English-Reading/Writing skills
English is one of the hardest language to learn on this planet.
I admit that I don’t have very good English-Reading/Writing skills as many of you. I have just started into the blogging world and was worried about getting criticism from certain people that enjoy doing that.
Despite that I have wrote a novel, MindField, it still doesn’t mean that I have superb writing skills. Your editor can clean it up.
I have read some hearing bloggers that say how stupid some deaf people write and that they have bad English skills. But they don’t realize that the people that are deaf are the most abused in terms of getting appropriate education of all. We deaf people just happen to be different species that function best by getting data flow of inputs in education through our eyes. It is just too bad that certain organizations deprived our needs in sign language(ASL). It has proven that ASL at early age of a deaf child will learn English-Reading/Writing skills far better than those that were denied sign language(ASL).
Be proud of yourself(deafies) that you can read and write no matter how good or bad. There are no illiterated deaf people in the USA.
Do you realize that there are 20 to 30 million hearing people that can’t READ and WRITE English in the United States of America!!!!
With illegal aliens, make that 30 to 50 million hearing people that are have illiteracy problems in English language.
Be proud of yourself, that we Deaf people, at least 99%, are actually bilingual, ASL/English.
My new novel book, MindField, in my opinion is an easy reading book for everyone.
John F. Egbert       www.EgbertPress.com
Posted on January 9th, 2007 by egbertpress
Filed under: Uncategorized
John -
It is no secret that I always feel so inferior with my English skills but guess what, I had to remind myself that I am able to write/sign two languages, English and ASL. Not many are bilinguals in this country so we need to remember that we are so rich with both languages!
Thanks for the reminder that we have nothing to be ashamed of our English but be grateful for knowing two languages!
Joey
Thank goodness for editors, secretaries, and ghostwriters. I initially realized that even hearing people were having problems with reading and writing when I enrolled in Floyd Junior College in Rome, Georgia many years ago. My Cell Biology (advanced biology course) professor teamed me up with two other students for a joint class project. It involved in some writing reports, and I began to coordinate my group and put together our reports. I realized that some reports needed editing so I went ahead and corrected them before submitting our final project. A few days later, the professor asked my group to meet with him, because he wanted to know how it was done “extraordinarily.” I explained that I did some editing, and he was very impressed by it. It was when I began to realize that not all hearing people can read and write.
In my blogs, I made several mistakes! Of course! If I were to collect my blogs for publication, then I would have some editors work on them.
I do look forward to reading your book….
Carl
Hi, John. I agree that most of the English problems Deaf people struggle roots from lack of language exposure during their critical development period and has nothing to do with their intelligence, but a reflection of how the educational system failed them. I cringe whenever I see hearing or deaf people criticizing on the English skills of Deaf people because it is fundamentally unfair for these deaf writers.
I just started reading your book recently.
Most of the English problems the deaf people struggle with comes from lack of their exposure to English during the critical period of language development and actually reflects the failure of the educational system. It has nothing to do with their intelligence. I cringe whenever I see hearing or deaf people criticizing deaf writer’s English because this is fundamentally unfair for these writers.
By the way, I just started reading your book. Very interesting!
Thank you for making me feeling better
John, your comment inspires me. Me too, I am not perfect with my English writing. Many people have said to me that I need to give myself credit because I didn’t have a language until I was 6 years old and yet I am fluent in ASL and working on develop my skills in English writing. I had a very bad education when I grew up.
I must congratulate you for completing a book. You are a great example to Deaf community that you wrote a book even though you had been struggling with English. You are my hope. Thank you so much!
By the way, where can I buy your book? I would love to read your book.
Joey- Thank you for making an inspiration comment. You are very good at inspiring people. :o)
Mishka Zena and Carl- I agree with you. I admire your potential in writing English. You are one of my role models. Again, Thank you for understanding about other Deaf people who struggle with English and not to look down on them.
John, you are a good writer and your comments are readably enough to be understood. I have the same concerns for years as you have, though reading different matters or subjects can help us to improve our writing skills, by finding and developing our own writing niche from reading the works of our favorite authors, whoever these are. It takes years to do it but it will pay off handsomely for you.
