Workshops

Make the English Tangible in ASL
Wink Smith

Have you ever received feedback that you should "show" more, and "tell" less? This is excellent advice, but a bit hard to follow without further explanation. Picture a train...What do you see? Now ask a friend to picture a train and have them explain or draw what they first saw. Is it the same image you had? Most likely not. Everyone, regardless of culture and language, pictures things differently in their heads. These variations in mental "seeing," or construal, help account for the wide range of communication and language use we encounter every day.

This workshop applies visual-spatial techniques in order to better produce visual language. ASL has more than simple lexical signs and fingerspelling, which make up the "tell" options. Some of the "show" options come in the form of depiction. Depiction is a topic that has made quite a stir among researchers in ASL linguistics. It includes depicting verbs, surrogation, partitioning, blending, affect, mouth morphemes, other non-manual signals, and networking. Using these aspects of ASL, interpreters can create clear and powerful ASL messages that create a bridge between consumers.

When we see how Deaf people developed ASL, and how it has evolved into the complex language it is today, we see much of that was due to their subjective knowledge and experiences. This workshop encourages participants to think about the objects and required actions in a sentence in order to formulate an ASL concept based on their experiential views of the world, and do so without imposing their own biases. This framework takes English and makes it tangible in ASL.

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Multi-Meaning Words: How to Sign What You/They Mean
Bruce Finkbone

What's the sign for ______ ? How do you sign ______ ?

English is a morphologically based language while American Sign Language is a conceptually based language. In this workshop we will discuss the various meanings of many English words and discover appropriate signs to convey those meanings. The workshop will consist of demonstration, discussion, and plenty of hands on activities.

Why the long face? How to Capture Meaning in Your Signs
Kristi Pearson

We all have seen that meaning is made up of more than just the words we choose. Some studies have found that over 90% of spoken language is conveyed via body language and vocal tone. What does that mean for us as sign language interpreters? How can we convey the layers of implied information while staying true to the words being said? It is so much more than just your sign choice. This workshop focuses on communicating all aspects of meaning through utilizing nonmanual markers. Sincerity, sarcasm or sass, learn how to show it!

Sunrise Service & Religious Signs
Phillip Boyd

This session will focus on ASL related to religion. Participants will learn how to interpret sermons, story's from the bible and even how to change certain songs into proper ASL.

ASL Mastery: The First Time Around
Phillip Boyd

Since this is geared toward beginners, we will have A BLAST teaching you the value of learning basic signs right, "the first time around." You will be given mini-lessons on how to achieve this goal, so you can master ASL the "DEAF WAY."