Awti Answers: What is ASL Rhyme?

What is *GENUINE* ASL rhyme? Check out Awti's answer!
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[@ewitty]

My man this is an absolutely brilliant presentation of the subject matter. Really well done!

[@ASLTHAT]

A great lesson and example for ASL literature. Some of the songs made by hearing bands and/or in children books cannot be converted into 100% Pure ASL material. Why? Because these songs were created with words that rhymed by the sound, so their word choice would NEVER have been the choice of the Deaf people in the first place. Your video and explanation is good for doing our best to please the Deaf viewers of the "hearing" or English literature. You picked one with "Hey Diddle, Diddle" because you were able to come up with a brilliant solution for it. I am impressed with your interpretation and like it very much. I am sure that you and many other Deaf people know that we need more of Deaf/ASL Literature originally created by Deaf people. That is where we will find our true ASL rhythm. :) Keep the videos coming, you're always good with giving great examples and techniques for ASL!

[@netripized]

Jeez man. Breaking through another barrier!!! I would not in a million have doggone made it through! Now, you have strongly pique my curiosity and want to explore this much further. Kudos, Austin!

[@ASLInterpreterSHansen]

HI! Love it! Can just see those adorable kiddos signing along! Pulling this off requires some advance analysis...for ed. terps, we need to have prep time to think through fun, accessible and creative engaging approaches to children's lit. ;o) THanks for taking time to post!!!!

[@jag2rags]

We NEED more video's like this in the Deaf Ed/ASL circles on KZbin.. We NEED more linguistic scholars on the Deaf Ed front! THANK YOU for sharing your insight, and I hope others will join in this dialogue of educating Deaf students abt THEIR language (and not just the hearing ppl in interpreting programs) :) Soli Deo Gloria :D

[@jessipirkle1296]

Hello. I just stumbled upon this from a blog I follow in tumblr. I just wanted to say that this is amazing and inspiring. I had no idea you could even do something like this. It's just wonderful. And I thank you for sharing your inspiration. :)

[@awti]

Thanks so much for commenting, Jessi! Love tumblr - isn't it great, all the stuff we find that we never knew even existed? Speaking of which: If you liked this, you'll LOVE the "KnowThat?!" ASL science video series which has English voiceover, music, special effects - the works! Feel free to check it out: bit.ly/knowthat_pl

[@wugsessed]

Studying linguistics and ASL, this was absolutely fascinating! I've had lots of discussion about rhyming signs before, but incorporating rhythm like this (especially a well-known one!) makes it very clear.

[@deannadavis2403]

I enjoy the videos where you use sound rather than captions because I can't read the words and watch your hands and face at the same time. Still, thank you for this video. Loved learning about this!

[@johnhancock1623]

Love your stuff! Thank you for sharing and teaching. Lucky

[@keribethlilly]

I LOVED YOUR CLARIFY EXPLANATION ! My hearing parents never taught me that way!

[@WLiteAngel]

Genius!!! We all sure do need that exposure to deaf babies out there!

[@TJgrebdnul]

Thank you for sharing this! - I interpret in a preschool room and it can be so hard sometimes to know how to interpret when the teacher is doing rhymes - this is definitely food for thought.

[@mimamagyar]

watched it twice... so great! thanks

[@stevenscottoddballz]

You have a new subscriber! Thank you for having such interesting videos! {And for having them captioned as well!}

[@spindavidspin]

Wow! Totally makes sense to me. I wanted to see more of the story! :)

[@grasonhumphrey4053]

Incredible video! I'm a hearing ASL student (hopefully someday interpreter), and this video was very helpful. Subscribed and coming back for more!

[@McLeod72012]

Yeah, I have both deaf and hearing children in my five kids family so I often come up with things like this... Esp my daughter who loves to read book and I have to read every night w her in voice and sign! I have tons of children books, often put ASL w rhymes "sounds" ... My daughter loves it! This is worth workshop for those hearing parents w deaf kids, well naturally for deaf parents, u know deaf parents who are involved with their kids tend to figger out the ASL w English/rhyme in hope their kids would get the rhyme! While hearing parents who have no ideas of ASL would probably not figger out...

[@Kimbah9]

I Love this! So insightful, creative, functional and entertaining. This from someone who started learning ASL at 13 just because I loved it and who loves children! My brother and my little nephew would love this!

[@Carol-Bell]

I need to show this to my ASL 3 class on Monday! -- their final presentation assignment is to take a song and sign it, BUT using aspects of ASL poetry -- this video would help them a lot!

[@melp3784]

Excellllleeeennnttt! Thank you! Thank you!

[@bluescorpion72]

Wow! So amazing!

[@Tagraff]

Now, introducing to visual aspect, it'd make sense to use visual form in a repetitive manner. Would you say, a movement should be limited as a rhyme? What then of hand-shape and not a movement? I think we should entertain these possibilities and see if it's fit as a rhyme.

[@ladyriderlinda7065]

Awesome as usual! You should think about creating an APP for KNOW THAT!

