American Sign Language Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Sign Language - Assignment Example To denote the difference, different spellings are used. For instance, the term deaf (lower case) is used generally to the condition of not being able to recognize sound while Deaf (upper case) is used to identify a particular group of people who share a common language and culture. Like most communities, values, patterns of beliefs, social customs and knowledge that represent characteristics of a community define culture. In addition, there have been efforts to unite and to bring deaf people together. In 1834, the first formal meeting was held and was known as Parisian banquet. Moreover, the first international gathering was held in 1889 in Paris. These activities led to the formation of associations and clubs. Some of the clubs formed, include the National Association for the Deaf in the United States as well as the World Federal for the Deaf. However, research shows that the numbers have been declining, possibly due to class-related issues. Padden further says that families should be aware of the local culture of Deaf people and most importantly, help their children to participate in events for the deaf (Padden, & Humphries, 1999). The development of linguistic and cognitive of deaf children raises concerns of bilingual language acquisition. Padden discusses the bilingual paradigm where deaf children are considered part of a linguistic minority as they acquire language. In addition, for multilingualism children, they must learn how to use each language and how to switch between the languages effectively. Furthermore, for those who use sign language as a first language and who believe they belong to a linguistic minority, to them sign language signifies group membership. The use sign language is a form of expressing values and beliefs that are carried across generations. Therefore, sign language represents a heritage that is common and a