SASL Executive Board
2019 – 2022
President
Samuel J. Supalla
University of Arizona
[email protected]
By Andrew P. J. Byrne
Understanding Monologues in ASL
Vice President
(vacant)
Recording Secretary /
Newsletter Editor
Andrew P. J. Byrne
University at Buffalo
[email protected]
Treasurer
Harvey Nathanson
Austin Community College
[email protected]
SASL Journal
Editor-in-Chief
Jody H. Cripps
Clemson University
[email protected]
Board Directors
Karen Alkoby
Gallaudet University
[email protected]
Gabriel Arellano
Georgetown University
[email protected]
Ron Fenicle
Montgomery College
[email protected]
Zellie Meadows
Melanie McKay-Cody
Independent Researcher
[email protected]
Russell Rosen
CUNY – Staten Island
[email protected]
Clarence Supalla’s “The Old Deaf Farm-Hand Visits at
[the] Deaf Club”, a published recording of the original literary
work in ASL recently received my attention. Why? The
abbreviated title "The Old Deaf Farm-Hand" is delightfully
unique and a rare depiction of an ASL literary monologue.
While searching for other examples, I could not find any
scholarly work done on ASL monologues as a genre. There
are some ASL works that have been identified as monologues
at St. Catherine University in Minnesota (see CATIE Center,
2017) and the University of North Florida (see Digiterp
Communications, 2003). I learned that those monologues are
used for ASL-English interpreter training purposes. At St.
Catherine University, I was able to view the “identified” ASL
monologues. I came to see that those works are better
described as autobiographies (with deaf individuals telling
about their actual or real experiences on various topics). I will
now focus my in-depth discussion on Clarence's work "The
Old Deaf Farm-Hand" for this editorial.
First, I reviewed what the scholarly literature reports
regarding monologues in general. Most frequently found in
drama, monologues have a long tradition that goes back to the
time of ancient Greece (Byron, 2003). The French word
monologue comes from the Greek word monologos, which
means speaking alone or solitary speech (Frieden, 1985;
Harper, 2001-2020). Definitions of a monologue range from
simple to detailed. The simplest definition is “a long speech
delivered by an individual” (Auger, 2010, p. 189). Sankey
(2000) provides a more detailed definition. “A monologue is a
predominantly verbal presentation given by a single person
featuring a collection of ideas [and feelings], often loosely
assembled around one or more themes” (p. 1).
I will rely on this information as well as other sources
for my examination of "The Old Deaf Farm-Hand," located in
an 85-minute videotape entitled Short Stories in American
Sign Language, which was produced by the ASL Vista Project
in 1991. The videotape features two storytellers, Clarence
Supalla and David Supalla, who recite their seven original and
translated literary works. With “The Old Deaf Farm-Hand,” I
want to note that Clarence cleverly used theatricals to indicate
(Continue on the next page)
The Power of ASL 2
Summer 2020 – Issue 18