American Sign Language (ASL) is one of the most beautiful, but misunderstood, languages in the world. Devote yourself to studying it as you would with another foreign language. ASL is mainly used in the United States and Canada, but is also widespread in other countries. Here's how to approach this form of communication and find that words can be translated into specific signs.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Things to Know
Step 1. Learn the position of the hands
Generally, the palm of your hand is facing the person you are talking to. Bend your elbow and keep your hand level with the chest area. The signs are made outwards so as to be easily legible.
- The position and direction in which the hands are oriented is important. When learning sign language pay close attention to the position of the hands and the orientation of the palms. This affects the meaning of the sign that is produced.
- The importance of external execution of the signs is not as important as your comfort. Arthritis and tendonitis can prevent this, so adjust your position.
- This language is not just about the hands and fingers, it involves the whole body, including the torso, arms and head. The face is extremely important. If you've ever wondered why deaf people are so lively, the answer lies in their use of facial expressions, which replace the tone of voice and communicative inflections of people who don't have hearing problems. For example, they raise their eyebrows when they want to ask a question.
Step 2. Take the time to learn to understand and make yourself understood
Step 3. Learn to finger spell using the ASL alphabet
This tool is essential for spelling words you don't know the sign of.
Step 4. Practice the greeting sign when you meet someone, which is universal and resembles the one you normally use
- Raise your right hand up to your forehead, palm facing out.
- Move it as if you were greeting normally.
Step 5. Practice the sign to say hello when you leave
- If it's a casual greeting, just wave your hand or head or raise your thumb.
- You can also say "See you" by pointing the middle finger at one of your eyes and the index finger at the other person.
Step 6. Learn the thank you sign
- Fully open the palm of your right hand, keep your fingers together and your thumb out.
- With your palm facing you, touch your chin with your fingertips.
- Move your hand from the chin forward and then lower it in an arc.
- Give your head a nod as you move your hand.
Step 7. Learn to ask "How are you?
. This sentence is broken into two signs, with the question mark implied.
- Keep both hands at chest height, with your thumbs raised loosely and facing you.
- Rotate your hands up, always keeping them at chest height in the same shape. Rotate the thumb of your right hand forward.
- Point the index finger of your right hand, held at chest height, towards the other person.
- Frown as you finish the sentence, which indicates a question that has an answer beyond "yes" or "no".
Step 8. Gradually add more words and expressions to your basic knowledge
Knowing the alphabet is a good start, but most of this language is made up of expressions. Build your vocabulary slowly and take some time to master it. Constant practice will allow you to become fluent, just like with any other language.
- Learn the signs of numbers.
- Learn to refer to space.
- Learn to make time references, that is, learn the signs of the time, days of the week and months.
Part 2 of 3: How to Learn
Step 1. Invest in a good dictionary to answer your doubts:
on the other hand the ASL is a real language.
- Choose one that contains easy-to-understand illustrations and descriptions.
- Try consulting an online dictionary, where you can see videos of the signs being produced.
Step 2. Take a course
Go to class so you can practice with other people and know how you are doing.
- Do a Google search to find a course in your city.
- Find out if there are bookstores in your area that offer these types of courses to those interested.
Step 3. Buy some study manuals to practice, get more instructions, and learn how to maintain good basic conversation as well as structure sentences
Step 4. Search for online resources
In addition to learning the language, you will also be able to discover something new about the culture associated with it.
- You can visit many sites containing video tutorials posted by professional instructors. https://www.lifeprint.com/ASLU is a great resource for beginners. Each lesson features a video made by an experienced teacher. https://www.handspeak.com is another good source of videos and also offers a web dictionary.
- YouTube hosts a wide range of homemade videos on sign language. However, remember not to trust certain tutorials completely: it may be that some people are not particularly knowledgeable or that they do not have the correct techniques.
Step 5. Download an app
With the advent of smartphones, you can carry your dictionary and study manual with you without any problems. Both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store have multiple options, some free, others paid.
- The apps are great for quick reference and some include instructional videos.
- There are also those containing study manuals and dictionaries, so try a few until you find the right one.
- Look for apps that have positive reviews, i.e. with a preponderance of 4 or 5 stars.
Part 3 of 3: Practical Experience
Step 1. Become familiar with the culture to become even more fluent
Since deafness is rarely transmitted genetically, the culture of deaf-mute children evolves not only at home, but also in the centers they attend. Sign language is a small part of all of this.
- This condition is not considered a disability to be corrected. Some terms, such as "dumb", are culturally insensitive and should never be used.
- In general, communities of this type are quite closed and it is difficult to enter at first. But you will be able to make new friends if you are constant and have a humble attitude. Once they understand that you are sincere and willing to know their world, they will accept you and make you participate.
- This culture is based on strong literary traditions, especially poetics.
Step 2. Practice with someone regularly to improve your reading skills, speed and comprehension:
you can't learn the language just by studying manuals and watching videos.
- Post an ad on the school bulletin board to find a partner.
- Ask a friend or family member to study with you so you can practice every day.
Step 3. Communicate with a deaf person
Solidify the foundations, interact with the members of the community.
- Find out if specific events are organized in your area for the deaf and dumb, such as exhibitions, cineforums or simply meeting points.
- See for example the pages of the Deaf Coffee Chat website. Often (though not always) oriented towards beginners, it offers the possibility of finding deaf people who will be happy to chat with you.
- Attend community events, be polite and start talking to someone.
Advice
No language can be translated word for word into another. There are English terms that do not have an equivalent in the ASL, so you will need to use several signs to explain them, and there are signs that cannot be explained with just one word
Warnings
- Deaf and dumb people value privacy just like those who have no hearing impairment. If you are studying sign language, do not stare at deaf families you meet in public places, even if you are fascinated by them, otherwise you will cause nervousness.
- Don't make up the signs. ASL is a universally recognized language, but it is not the game of mime. If you don't know a sign to express a concept, spell the corresponding word with your fingers and ask a deaf friend or an ASL interpreter to translate it. The signs are created by the deaf-mute community, not by the hearing who learn them.
- No dictionary can be exhaustive. Remember that there can be multiple signs corresponding to a single English word and vice versa. For example, you can find only one gloss for the word "abbreviate", but, in reality, another sign is also used for this term, which means "condense" (two C's are created with the hands at chest height; hands are closed almost in a fist).
- Hearing people learn to speak with both their eyes and ears from an early age. Deaf people don't. Consequently, do not take anything for granted and do not believe that they are less intelligent than you just because their written Italian is not grammatically perfect. Remember that your way of speaking sign language can seem just as strange to them.
- If you are learning, don't think that all deaf people are willing to be patient and teach you to express yourself at any time you want. Do you want some of them to help you? Make an appointment with her, but don't force anyone to help you out.
- There are many coded sign systems: Sign Supported Speech (SSS), Seeing Essential English (SEE) and Signing Exact English (SEE2) are examples. Remember they are systems, not languages. They were created by people outside the user's culture, that is, the hearing, for deaf people. They are not a natural language to communicate fully and effectively.
- Interpreters are certified professionals who have studied for years. The mere fact of having memorized the entire dictionary does not qualify you for this profession. For example, if you witness an accident and one of those involved is deaf, do not approach the policeman to be his interpreter: in these cases an expert with a certificate should be called.