[@dischmedia]

Brilliant!

[@simoshanny]

I love this! thank you Austin! I'm hoping to send this clip out with one of our email newsletters to our regional RID chapter.

[@simoshanny]

***** Absolutely! I'm hoping that we can bring you back to CA for another workshop one of these days - when we do planning I always bring up your name.

[@marysteensma471]

This is awesome--and would be a great benefit to the 'terps who work in schools around here. You could include it in the workshop....that you are going to do...(Andi's waiting to hear from you LOL) right??

[@MicheleWDeaf]

Works for me...I'll have to experiment with rhymes and test them on my kids. :-)

[@tarynpatro3393]

LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! was a question i've pondered recently thanks for the info!

[@tarynpatro3393]

Makes me want to do some asl rhymes

[@JolynnFerguson]

Hey.. Is there any more of ASL Rhyme for children and babies. I would love to see the complete song you signed for hey diddle diddle... I love to sing in sign language to children and babies but not that creative..

[@chicalei]

Hi Austin-- Love your stuff! I wanted to clarify something when you're talking about ASL rhymes and not seeing much of that though. I understand your point about many song translations being English-centric, but I'm surprised you didn't mention Deaf poetry & poets in your examples of people creating "ASL music". Clayton Valli, Ella Mae Lentz, Peter Cook, for example-- wouldn't you consider their work to provide lots of examples of rhyming? I've also seen Deaf church members create rhythmic, visual rhyme translations of hymns like this, so you're in good company. Lastly, I definitely agree with the point that offering/requiring ASL Lit classes for Deaf and ASL students would go a long way toward encouraging more creative, original compositions in ASL. (Sidenote: I'd also recommend VL2s resources for the person who asked about ASL for children. They have a fabulous bilingual storybook now!)

[@awti]

So glad you commented, Chicalei! Absolutely agree with everything you're saying. By no means was this video intended to be an even halfway-decent treatment on the topic of ASL rhyme, let alone ASL poetry, ASL poets and resources for further consideration. Actually, this was an impromptu response that I gave to an off-topic question during a workshop that had nothing to do with ASL rhyme whatsoever. I just posted it here as a kind of, "here's a little something interesting" and, as is the Internet's custom, it took on life of its own. It's odd to me, to see a video like this get a relatively high number of views, when the are other *truly brilliant* videos out there that should be getting more attention. Thanks so much for doing your part in making that happen by posting your thoughts - I hope to see more from you in other episodes!

[@chicalei]

***** First, I love that that was an impromtu rhyme-- simple but perfect for the situation. You and other ASL poets give us so many opportunities to appreciate this language. (I should also introduce myself. We were in a 3-day depiction class together with Paul Dudis a year or two ago which was really fun ::waves hello::). The context of the clip is also helpful. I'm not very active on KZbin but I came to your channel via your allyship vlog recently, and I was really impressed with the long, thoughtful dialogue you and Mark and others were having in the comments (often a rarity on youtube!). I appreciate how non-defensivenessly you have been responding, which is a great model for other allies-in-training (a life-long endeavor!). I think that is a requirement for ally behavior but it's definitely not easy for us humans, so thank you for that. If I may offer a challenge here in that spirit, this video seems like an excellent opportunity to do what you're talking about in the ally vlog. Since it is getting more attention, this is a great place to link to some Deaf poets or clips of Deaf performers and help showcase other talent as well, or cut in some clips of Deaf poets, etc. I know we all have limited time, but this seems like the place to do it. This may also be a media lesson for all of us too. When the hearing world is so ill-informed, it's really easy for our words to get picked up and skewed. I suspected you may not have seen that this clip was picked up by Slate? www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2014/09/05/rhyming_in_a_sign_language_a_proposal_from_asl_storyteller_awti.html That may be what drove some of the traffic here. (I saw the article posted on FB). The "journalist" doesn't seem to have contacted any of the people she is holding up as examples, but she talks about this clip as if you have invented a new way to use ASL :P. I also think this may be a good example of the risks of leaving our ally intentions implicit rather than explicit. As an ASL community, I think it is important to value and respect each other and give the benefit of the doubt as often as possible. As you've said, it wasn't your intent to hold yourself out as the creator of, or authority on, a "new" concept. I assumed as much, but I was reading the comments fully expecting to see you mention ASL poets and was surprised it didn't come up, which makes the "proposal" part of your clip seem more like it _was_ offered without knowledge of ASL poetry. That would strike me as extremely odd though, given your skills and community! You were asked a question and you gave an awesome creative example in response (I would humbly suggest that finding and pointing to additional resources is "best practice," and would make a great addition to your excellent depiction workshops. Maybe you've even already done that since giving this workshop!). When the clip stands alone online though, it becomes a different sort of thing, and it "reads" as a claim to fame for some. I think we're hypersensitive to that kind of thing right now too, because of all of the unfounded attention novice hearing signers are getting elsewhere. I appreciate the awkward position that climate can put you in as a native signer who happens to be hearing. Because you're pointing to a PPT slide, it looks like a workshop on ASL/English rhyme, where one would expect to see pre-planned references to other poets, so the absence of that stands out more than if I knew the slide was about something else but became about ASL rhyme in response to a question. (Do I have that right?). Or maybe you were thinking of chidren's rhymes and translations as a different thing than poetry at the time the question as asked. In any case, this is long now but I like thorough communication when we can, and I appreciate your engagement with these topics elsewhere!

