🚀 go-pugleaf

[...This has been cross posted to bit.listserv.deaf-l and deals with
    Boston University's Decision that ASL cannot be used to fill the
    foreign language requirement...]

[...According to the press release, the single most important reason
    the decision was made against ASL as a foreign language is because
    no one outside the United States speaks it.  This is not
    completely true and is really just a technical point - the
    defintion of "foreign" is rather large and should not be taken as
    simply "foreign == Outside the United States"...]


>>>>> "Lourdes" == Lourdes Alvarez <imzadi@bu.edu> writes:


  Lourdes> Too bad American Sign Language isn't being recognized as a
  Lourdes> language capable of fulfilling the CLA foreign language
  Lourdes> requirement.

Not only is it "Too bad" but it is very misinformed decision.
Massachusetts has recently passwed a law stating that ASL can and
should be recognized as a foreign language since the majority of our
country does not speak the language and that is has been proven to be
a true language. 

  Lourdes> Yes I agree with the point that there is no literature but
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  Lourdes> we do need to remember that a lot of the written literature
  Lourdes> started out as spoken folk tales passed from generation to
  Lourdes> generation.  Since, I do not agree with the reasoning for
  Lourdes> not allowing ASL to fullfill CLA's language requirement.
  Lourdes> It's still a "second" language.

There are hundreds of people here at Boston University who would
disagree with you.  One person that comes to mind is Janice Cole;
she's the instructor for the American Sign Language Literature class.
I am quite positive should we not take kindly to anyone telling her
that Deaf Literature does not exist.  And since I have read a number
of books by Deaf individuals, have been told ASL jokes and "word
plays" as well as being exposed to ASL poetry, I can assure you that
there is indeed deaf literature.

An important part of your message states that it *should* be allowed
to fullfill the language requirement and I completely agree.  However,
the reason is because it *is* a foreign language with all the nuances
and grammatical rules of any other language - the only thing
difference is that it is visual instead of audible.  

I can assure you, that it is as hard or harder to learn ASL as it is
to learn other foreign languages.  You can't imagine the difficulty of
taking an ASL test until you experience it.  

Hopefully, other individuals will see this message and take the time
to learn more about the deaf community and to realize that it is not
*only* a deaf person's responsibility to learn to communicate in the
hearing society; it is a hearing's responsibility to try and learn how
to communicate with the deaf. 

-=-

James Cameron
Boston University