American Sign Language And Numerical Stories - 1118 Words

A-Z stories in American Sign Language and numerical stories as well were introduced around the 1940’s (Bauman). Gilbert Eastman stated that A-Z and numerical stories were most likely created as early as the 1900’s at the Ohio School for the Deaf (Bauman). However, with the advanced technology of the 20th century American Sign Language numerical and A-Z stories may be cherished and videorecorded for future generations (American Sign Language Literature). What are A-Z and numerical stories? A-Z stories are stories created in American Sign Language that begin with the letter A and continue in succession throughout the alphabet to Z. Numerical stories are similar in that it begins with 1 and continues in some sort of numerical sequence.†¦show more content†¦Although, there rules that apply to both forms of storytelling. The first rule is that the story incorporates paralinguistic mechanisms such as pausing, space, etc. (Bauman). The second rule is that the story fl ows naturally, and clearly makes sense. It is not allowed that a storyteller has a story that is choppy or jumpy to the point that the viewer does not understand. One of the most important rules is that the storyteller succeeds in continuing the story in alphabetical, or numerical, order. Similarly, if one tells the story in the reverse order, one cannot skip a letter, or number (Bauman). Lastly, for alphabetical stories there are allowable deviations and those that are not allowed. For example, many storytellers interchange â€Å"2† hand shapes such as â€Å"N,† â€Å"H,† â€Å"U,† and â€Å"V.† This deviation, along with the interchange of the â€Å"3† hand shapes â€Å"M† and â€Å"W,† are allowable deviations (Bauman). However, the usage of the â€Å"time out† sign as â€Å"T† in A-Z stories is an example of a deviation that is not allowed (Bauman). These vital rules to alphabetical and numerical storytelling aid in contributing to the overall purpose. A-Z and numerical stories have multiple purposes, however, the main purpose is that of a source of entertainment (American Sign Language Literature). Similar to our American Sign Language class, classes throughout the world are assigned to create or research A-Z and numerical stories for school assignments. Although, they are enjoyable and a