Learning a sign language is not just about the language itself, it is also about entering the Deaf community, the community that is right next to you but for many still remains unseen. Three years ago, when I started learning Polish Sign Language (PJM), I didn’t imagine it could become such a significant part of my life as it is now. Last year I got an MA degree in Polish Sign Language Philology and now I’m pursuing my academic career as a PhD student specializing in sign linguistics and I have also recently started working as a PJM interpreter. Thanks to these decisions I was able to get to know many wonderful people from the Deaf community and to learn how the Deaf culture works.
During this presentation I would also like to talk about challenges you may encounter while learning a sign language and entering your local Deaf community as a hearing outsider.
Rafał Darasz is a young language enthusiast from Poland. He is currently a PhD student specializing in sign linguistics and a Baltic Philology student at the University of Warsaw but he also has a master’s degree in Sinology. He’s been interested in language learning and linguistics since middle school and has studied many different languages with now focusing mainly on Polish Sign Language, Lithuanian and Latvian. One of his fields of interest is language comparison. He is also fond of music, especially singing, but he also plays a little bit of guitar and ukulele.
This video was recorded at the Polyglot Gathering 2023 (www.polyglotga...).
22 авг 2024