[@awti]

chicalei Agreed, and thank you for that challenge! Limited time or no, highlighting resources that originate with the Deaf is a priority that I need to consistently incorporate. I'm fond of saying, "Nothing about sign language without Deaf; nothing about Deaf without sign language." However, this is another way I can not just *say* it, but *do* it! Thank you for helping me see that :-D (side comment: Yes, that's right, we took Paul Dudis' 3-day depiction class together, holy cow!!! Time flies, eh? Great to see you here!) I did see the Slate article - well, I glanced at it. I didn't think much of it... but I should have taken into consideration the systemic context in which my vlog exists (again, going back to the idea of privilege). This is another reason I'm thankful for the thoughtful conversations that you and others (like Mark Ramirez) have been creating in this discussion area below the KZbin video: Each one is helping me improve and refine how I approach these vlogs. Love it!

[@lauriegashinski4424]

Champ. Champ. Champ. My kindergarten students will thank you!

[@lorenzolaudo]

Bravo Austin!

[@lorenzolaudo]

***** I miss you too! Big hug from Paris!

[@TheStralie]

Yes! It is important that you brought up that of rhyme in music (vocal). There is always a problem with the rhyme in song for deaf Children. But it is a good example that you did with Ninja. There is rhyme in your expression, your way. I do not think it helps to translate into sign language song from spoken language in the song because it has a song lyric. I am very doubtful if music is part of inspiriation for deaf but it is obvious to the deaf. I've never seen someone who is stone-deaf singing. Have you seen someone deaf who are completely deaf to sing in sign language? Without hearing aids understood. There is an exception with the dance that are absolutely appreciative to deaf children. It is possible to rhyme in dance with body language. Hope you understand my point with the differences between lyric and body signal.

[@TheStralie]

Oh, I mean - I am very doubtful if music is part of inspiriation for deaf but it is obvious to hard of hearing people.

[@TheStralie]

***** I understand your thoughts on "music." We say "Visukal" here in Sweden. :) It might help you with this word choice. I would recommend you take a look at a video called Fame - Visukal. Google for it. www.riksteatern.se/visukal

[@TheStralie]

***** I can imagine that there is a lot of inspiration for you and Erik because you are both CODA who are able to express on your way with this visukal. I admire the fact and appreciate it. There is a new generation of CODA or sign-language-hearing and hard of hearing. But I'm still in doubt if it really is an inspiration to deaf children who have never heard the music sometime in their life, then it is a different issue. But it is an opportunity for deaf children / adults to create their own "visukal" on its way through to be inspired by something that makes them passionate of "pleasure". But I think there is a way to mimic the song-text that the hearing people have created in sign language. So it might not be a "pleasure" just deaf. Although ASL is their native language. It is exciting that you are doing an experiment with visukal and catch the deaf child's enjoyment. :)

[@Musical_Magpie]

Awti, your video was informative and enjoyable, but I found that I was focusing on the CC text and missing what you were demonstrating. I had to keep backing up the video. A narrative would be helpful., in addition to the CC.

[@awti]

Thanks so much, Jacqui! As a hearing person, I absolutely agree that a voiceover (narrative) is much more helpful than CC. For this reason, all of the videos I've posted in the last 3 months have had voiceover - and even background music with sound effects - along with the CC. Admittedly, this adds about 8 hours onto the production of each 5-minute video which is a HUGE cost for someone (me) who earns next to nothing from their videos. But I agree it's very helpful! I had to chuckle, though, when I read your comment. For years, the Deaf community has fought very hard to have CC added to English content on TV the Internet - and the hearing majority (including you and I) have been largely unaware, disinterested, or worse, have KNOWINGLY brushed off this very basic request from the Deaf community. When hearing non-signers want access to signed (ASL) content, though, the matter becomes almost a foregone conclusion: 'Why don't ASL content creators simply add voiceover to their videos?' Not saying that you did this maliciously; it's just deliciously ironic that we, as privileged hearing persons, unwittingly advance for ourselves the very thing we deny the Deaf community. So what can we do? For my part, I'll add voiceover to all the videos I can. For hearing viewers' part (good people like you!), please be aware of when videos aren't CC'd and encourage the content creators to caption their videos. I guarantee you, captioning is a LOT LESS WORK than voiceover. #CAPTIONTHIS

[@AndresHernandez-yg9it]

We are keep dream about deaf community opportunity , service and educate good communication each help what needed. we dont need talk about " sue " for ada that waste there nothing can do with about sue just help improve service . right now we have wesk in florida not really full 100%

[@norcridtreasurer1441]