James.Womack@f14.n300.z1.fidonet.org (James Womack) (04/11/91)
Index Number: 14752
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXCERPT FROM DR. JEFF DAVIS' PRESENTATION TO THE
TEACHING STAFF AT ASDB LAST OCTOBER. DR. DAVIS IS A PROFESSOR IN THE
SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA.
Schools have tried a wide variety of methods in teaching English. One
of the most popular in recent times is MCE (Manually Coded English).
The theory behind (MCE) was to take English, a spoken language and
change it into signs, borrowing some basic vocabulary from ASL, so
that it could be visible to deaf children. If it worked, MCE could be
used as a language of instruction throughout the children's
educational program. After the children learned Signed English via
MCE, reading and writing could be introduced as the next logical step.
Just like hearing children who learn a spoken language before being
introduced to reading and writing. The idea was to parallel the
process that hearing children go through. . . .
This experiment which began 20 years ago, has failed. MCE is not
a natural language. This may seem like a wonderful and exciting idea
but when we attempt to change a spoken language to a sign language,
the system breaks down. The sign system created, like I explained
during my first presentation, is not tuned for visual perception and
cognitive processing, or for cognitive processing and manual/gestural
production. It doesn't work. Now we are beginning to understand that
MCE is not a natural language.
TIME AND SPACE DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO GO INTO DETAIL, BUT DR. DAVIS
CITED RESEARCH SHOWING WHY MCE FAILS. BASICALLY, IT UPHOLDS WHAT DR.
STACKS FOUND. THE BRAIN REACHES A POINT WHERE IT REFUSES TO PROCESS
MCE IN THE WAY IT WOULD A NATURAL LANGUAGE THAT IS TUNED TO THE
"CORRECT" RECEPTIVE-EXPRESSIVE MEDIUMS; WHETHER THE EYE OR THE EAR AS
RECEPTORS AND THE VOICE OR SIGNS AS THE EXPRESSOR. PEOPLE WHO HAVE
ENGLISH AS A FIRST LANGUAGE TO BEGIN WITH, ENCOUNTER FEWER PROBLEMS
WITH MCE. YET EVEN THEY DEMONSTRATE CERTAIN AWKWARDNESS WITH IT
ACCORDING TO ON-GOING RESEARCH IN THIS AREA.
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