SASL Newsletter - Fall 2019 Issue Issue 15 - Fall 2019 | Page 6

have implications for imagery. However, we need to take a step back and understand that the concept
of imagery is abstract. With imagery drawing on the five senses which includes sound, hearing
individuals can read something and use imagery to create accompanying sounds inside their heads.
The same holds true for deaf individuals when it comes to using their sense of sight. I recall watching
many ASL stories on video over the years which generated many mental images inside my head. For
example, one ASL storyteller described a setting where Spiderman's heroic actions were
communicated so effectively that I could visualize a dark and steamy New York City scene with
skyscrapers towering into the sky. I would not have the same imagery about New York City if engaged
in a conversation with someone telling about his or her visit to the city. I must give credit to the
storyteller's skillful use of language to help me visualize and enhance the experience. Clearly this
experience did not simply happen because ASL is visual, but rather that the storyteller manipulated
the language such that it was able to stir up my imagination.
In any case, I appreciate Dr. Meier's assertion that spoken languages "show abundant visual
imagery in their poetry (e.g., Homer's "rosy-fingered dawn")" (p. 125). I cannot fathom why scholars
do not think the same for signed languages, including ASL. They seem to be occupied with searching
for something that is truly different for ASL. The current trend in calling ASL a 'visual language' over
signed language has aggravated the problem, in my opinion. The ASL as Visual Language movement
in the field of ASL/Deaf Studies is worthy of a closer look for critique in the near future.
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The Power of ASL
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Fall 2019 – Issue 15