User:Jennagc/sandbox

Created New Sandbox to share with Yadira Flores and Abigail Bucklin to begin drafting updated American Sign Language Literature article.

Exercise: Practice Using Citations

ASL Literature cannot occur without an interwoven relationship between what Ben Bahan refers to as "The Teller, The Tale, and the Audience".

References

Article Selection: American Sign Language Literature - Outline

Introduction

History

• Setting up American Asylum of the Deaf (now ASD) in Hartford, CT; mixed with local sign languages, such as Martha’s Vineyard sign language, and lead to development of literacy and education of Deaf community
• NAD documentation of ASL on film from 1913-20 (led to the practice of recording and distributing ASL that allows for analysis of ASL literature today)
• Folklore as a means of uniting Deaf community around a common culture
• ASL Poetry movement during mid-1980s - 1991 in Rochester, NY
• National Sign Language Literature conferences in Rochester, NY (1980s) - [need to find sources]

Literacy

• Understanding what it means to be literate in a visual language

Features and Form [Change title of section, or separate into multiple sections?]

• Narratives of Personal Experience
• Cinematographic stories
• Folktales
• Translated Works
• Original Fiction
• Songs
• Translated Songs
• Percussion Signing
• ABC Stories
• Number Stories and Plays on Fingerspelled Words
• Stories with Handshape Type Constraints
• Visual Vernacular
• Personification
• Poetry
• Theatrical companies and performances [add to list]
  • National Theatre of the Deaf
  • Deaf West
  • New York Deaf Theatre

Common Themes [find sources to back up]

• Deaf people “find a way”
• Tales of oppression
• To the chagrin of hearing people (hearing people are the butt of the joke)
• Hyper-hearies (hearing so sensitive it becomes comedic)

Important Works [add to this]

• Bird of a Different Feather
• For a Decent Living
• Long Way Home

Important Authors [add to this]

• Mary Beth Miller
• Ella Mae Lentz
• Clayton Valli
• Peter Cook
• Debbie Rennie
• Robert Panara
• Bernard Bragg
• Dorothy Miles
• Patrick Greybill

See Also

Article Evaluation for American Sign Language Literature.

This article as listed as "In Need of Improvement" on the WikiProject Deaf page. On the Talk Page someone indicated that they completed a substantial rewrite of the page. Considering the length of time that has passed and the amount of information missing from this page, it would be appropriate for someone to add significant amounts of information. There has been a lot written on this topic in academic sources so that it can be considered a notable topic.

History Section:

The history section begins with a sentence comparing ASL to the oral languages that existed before written forms of language developed. This is not necessarily untrue, but the phrasing of the first two sentences seems to place emphasis on how spoken languages have developed a written form and sign languages have not. I would rephrase this to place the emphasis on ASL, and remove the text that compares it to spoken languages, which are not the focus of this article. The current text about spoken languages makes ASL seem like a secondary or subordinate language, which it is not.

It mentions that the earliest recorded ASL on film is a NAD compilation from 1910-20. It does not go into specifics about the content of the videos or have any links to examples. I would follow up on the cited chapter in Signing the Body Poetic for more information and follow up on those leads to try to add more detail. If any of the videos are in the public domain, I would add links to those here (or at least more information about where the videos can be accessed). The talk page of this article has a request for videos to be added to improve the quality.

If George W. Veditz is not mentioned in the research, further research should be done to add information on his early efforts to document ASL on film. If there is an agreed consensus on whether or not the earliest recordings are included in what constitutes ASL Literature, it should be mentioned here.

Evaluation of the second "History" paragraph:

Since the first films of ASL lectures in the early twentieth century, more ASL performances were gradually recorded, which has affected the tradition.

This first sentence makes it seem like there are still not many videos recorded of ASL performances. Given the way that technology is utilized in modern times, I would rephrase to be less misleading.

Today, a wide variety of ASL works is documented on video, and deaf performers continue to perform ASL stories, poems, and other works live to enthusiastic audiences at festivals, university events, clubs, and social gatherings.

The above statement is not supported by any substantial examples or names of notable performers (despite a small handful of notable performers being mentioned in the introduction of the article).

Each year, Gallaudet University, Deaf West Theater, and other deaf groups mount theatrical productions in ASL.

