Im watching MTV’s “True Life” and this documentary is about deaf people living in a hearing world. I consider myself a lover of all languages which is why I am trying to learn. ASL has never crossed my mind as a valuable language to learn, Im starting to see that it is.
Who has successfully taught themselves ASL and how long did it take you?
ASL speakers, can you tell if someone is a newbie when it comes to sign language? Like if they stumble around w/ their hands? Is it hard to comprehend them?
sorry, I meant to say “Has anyone HERE, not HEAR”
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Great question. Actually, the best way to learn ASL is to be immersed in deaf culture and learn from those who know it best. You can learn some basic signs in a book, but that doesn’t mean you know ASL- it’s a complicated language, full of it’s own grammer, idioms and subtle meanings.
Just like you wouldn’t learn how to pronounce some spanish words from reading them in a book and announce you know spanish, one studying ASL needs to know that just because they have some basic signs does not mean they are fluent in ASL
Honestly, the only way to truly learn the language (and not just *signs*) is by becoming involved in the Deaf community and having them help, teach, and guide you along the way.
I commend you for wanting to learn, and I wish you all sorts of good luck!!
I’ll leave you with this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pVA8-wvSwM
The man is Deaf, and although I’ve been interpreting for 5 years and signing for 16 years, I am no where near as eloquent as he is. I wish it was something I could pick up in a book! Just some food for thought. 🙂
**ADDITIONAL DETAILS***
Check out ASLpro.com for a GREAT signed dictionary that can at least get you started and is ten times better than any book! 🙂