Deaf Culture And Bilingual Culture

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What is Deaf Culture? As you may know, Texas School for the Deaf is located here in Austin. Due to that, there is a large population of deaf people who live here. You might think that because there deaf their culture is much different than ours but, that’s not true. They can still drive cars, play sports, and have a successful career. They communicate through a language called American Sign Language. This is a visual language that is made up of signs and gestures for deaf people to use in the U.S. Since deaf people can’t hear, most of them can’t speak. Some deaf people go to speech therapy to make it easier to communicate with hearing people but even then you can’t always understand what their trying to say. Most deaf people do not use their…show more content…
They still enjoy socializing with people, watching TV and even going to concerts! They may not be able to hear the music but they like to feel the vibrations and enjoy the experience. Certain things in deaf culture are very different from our culture. For example the deaf always hug when they greet people no matter who it is. It’s considered unfriendly to not do this. Also, when introducing themselves they tend to give detailed bibliographies and describe their social circles hoping to find something in common with the other person. Deaf people are very open with each other, when your late somewhere, its common curtseys to explain to everyone why you’re late. It doesn’t matter if your late to school or a social gathering, you’re always supposed to explain why you’re late. If you’re going to visit someone who’s deaf and they don’t answer the front door right away, it’s acceptable to walk in their house or apartment and stand in the door way till they notice you. You might do some of these things in the hearing culture but it’s emphasized more in the deaf…show more content…
Most deaf people don’t like when a hearing stranger joins there conversation to ask them if they need help or interpretation. If deaf people need help they will ask for it. Even though your intentions may be good, they will take it offensively and feel you are promoting the stereotype that deaf people are helpless and vulnerable. If you want to approach a deaf person because you are interested in the language and want to say hi, most of the time that’s fine. The more skillful your signing is the better chance you have of establishing a friendly conversation. Deaf people find it very annoying when a hearing person approaches them acting chummy, while using finger spelling when it’s not necessary and butchered signs. So as long as you don’t have a cocky attitude towards them or aren’t offering help, most deaf people will be friendly to
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