Challenging ideas of language

November 5, 2007 - Edmonton - The University of Alberta's 15th David Peikoff Chair of Deafness Studies Lecture took aim at the idea that language is a spoken form of communication.

Jolanta Lapiak, an Ameslan (American Sign Language) literary and media artist and poet in video, performance, photography, digital art and text, offered a critique of visual-manual and vocal-auditory entities within logocentrism - the view that logos (the Greek term for speech, thought and reason) is the central principle of truth or reason. She challenged Aristotle's statement that without speech, there is no reason.


Lapiak used examples of how logocentrism and phonocentrism - the view that speech is central to language - are practiced within literature and discussion of visual-manual language and how this rooted prejudice affects culture and language of Ameslan people.

Linda Cundy, an education consultant with Edmonton Regional Educational Consulting Services, enjoyed Lapiak's usage of the term 'deafhood' over 'deafness.'

"The word 'deafness' is related to 'not able to hear,'" she said. "We are in a neo-movement in which deaf people all over the world are taking charge of their own lives instead of allowing others to take care of us. That is what the term 'deaf-hood' is all about. It's a process of identifying and promoting our being as deaf individuals."

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[lacaz212]

Miss Lapiak, I was very pleased to see that you are doing well, and that you are looking as beautiful as ever. I am still displeased with myself and my ASL. I am not using it enough. We met at the Fire Rescue Tour last summer, I was the tour guide Lance. Now I am working as a Fire Recruit which is a lot harder but a dream come true. If you would like please contact me, I would be very happy to know what you have been up to. Take care.