ASL Practice Group for Adults
Description
Hi, my name is Carla Klassen and I am an American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter here in Saskatoon. I lead a monthly practice group for people wanting to better their fluency in ASL. All activities can be modified to meet your signing abilities. If you are new to ASL and are thinking about taking classes but would like to try it out first, this is a great place to see if you like it. If you are learning sign and need people to practice with, this group is for you. If you are fluent and would like to help out, we would love to have you join us. All levels of sign ability are welcome. It is FREE to attend! No materials required, just your hands.
There is no need to register ahead of time, simply show up and join us!
The next time we will meet is on June 15th, from 5:30-7:00pm to work on "Surrogacy" in Kinsmen Park. (across from the Wonderhub) Bring a lawn chair/blanket to sit on, bug spray and a water bottle if you would like. We practiced Surrogacy in May, but will continue to practice it again in June. If the weather doesn't cooperate, check in on this ad. on June 15th and I will provide an alternate meet up location. (same time)
Surrogacy is when our body becomes a person or object, and our body movement adds description and/or the function/movement. Often this added in conversation, storytelling, teaching..... but used so briefly, that we may miss it, but it is a vital part of ASL. It is used briefly, but often. Often the signer will become the surrogate for 2-3 seconds and then step out again, then in a moment or two, slip back in for a few seconds.
Surrogacy is very similar to Visual Vernacular (V.V.) which is form of theatre that uses poetry, mime, gesture and facial expression to capture the nuance and subtleties of the world around us.
Surrogacy however is not specifically for theatre and isn't a form of poetry. Surrogacy is used to explain function or to add description. This short video describes surrogacy in regards to character surrogacy starting at 5:10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlROujE_sLQ check it out if you would like to know more before we meet on the 15th.
Both Visual Vernacular and Surrogacy are visual descriptors. Visual vernaculars (are longer in length, like a story or poem) and would not be voiced, but rather shown, as they are meant to be understood by any audience regardless of hearing status. Surrogacy is typically something that a narrator or stage directions would say. For example: he stood there looking confused. or the washing machine was in spin cycle. If the signer chose to become the character and look confused as opposed to sign "He looked confused" that would be surrogacy, just as if the signer chose to become the washing machine on spin cycle instead of signing "it was on spin cycle".
I hope to see you there!
-Carla
community | activities, groups
2023-06-28