Or am I just a dummy!!!!!
I have been dating a young deaf lady for about 2 years and i can barely understand her when she signs to me however I speak and understand spanish and french.
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Or am I just a dummy!!!!!
I have been dating a young deaf lady for about 2 years and i can barely understand her when she signs to me however I speak and understand spanish and french.
.
Yes sign language is hella hard!(and retarded) Learning foreign is easier.
Sign language is simply a code for other words, rather than an interpretation in someone else’s language – if that makes sense!
Foreign languages you have to learn how to say words differently, new structures, etc. Sign language is just added hand signals to words.
TL;DR, it’s too hard for me to say, try for yourself and see! =D
There are many varieties of sign language. I’ve found ASL to be easier than many foreign languages. There are benefits to it, such as learning to think conceptually and the ability to communicate with many people who already live in the USA. A drawback is that the Deaf community is not in a distinct geographic location; there is no country full of deaf people, so you need to work with them often to stay in practice.
ASL is not Signed English. It is a separate language with lexical and grammatical differences from English. It has regional variations and even “accents.” A person from Colorado might use a different sign than a person from Maine would. Overall, most signs will be understood throughout the country, though it is NOT universal. Other countries may have completely different sign languages. A deaf American may not understand Japanese Sign Language.
Edit: How have you communicated so far? Can she speechread (lipread) well? Is she oral (can she speak)? ASL has different grammar than English, Spanish and French. That is probably what’s throwing you off. I’m guessing that she’s been trying to teach you with no success. You really need to take classes with a hearing instructor. It’s a very deep and rich language, and there are many subtleties to it, even at a basic level. Even facial expression is part of it. If you pay close attention, you may notice her raise her eyebrows when asking a yes/no question but lowering them when asking other questions. It’s not just her; that’s part of the language! It has other modulations that you can’t even begin to imagine. If possible, take classes at a local college. Make sure they are ASL and not “conversational sign language” or any other crap (unless she uses that other crap, in which case you’d need to learn whatever she knows, but I assume she uses ASL). Rather than just learning the “hows” that books and DVDs show, they can teach you the “whys.” Once you understand WHY, the HOW will come much smoother.
I would say that sign languages in general are easier, because with spoken languages, you have to learn new pronunciations most of them, along with other things.