Introducing Sign Language Literature, Folklore, and creativity Chapter 5

Songs - Defined by Form & Origin

Songs & Song Lyrics are part of a Symbolic System that is 'the Language of Music'

Within Religious Groups, Signed Hymns are Acts of Worship

Translations of Other Songs, Particularly of Contemporary Music, are Increasingly Common

Hymns are translated with attention to the poetic principles of sign language, they can be art forms in their own right

Some versions are close translations of the anthem's words & some are freer adaptations or interpretations of the ideas within the national anthem

often Performed in Unison by Signing Choirs, & For Deaf Members of these Religious Groups, the act of Participating, Using their Own Language is Important

The genre of signed song is somewhat controversial, as it does not originate within Deaf culture

Despite this, many Deaf communities have traditions that include signed translations of songs

Cynthia Peters notes that rhythm & music have always been associated with the body as people clap, stamp & dance, & this bodily aspect of music finds its way into some forms of sign language literature

Videos of these are often posted on the internet

This last type of translation is sometimes done by Deaf signers (particularly those with residual hearing)

Predominantly done by hearing signers, often language learners who are enjoying playing with their new language, & for whom the double-sensory experience of hearing the song with its music & seeing the signs is particularly satisfying

Fictional Stories for Children - Defined by Intended Audience

Different Content & Form

Some Storybooks are Written especially for Deaf Children

Sign Language Stories for Young Children use Simple Signs & Have Deaf Characters in them

Depends on whether they are aimed at young children, older children, young adults or adults

Aims to encourage Deaf children to read

Teaches Deaf children about the society & culture they share with Hearing People

Include Deaf Characters and positive images

However, most storybooks a Deaf child reads do not contain Deaf characters or refer to the Deaf world, even if the stories are translated into sign language

These stories often contain the magical elements popular in children's stories. Including anthropomorphism

Original fiction stories may also be created in sign language especially for younger children

Setting of these stories are ones they can relate to, often with a Deaf child in school or with their hearing family

May be challenges set for the Deaf character who is able to overcome them

Action stories & realistic situations are preferred but the settings are still those that the Deaf children & young adults can relate to from their experiences

Traditional Deaf Stories

Traditional Stories in the Canon

'Lamppost Trope'

Deaf Schools

Had their own traditional stories shared among the pupils

The canon of a Deaf community's sign language heritage are defined not so much by their content or form but by their origin

Referring to often-repeated stories of Deaf people standing around under lampposts to continue to sign after the Deaf club had closed for the night

traditional stories passed down to each new generation within the school

The school is a national focus point

Traditional stories may be known nationally, but there are plenty of well-known regional Deaf stories too

The traditional Deaf stories most likely to be passed on are Deaf jokes & although jokes form a specific genre, a request for a traditional Deaf story in many countries often results in a traditional Deaf jokes

Narratives of Deaf Experience

Narratives of Deaf Experience are Categorized by their Content as they all Relate Something of Deaf People's lives

Some tell of the experience of the 'Deaf Everyman' - an ordinary character that the storyteller hopes the audience can relate to

Others are more directly personal life stories that may be considered a type of memoire

Memories usually take the written form, people also frequently recount stories about memorable things that happened in their lives

Narratives of Personal Experience are Central to the Storytelling of Many Deaf Communities

Deaf people tell them so that other Deaf people may learn from their life experience

These are stories that could have happened to the signer or someone like the signer, they offer insight to Deaf people's experience & ways to discover a Deaf identity

Most of the longer life narratives ('this is my life story') by Deaf people are found in written form, while the shorter accounts ('an event that happened to me or can happen to someone like me') are more likely to be signed

As Many Original Fictional Sign Language Stories Arise from the Personal Experience of their Creators

There is no clear division between genuine, accurate narratives of personal experience & clearly fictional narratives that have a Deaf protagonist

All told from Deaf perspective but their form can vary

The stories may be told in a traditional narrative form but they can also be told in a more poetic form or as a theatrical drama because their content is the key focus & how they are told is less important for their categorisation