im 15 and really want to learn sign language, and im wondering if asl is used more commonly throughout the world than bsl?
i live in ireland so i will probably be taught the british one, although im planning to live in spain or france when i grow up so im wondering if theres any point in learning a british version? would it still be useful to me?
also, because im only starting at 15 do you think i could learn it fluently enough to teach it when im older? i want to teach spanish and french aswell and i can learn vocabulary quite quickly. honestly do you think i could become good enough even though im starting so late?
thanks guys
xoxoxo
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Yes I think you could do it.
Isn’t there a special sing language for every language?
So you would have to learn the English one, the Spanish and the French?
ASL is used in Canada, the US, and Mexico (although not 100% sure about Mexico). If you intend to teach in europe, it is best to find one specific country and stay there. EVERY country has a different language. and every part of the country has a different dialect.
My daughter is a graduate of a sign language in California,but is also learning to sign in Spanish.While some signs are standard.you have to know the language in order to sign in Spanish or any other foeign language.In order to teach signing you have to have at least a BA.Hope this helps answer your question.I wish you well.
the good thing is that french and spanish have the same origin: latin, they conserve the same structure and some words look alike, about the age, while younger, better it gets! when you’re younger the cells on your brain multiply faster, not that older people couldn’t learn! just is a fact, brain cell stop decrease their multiplication at 35 🙁 (bad thing) so learn languages is an excellent way to keep in tone the brain, it’s good to prevent Alzheimer, so don’t worry about it, about the learning british…i couldn’t get that part, sorry
Dear Rachelmillymoohead! [love the name!!]
Clearly you are already aware that there are several different sign languages, but I thought I should point out that “sign” is not necessarily related to the dominant “verbal” language of any particular country. That is, sign has its own grammar, syntax, and so on, not necessarily related to English grammar and sytax.
This stems from the political dispute between the hearing community and the deaf over how ppl should sign and what to teach them. Some hearing teachers of deaf students took the view that sign should simple be a rigid transposition of English, with individual signs for individual letters of the alphabet.
This short-sighted approach overlooked that one sign could convey a whole word or concept, and this was far more economical than spelling out an English word. For example, one sign for ‘education’ instead of spelling out nine letters!
Naturally, the deaf community preferred to use their own sign language, but the teachers refused to teach it. Apparently the result is that some deaf ppl use sign, some don’t, some use a mixture of sign and spelling out letters individually…. and in different English-speaking countries there are different, unrelated “sign” languages!
This is an ongoing issue, so it is great that you want to teach Sign, as there is apparently a shortage of signing teachers. But you need to be aware of this political background to the area.
(I don’t know any sign language, nor am I deaf. I’m just interested, as a language teacher, in linguistics, and the politics of language generally.)
By the way, 15 is not starting “late”! I learned to speak Spanish fluently from zero in my late 30s…………
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sign_languages
Hi, I feel that this article answers your question better than I could.
–Re teaching sign language please consult–
http://www.yorku.ca/foe/People/Faculty/ProfilesFac/ConnieMayer/index.html
Good luck in your vocation!