BTW, I was FREEZING doing this one, so not too many attempts to perfect it. Hm, and the full-on redhead must be the lighting! Lyrics below~
I am not deaf. I was inspired to learn from my cousin & my ASL instructor, both of whom are deaf, as well as from a friend's child. I am not an interpreter, although that may be a route I chose someday when my children are older. I have a long way to go to become even close to fluent in ASL, so I admire those that are.
I also took classes to learn Signed Exact English (S.E.E.), not out of disrespect for Deaf Culture and ASL, but because I wanted to learn to communicate in Sign on all levels. SEE is used in many schools to teach young children who are also learning to read, because it is in English word order. In fact, our local Children's Hospital was looking for SEE interpreters.
I had finished a year of ASL & had just completed SEE classes, when I did most of these videos. I started signing to songs with my daughter for fun, and then did my friend's fav song ("My Wish"), for her birthday. At the time, I had no idea how to use or incorporate ASL into song w/o losing the meaning and rhythm. So, I came up with this novel idea (!) to use the Signed Exact English (SEE) I had just learned. Feeling like I was betraying my ASL teachings, I mixed in ASL signs (not format) when I thought it worked as well. It was my own 'translation'. My email to her couldn't handle the video, so I popped it up here. I never intended, nor imagined, that it would start getting thousands of hits and people would start requesting that I try their fav songs.
If you do not know the differences between ASL, SEE and Pidgin-Signed English (PSE), please look the definitions up. ASL is a TRUE language, just as English is. However, that does not mean that people who predominately use ASL do not understand SEE and PSE as well. I would describe SEE as using extra signs for all the little "filler" words of a sentence in English word order; changing the hand-shape slightly from ASL signs (ex. ); and adding signed endings on to signs (-ing, -ly, -ed, etc.).
I continue to incorporate more ASL as I go. In fact, I am awaiting feedback from a good friend and mentor on an ASL song translation. He is a brilliant translator/song-signer (my own term!) who happens to be deaf, so I am honored he has taken me under his wing. My fabulous ASL instructor has also offered to give me advice.
Someday, I will update these videos, but for now, I keep them here because: 1). Mistakes and all, MANY people have asked how they can learn Sign Language, which is the point. Will it matter if someone who watched these saw a SEE sign vs ASL while beginning an ASL class, or now has the courage to talk with someone who is deaf? Learning to sign in any format that gets them going, as long as they know what they are learning & the differences? I tell those about taking classes; on-line resources & books if there are no schools nearby; and most importantly, that the BEST way to learn is to talk with someone who is deaf.
2). I did it with my friend in mind, not the 54,000 other people :-)
My best,
~Lauren
RASCAL FLATTS
I'm Movin' On
(Phillip White/Vincent Williams)
I've dealt with my ghosts and faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I'm at peace with myself
I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long
I'm movin' on
I've lived in this place and I know all the faces
Each one is different but they're always the same
They mean no harm but it's time that I face it
They'll never allow me to change
But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong
I'm movin' on
I'm movin' on
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarentee's, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone
I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town
I've loved like I should but lived like
I shouldn't
I had to lose everything to find out
Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road
I'm movin' on
I'm movin' on
I'm movin' on
Tags: I'm Moving Movin On Rascal Flatts Sign Language ASL PSE SEE
