf audience, which holds to be evident every time people cross cultures. Hearing people seem to think that if you can speak with them that you are successful, whereas Deaf people see self-acceptance and a resistance to conformity a strength and a success. What my question is what does Daphne really want? She seems to be more comfortable with being at a State school, especially before meeting her real family, but still wants to be able to communicate with them and make them happy.
Lynsey,
I agree with your thoughts on Daphne’s success on communicating effectively. If they could only see that she is going through an identity crisis in which she is having trouble realizing which culture she identifies with. She is trying to please her new family but maybe they should be trying too. It most definitely wouldn’t hurt if they learned some basic signs. It would also show that her new family is proactive and is willing to do anything for her. She deserves it, anyways. Also, the signs of oppression that you mentioned I also mentioned. Bay’s dad shouting at Daphne’s basketball game made me feel uncomfortable in the way that he was so oblivious that everyone there was deaf. It made him seem foolish.
1. Proxemics is using personal space. In English, proxemics are often estimated by the situation or how well you know the person. For example, if you just met someone, you probably wouldn’t be communicating with them by standing uncomfortably close or touching them. But if you have a personal relationship with the individual, you may use these communication tactics. Proxemics in ASL means to keep your distance. It is difficult to sign with someone who is standing too close, it is hard to see what the person is signing when they are standing close.
ReplyDeleteParalinguistics is the way something is said. A common stereotypical girl quote in the American culture is “well its not what you said, it’s just how you said it.” In english it’s the tone of your voice when speaking. If your angry you’ll raise your voice, as opposed to when your calm, you’ll speak in your normal voice. In ASL paralinguistics can be displayed in a couple different ways. When a person is angry, signs are often quicker and direct, as opposed to casually speaking, the signs are more relaxed and easy going.
Kinesics is using facial expressions, eye gaze, body motion, and gestures. Kinesics are pretty self explanatory, the use of these different tools help show emotion. If a person isn’t making eye contact, they are often shy or scared. Being affectionate is often use by body gestures and motion. And expressions show different emotion. Kinesics are probably more important in the ASL culture than in the English speaking culture. Kenesics differentiate all types of moods, feelings, relationships, and emotions in ASL. Eye gaze can display who has power over who. Facial expression is the main way to display emotion. And body gestures show what type of mood the signer is in.
2. When Liam and Daphne are signing together at their state school, Daphne’s facial expressions are much more eccentric and exaggerated than if she is signing around a hearing individual.
3. Daphne and her mother slow their signing down when the other family members are around. Daphne tries to accommodate while speaking when she signs but then the family isn’t learning her form of communication, they are relying on her adaptation to their culture by listening to her instead of watching her. Emmett and his mother do not accommodate to the hearing world. If Hearing people want to communicate, they have someone translate their signing. It seems that they don’t feel like they need to accommodate to the hearing if they aren’t accommodating to them.
4. Liam said he didn’t know how to stand up for Daphne when his friends were making fun of her and she pointed out that saying nothing was worse than attempting to say the wrong thing. Instead of talking directly to Daphne’s basketball coach (Emmett’s mom) her dad talks to the translator and says “can you ask her,” instead of using direct communication. Liam has trouble not talking to Daphne in third person when using the relay phone system.
5. ASL can be very graphic at times. You can see when Daphne and Emmett are signing together, their signs are more intense and realistic than when they are calmed down when a hearing person is around.
ReplyDelete6. The hearing audience is going to Daphne as more successful because she communicates with both the hearing and Deaf world. Emmett sticks strictly to his culture and only signs. But the hearing culture would see Emmett’s quality as more successful than Daphne’s form of communication.
7. When Emmett’s mom and Daphne’s mom are signing about Bay, they are discussing her in the present tense. When Daphne and her mom are talking about playing basketball with her dad, they sign in present tense.
8. Using the telephone relay system, it is clear that hearing individuals do not know how to use one, and Deaf individuals do. Deaf culture is very good at communicating with one another. The graphic language they use helps them discuss difficult issues in a straight forward way. It is clear that the hearing people in the show have a communication barrier within themselves because they have a hard time finding the right way to say certain things. Where the Deaf individuals are very straight forward.
9. How well do you think the hearing family is adapting to Deaf culture? What are they doing to accommodate to their new daughter?
I like how you answered number 3. I also mentioned that everyone isn't trying to accommodate to Daphne and she has to do all the talking when they could learn basic sign. Also I like your point of view on Emmett and his mom. It is quite interesting that they choose not to speak.
DeleteI agree with your response to number 6. I definitely get the feeling that Emmett is set in his ways and isn't wanting to think about certain things, like dating a hearing girl. I like that Emmett knows who he is and what Deaf culture means to him.
ReplyDelete