1997_10 The Daily Collegian October 1997

              THE DAILY
COLLEGIAN
Monday, October 6,1997
Signs
Continued from page 1
ginning to recognize the marketing
opportunities with this particular
population." Brentari says "Deaf
people arc consumers, too."
Sherman Wilcox, associate pro¬
fessor of linguistics at the Univer¬
sity of New Mexico, says the de¬
mand for sign language courses—
considered one of the top 10 lan¬
guages used in the United States—
has increased on his campus and
others.
"I've seen it all over the place,"
he said. "If they offer one course,
they'll be able to fill up three. If
they offer three, they'll fill up six."
Colleges that have approved
sign language for foreign language
credit include the University of
Minnesota. Michigan State Univer¬
sity, State University of New York
at Stony Brook, University of South
Florida.- University of California-
Davis and University of Washing¬
ton.
Sensitivity
Continued from page 2
lion policies (because of the
honk>'s inherent color or v&alth)
had nothing to do with "years of
racism" and "white affirmative ac¬
tion" either.
We also would not have to worry
X-treme—
"The language is just getting
more exposure." Wilcox said.-
"You see it on TV. We are gener¬
ally coming to a better under¬
standing of the language."
The issue has not boen with¬
out controversy, however. Many
universities still refuse to recog¬
nize sign language as a foreign
language, arguing that is not fun-
damcntally different from
English and that it is not associ¬
ated with a distinct culture.
Before moving to Indiana,
Brentari taught linguistics at UC-
Davis, where she argued suc¬
cessfully for the acceptance of
sign language as a foreign lan¬
guage.
"It's very different in struc¬
ture than English." she said. She
compares sign language to Japa¬
nese and Navajo, which are dis¬
tinct from Spanish, French and
other Romance languages de¬
rived form Latin. "[Students] are
exposing themselves to a com-
ahout reverse discrimination un¬
der my proposal. In fact, we
cbiifd still discriminate against
the rich.
Todd Shorkley is a writer for
the Ohio Stale University Lan¬
tern,     r
Continued from page 2.
ethic of maniacal physical exertion
and a materialistic one-upmanship
rooted in the quality of one's gear.
What sort of world have we cre¬
ated in which the great American
and European tradition of healthful
hiking is warped into a Vshoot the
wounded" proposition?
An "extreme" world.
Sadly, the passion and energy of
the "extreme" stormtroopers are
mostly directed toward sports and
other self-aggrandizing activities,
like corporate climbing. This at just
the moment in. American history
when society could make use of
their proclivity toward chronic ac¬
tivity.
Imagine "extreme
volunteerism," in which these same
people applied their energies to¬
ward building housing for the
homeless or working with people
with AIDS.
How about "extreme literacy,"
wherein thrilling rides through his¬
tory and character would produce,
not tighter quadriceps, but keener
insights?
Add to the list "extreme" recy¬
cling, "extreme" after-school tutor-
ng, or "extreme" community activ-
sm. Were all engaged by America's
extreme'' athletes, in the time it
akes to train for a high-altitude
eath run, the world might become
better place.
But we know that's never going
j happen, don't we?
Of course it isn't, for "extreme"
i, ultimately, the domain of the in-
red and the detached - those whose
pletely different language family."
In the classroom, sign language is
taught much like other foreign lan¬
guages. During tests, an instructor will
"The deaf culture is a
culture embedded yet
different than
mainstream U.S.
culture."
Diane Brentari
Purdue linguut
sign the words, and students will write
down the English. Students are
graded, too, on their own ability to
sign.
Students also study the literature of
the deaf, including poems and stories
that have been passed down in a non-
written tradition. Brentari said.
"The deaf culture is a culture em¬
bedded yet different than mainstream
U.S. culture." she said. "Deaf
people dress like Americans; they
behave like Americans. Yet they
have this very important part of
their lives devoted to their own cul¬
ture and traditions."
Students in the class say they've
noticed a distinct culture within the
deaf community. "I was intrigued
by their togetherness." saioVBoggs.
who has lakeji several sections of
sign language and now serves as the
president of the Purdue Sign Lan¬
guage Club. "I think the demandjbr
the classes has become greater be¬
cause it is offered as a foreign lan¬
guage, but I think once people get
into it. they are in it for the culture."
The club has hosted a number
of events, including a recent perfor¬
mance by a deaf storyteller that
drew a huge student turnout. "Many
have come to functions to learn
about the culture," Boggs said.
"Our meetings have gone from five
10 six people in attendance to 25 to
30."
Only about five percent of stu¬
dents are drawn to sign language
classes because they have a deal
family member, said Brentari. who
herself grew up with a deaf cousin
"Many of them have sought out
ways to meet deaf people after tak-
mg the sign classes," she said. "The
only negative thing I sometimes
hear is that students have a hard
time practicing."
After graduation, Boggs said she
hopes to put her sign language skills
to good use as a teacher. "I have
been working with children who
have severe disabilities and teach¬
ing them sign language." she said
"I really enjoy helping them to com
municate when they have such lim¬
ited options."
Brentari says sign language
skills can be a selling point with
corporate employers, too. "It show s
you arc more flexible and adapt
able," she said.
thrills are found in motion and
speed, and not in the human con¬
dition.
Sports used to be about that.
Even the most violent team
sports, like football, rugby, and
hockey, teach us about how to
think fast, how to work with oth¬
ers, and how to apply our inten¬
sity selectively for a greater
good.
"Extreme" sports teach us
that we, alone, are omnipotent,
that our need for speed surpasses
poetry in motion.
They demonstrate that the
measure of our athleticism is the
risk factor inherent in our
"sport."
They exalt a narcissistic no¬
tion of individual performance,
though all of it is aided by trendy
and sleek equipment - bikes,
blades, snowboards
In the end, "extreme sports"
are not really sports at all. They
arc simply a kind of dangerous
shopping and posing.
So. keep your "extreme"
bungee-gliding. roller-blade rac¬
ing, mountai.'-biking,
snowboarding. go&ttc-b'owihg*
in-the-wind-thrill-jo;kcy-speed-
wecnic crap. Keep it o.i ESPN 2
with Jimmy Rome and all the
other brainless, blustering battle.
Me. I'll rflkc softball with the
office team any day over "ex¬
treme" anything.
Call me old-fashioned.
I am.
Extremely.
Branson Hilliard writes for    «
the Colorado Daily. *    §
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