{"id":4087,"date":"2017-05-19T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T13:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disabilityinkidlit.com\/?p=4087"},"modified":"2020-12-07T23:38:39","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T23:38:39","slug":"asl-writing-a-visual-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disabilityinkidlit.com\/test\/2017\/05\/19\/asl-writing-a-visual-language\/","title":{"rendered":"ASL: Writing a Visual Language"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sign Languages, whether American, British, Korean, etc., are full and complex languages. Here in the United States, ASL and hearing loss have been gaining media attention over the last few years, due in part to television shows, books, and celebrities with hearing loss like model Nyle DiMarco. More time in the limelight also means that more authors have to figure out how to handle expressing a visual language on paper.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Hard of Hearing. ASL isn\u2019t just something that\u2019s fun or cool for me; it\u2019s my second language. From the first book I wrote, I included ASL as one of the languages my characters used to communicate. And when that very first line appeared on the page, I had to make a decision: how do I properly express this as ASL?<\/p>\n

At first, I used a different font to differentiate it from spoken English. But, as I later searched for an agent, I switched to using italics. I always used quotation marks, because quotations to me mean that a language is being expressed. This isn\u2019t a notion universally accepted in the Deaf World, however. Some see quotations as verbal, and prefer to use just italics to express a visual language. More on that later.<\/p>\n

The first challenge with using a sign language is simply how to express a 3D language in written words. ASL is so beautiful and rich. I can show emphasis with my hands in how a sign is formed. When I translate to the page some of that beauty and magic is lost.<\/p>\n

In fact, in my novel Signs of Attraction<\/em><\/a>, I put away quotes entirely at one point and described what was being signed. My character, Reed, was using something called classifiers, which is the manipulation of a 3D space to visually set up a scene. It\u2019s the difference between \u201che ran,\u201d and \u201che used his hands to mimic running with his feet, adding shoulder movements and facial expression to heighten the intensity, hands moving faster and faster, before showing the wind rushing against his face.\u201d In the scene I had a character who didn\u2019t have full ASL knowledge, so describing what was signed made the scene work.<\/p>\n

Since ASL does not have a well-known written form, each author must decide how they want to express it. This is where firsthand knowledge of the signs help, but any writers worth their salt are adamant researchers.<\/p>\n

Another issue with using a sign language is how it translates word for word. In ASL, an exact translation of \u201cI go to the store\u201d would be \u201cI store go.\u201d It\u2019s a fully complex grammatical sentence, but when compared to an English mindset, it often appears less educated. Sometimes an exact translation confuses the non-signing reader. There is a sign, \u201cfor-for,\u201d that I have been known to translate as \u201cwhat for.\u201d This question makes perfect sense to me and I find myself baffled trying to change the words to be clear, and even frustrated when it takes many English words to express such a simple ASL concept. There are also sounds associated with some signs. The word \u201cfinally\u201d is often referenced as \u201cpah.\u201d That sound\/mouth movement coordinates with the sign. To an ASL user, I can say \u201cpah,\u201d and be understood, but I can\u2019t use that in a novel without an explanation first.<\/p>\n

One thing I\u2019ve learned as I researched for this article, is that when sign language appears on the page, I have a lot of questions as a reader. I instantly want to know who\u2019s deaf, who signs, how well they sign, etc. There\u2019s a whole world of history in simply referencing sign language, as a hearing character who is well versed in ASL would have had an early reason to learn, be it a parent with a hearing loss or a neighbor who was Deaf. Meanwhile, a hearing character who is just learning ASL could simply have a fascination with the language, or a crush on Nyle DiMarco, and not really know anyone with a hearing loss. And it depends on the story whether these questions stop me as a reader, or keep me going forward.<\/p>\n

Another thing I\u2019ve noticed is that hearing loss and sign language are oftentimes not presented as a normal variation for a character. Rather, they\u2019re the alluring secret from the first few pages and you have to keep reading until, surprise, the character\u2019s deaf! It\u2019s a gimmick. I have a hearing loss. I\u2019m not a gimmick. I\u2019m me. My ears are part of me. They affect me every day. Yes, at times I would hide them, but why is it a dirty little secret in literary form?<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the thing with sign language \u2014 it comes with a culture. Just mentioning the use of sign language alerts the reader to more than merely a language. Many people with a hearing loss are not given sign language at birth, or at onset of hearing loss. There\u2019s a journey each of us go through to arrive at a fluent status. I\u2019m Hard of Hearing. I didn\u2019t need to learn ASL to communicate. I chose to do so, and the fact that I sign is why I capitalize Hard of Hearing; I\u2019m part of the culture.<\/p>\n

So how do we identify a visual language on the page? I\u2019ve researched nine novels, and there seem to be various approaches to formatting signed dialogue.<\/p>\n