Again, this statement is not supported by any substantial examples. While it is impractical to cite every single performance staged by these theatrical companies and other groups, more information could be provided about the major producers of ASL performances. If enough information is available, a separate page could eventually be set up for each group. This is also missing mention of other major groups, such as the National Theatre of the Deaf and New York Deaf Theatre. More research should be done to identify information about these groups that are independent of the theatre groups' websites. It should also be made clear why theatrical performances should be included in ASL Literature (they're as valid as written plays are for the stage - need to find supporting citation).

Furthermore, many talented storytellers and poets perform works that are never recorded; video captures only a small percentage of ASL literature. The prevalence of digital video technology has allowed more signers to record their own ASL productions more easily and share them with more people than ever before. YouTube, Facebook, and Apple's Photo Booth have all contributed to wider exposure of original ASL creations.

The above claims are not cited, so it is difficult to know where the author found this information. Rationally, it makes sense that these technologies would expand the ability of ASL signers to record their work and distribute it to a wider audience, but more information and at least one citation is needed. If these claims cannot be substantiated with a source, I would likely remove the statement.

In general, the second paragraph contains a lot of vague information that needs to be expanded on. I would recommend creating a separate section for Deaf theatre groups with more substantial information about the most well known companies and move a mention of them to the Intro section rather than the History section.

Features and Form section:

The first two sentences are not cited.

The first paragraph beings by talking about ABC stories and then Handshape stories as a related form. Each of these sections could be fleshed out into their own paragraphs with more information. If there are any videos in the public domain, examples could be added.

The second paragraph discusses ASL storytelling and should be given much more weight. Furthermore, Visual Vernacular needs more than a 1-sentence mention, discussing what it is and how it is used. Performers of the Visual Vernacular style should be mentioned with examples if any are available in the public domain. Other styles of ASL storytelling can be researched and added to this section (See Signing the Body Poetic for more information)

See Also section:

This should have links to more external sources, and links to articles within Wikipedia to performers of ASL Literature.

References section:

The two most significant sources are Signing the Body Poetic: Essays in American Sign Language Literature, and Deaf American Literature: From Carnival to the Canon. Many more academic sources can be added. Drawing from and expanding on my Deaf Lit bibliography, I would start by looking at the following sources (though I'm sure there are many more):

Albosta, Diane. Performing Arts -- Pictures in the Air: The Story of the National Theatre of the Deaf by Stephen C. Baldwin. 119 Vol. New York: Media Source, 1994. Web.

Bahan, Ben. "Face-to-Face Tradition in the American Deaf Community: Dynamics of the Teller, the Tale, and the Audience." Signing the Body Poetic. Ed. Bauman, H-Dirksen, Jennifer L. Nelson and Heidi M. Rose. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 2006. 21-50. Print.

Baldwin, Stephen C. Pictures in the Air : The Story of the National Theatre of the Deaf. Washington, D.C.: Washington, D.C. : Gallaudet University Press, 1993.

Bates, Benjamin. Whole Language Theatre: Literacy as Performance. Ed. Sarah Blackstone. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1995. Web.

Bauman, H-Dirksen L. "Getting Out of Line: Toward a Visual and Cinematic Poetics of ASL." Signing the Body Poetic. Ed. Bauman, H-Dirksen, Jennifer L. Nelson and Heidi M. Rose. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 2006. 95-117. Print.

Bechter, Frank. Of Deaf Lives: Convert Culture and the Dialogic of ASL Storytelling. Ed. Michael Silverstein. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2009. Web.

Bottoms, Andrew. "Adapted Work: The Three Little Pigs." 2012. Web. <http://www.andrewbottoms.com/asl-literature-/the-three-little-pigs.html>.

Cairns, Graham. "Introduction." The Architecture of the Screen : Essays in Cinematographic Space. Eds. François Penz, Holly Rose, and ebrary provider.Bristol, England ; Chicago, Illinois : Intellect, 2013. 3-7.

Canini, Luca, Sergio Benini, and Riccardo Leonardi. "Classifying Cinematographic Shot Types." Multimedia Tools and Applications 62.1 (2013): 51-73. Web.

Christie, Karen, and Dorothy M. Wilkins. "A Feast for the Eyes: ASL Literacy and ASL Literature." Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 2.1 (1997): 57-9. Web.

Clark, John Lee. Deaf American Poetry : An Anthology. Washington, DC: Washington, DC : Gallaudet University Press, 2009. Web.