Though, a blogger is not considered as a journalist in the eyes of experienced news journalists or op-ed writers, but bloggers have special, if necessarily consistent, obligations to present views or opinions to others who may be tired or skeptical of overpaid, jaded, very biased news journalists, reporters or op-ed writers and wanted different perspectives from a Joe or Jane Public blogger. Especially like us deaf bloggers.
There are many good deaf writers out there who love to read and write. How they write about it is based on how they wanted to communicate in whatever fashion they like to, just as long they can try to make their messages “loud and clear” to others.
Keep it your good works, John.
Rob
It’s true! we are not pure perfect English writing. I personally hate writing because it so much rules! I just do the best I can write. I rather ASL over English because it easy, fast and awesome! I am looking forward to get your copy! I am with you all the way! Gary Brooks
Writing takes two talents: first, an ability to express ideas well, and second, an ability to write….Most writing one sees on the internet is unfortunately boring and lacks thought and expression. However, deaf bloggers, no matter what their English skills are, show great expression and yours is no exception.
Do not be afraid to ask a friend to help you with your writing! I often do too even though I was an English teacher in the past! Great writers like Hemingway and Michener have their editors.
Like artists, writers need to express themselves first, and use the best tools available. 90 percent of expression comes from within. I’m so glad you took it all the way to publishing!
Absolutely! I agreed with all commenters above about their perspectives on English in writing skills. We are in the same boat. My English is imperfect. I do often read newspapers daily on Washington Metro subway to work; however, my mind was block in writing to express. Due to the writing processing, I have troubling to find good words to input together in the essay or memo or email. Each individual have their own writing styles in different way.
I tend to read so fast and perhaps I will miss the whole concept in the article or story. I should read slowly and look up into the dictionary or using dictionary calucator device (I love it because of speed up to pick words rather than flipping up into the book).
I grew up by resisiting to read books except my favorite comics until I become older in 20’s. My father forced me to read a novel, JURASSIC PARK by Michael Crichton. It hooked me through the adventures of dinosaur zoo. By the end of the book, I said “WOW.” Eventually, I returned to Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California to take remedy English courses and I found very frustrated myself. You know I am only one in hearing class with sign language interpreter and listened to the professor. I was overwhelmed with her instruction. I realized that I confronted frustrating to understand my hearing teacher through the intepreter. Also I realized that I need more visual to see the teacher’s displaying the concept of English grammar and structure. Then I decided to apply NTID/RIT to puruse my career in Professional in Technology Communication. When I arrived on RIT campus, I found very brightening future ahead of my college life. I knew I would stay until I graduated from RIT. While I took my Business Technology, I took English/Reading courses and grammar workshop. With my ponder, the deaf teachers instructed me very clarify with ideas, concise, structure, grammar, and cohrenence in essay by visual demonstrations. I was very motivated to learn.
When I reached RIT at Liberal Arts Department, I passed Writing in Communication I and learned from a deaf teacher. Then I took Writing in Communication II three times due to struggle with English compostions and essays. These teachers did not want to feed me including other deaf students too much and wanted us to do ourselves to overcome the English writing. This was real hard. When the instructors gave us some articles relate to psychology or sociology or other topics where it was not related to each of us in different interests. Sometimes, the articles may be too dry not to understand enough.. I hate this part to do. If I am interested in travelling or deaf, or entertainment, I would do in essay writing. Fortunately, other students have achieved their english skills and able to take RIT courses.
With my frustration with RIT Liberal Arts, I decided to transfer to Gallaudet University. The first semester of 2003, I took English 102S and forced me to read the textbook about reading and filling the blanks including group discussion. It indeed helped me a lot. Next class, English 203S under Paige Franklin, I was very happy to have her in my class. She was very patientful to assist me in any way to improve my writing skills. The rest of history achieved my life. However, I do continue reading newspapers and one novel book. I should continue to write something to improve my writiting skills.
Nick
Hey, me, too! I always feel insecure with my written English when I am among hearing people. What I find the most tough about learning to write superb English is mastering its preposition (e.g., of, from , on, in, etc.). There’s NO guidebook on teaching preposition. You just have to get a feeling for it–somehow–and internalize it. That comes from being constantly exposed to English on a daily basis. By the way, what in blue blazes does “it” in “It’s raining outside” represents anyway?! English is a strange language.