Cole, Jessica. "American Sign Language Poetry : Literature in Motion." (2009)Web.

Hansel and Gretel ASL. Dir. Copeland, David. Wisconsin School for the Deaf, .

Czubek, Todd A. ASL Instructional Guide: Literature Study Typical Themes in Deaf Lit., Year Unknown. Print.

"Deaf Poets' Society: Subverting the Hearing Paradigm." Literature and Medicine 16.1 (1997): 121-34. Web.

Gee, James. "Literacies and " Traditions"." Journal of Education 171.1 (1989): 26. Web.

Grossinger, Shanna. Using ASL and English: Bringing Literacy to Life through Drama and Art. Eds. Tom Humphries, Bobbie Allen, and Carol Padden. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2013. Web.

Hughes, Valencia. The Play's the Thing: Staging for Success in Reading Comprehension and Fluency with Theatre Infused Curriculum. Eds. David Scanlon, Audrey Friedman, and Mariela Paez. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2014. Web.

Krentz, Christopher B. "The Camera as Printing Press: How Film has Influenced ASL Literature." Signing the Body Poetic. Ed. Bauman, H-Dirksen, Jennifer L. Nelson and Heidi M. Rose. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 2006. 51-70. Print.

Krentz, Christopher. Sign Mind: Studies in American Sign Language Poetics (Review). 1 Vol. , 2001. Web.

Kuntze, Marlon. "Turning Literacy Inside Out." Open Your Eyes: Deaf Studies Talking. Ed. H-Dirksen L. Bauman ed. Minneapolis: Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, 2008. 146-157. Web.

Lindgren, Kristin A., Doreen DeLuca, and Donna Jo Napoli. Signs and Voices : Deaf Culture, Identity, Language, and Arts. 1st ed.. ed. Washington, DC: Washington, DC : Gallaudet University Press, 2008. Web.

Parker, Erica. Beyond A-Z Stories: Studying ASL Literature Genres. Eds. Tom Humphries, Bobbie Allen, and Carol Padden. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2012. Web.

Peters, Cynthis. "Deaf American Theatre." Signing the Body Poetic: Essays on American Sign Language Literature. Ed. Bauman, H-Dirksen, Jennifer L. Nelson and Heidi M. Rose. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 2006. 71-92. Print.

Peters, Cynthia. Deaf American Literature : From Carnival to the Canon. Washington, D.C.: Washington, D.C. : Gallaudet University Press, 2000. Web.

Powers, Helen. Signs of Silence: Bernard Bragg and the National Theatre of the Deaf. New York: New York, Dodd, Mead, 1972.

Rose, Heidi M. "The Poet in the Poem in the Performance: The Relation of Body, Self, and Text in ASL Literature." Signing the Body Poetic. Ed. Bauman, H-Dirksen, Jennifer L. Nelson and Heidi M. Rose. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 2006. 130-146. Print.

The Squirrel Story. Dir. Sanborn, Ian. 2014.

Supalla, Samuel James. Bird of a Different Feather & for a Decent Living : Student Workbook. Eds. Benjamin J. Bahan, Samuel James Supalla, and James R. DeBee. San Diego, CA: San Diego, CA : DawnSignPress, 1994. Web.

---. Bird of a Different Feather; &, for a Decent Living : Teacher's Guide. Eds. James R. DeBee, Benjamin J. Bahan, and Samuel James Supalla. San Diego, Calif.: San Diego, Calif. : DawnSignPress, 2000. Web.

Sutton-Spence, Rachel, and Donna Jo Napoli. "Anthropomorphism in Sign Languages: A Look at Poetry and Storytelling with a Focus on British Sign Language." Sign Language Studies10.4 (2010): 442-75. Web.

Sutton-Spence, Rachel. The Heart of the Hydrogen Jukebox. 11 Vol. Washington: American Annals of the Deaf, 2011. Web.

Unknown. "Deaf Poets' Society: Subverting the Hearing Paradigm." Literature and Medicine 16.1 (1997): 121-34. Web.

Willis, Holly. "Writing Images and the Cinematic Humanities." Visible Language 49.3 (2015): 63-77. Web.

My overall thoughts:

The American Sign Language Literature Article needs substantially more information added to it. I would add additional sections for ASL Theatre, ASL Poetry, notable performers, sub-sections for ASL Storytelling to highlight different styles (VV, Cinematic, Personification, .