There are many different words that have the same sign. For example, the letter F and the number 9 are the same sign (touching your index finger to your thumb and holding your other 3 fingers straight up). You know what the signer means by the context of the sentence. So if someone is telling you about their children and how old they are, when they make that specific sign, you can deduce that they're telling you their child is 9 years old. On the other hand, if they're spelling the name of their child, you know that they mean the letter F.
The sign for good and thank you are the same. Context helps, but another way to help differentiate between these two meanings is lip reading. When signing "thank you", you should mouth the words while you're signing it. And when you're signing "good", you should mouth the word good. This really helps differentiate between the two.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Deaf Culture: Keeping Each Other Informed
People in the deaf community are much more communicative than people in the hearing community. The reason for this is that they are a much more cohesive and mutually supportive community which lends to a greater sense of familiarity. Deaf people share much more information in casual conversations pertaining to their families, friends, what they've been doing, community news, and events. Deaf people tend to share their backgrounds during introductions or shortly after because there is a strong chance that they have common acquaintances and thus can catch up on what is going on with their old friends by exchanging information.
The following examples help illustrate the differences in communication levels between the hearing and deaf communities. If you were late for an English class, it would be considered polite to come in as quietly as possible and take a seat. In an ASL class, that same behavior would be considered inappropriate. It would be courteous for you to apologize and to provide a quick explanation as to why you were late. Also, if you were in a small group of hearing people and needed to go to the washroom, you would probably just say "excuse me for a minute" and slip away quietly. In the Deaf community, it would be proper to tell someone in the group where you're going and when you'll be back. In that situation, people in the deaf community are also more likely to ask where someone went, and that person will inform the group and the conversation will continue normally.
In my time spent volunteering at the Ottawa Deaf Centre, I have definitely noticed a greater sense of openness. People will come right out and ask questions that may seem a little forward in the hearing community. Some common questions are whether or not someone was born deaf and if their children and parents are deaf. These sorts of personal questions would probably not be asked in the hearing community until a greater sense of familiarity is achieved, whereas asking the same questions to someone you have recently met is not considered too forward.
The following examples help illustrate the differences in communication levels between the hearing and deaf communities. If you were late for an English class, it would be considered polite to come in as quietly as possible and take a seat. In an ASL class, that same behavior would be considered inappropriate. It would be courteous for you to apologize and to provide a quick explanation as to why you were late. Also, if you were in a small group of hearing people and needed to go to the washroom, you would probably just say "excuse me for a minute" and slip away quietly. In the Deaf community, it would be proper to tell someone in the group where you're going and when you'll be back. In that situation, people in the deaf community are also more likely to ask where someone went, and that person will inform the group and the conversation will continue normally.
In my time spent volunteering at the Ottawa Deaf Centre, I have definitely noticed a greater sense of openness. People will come right out and ask questions that may seem a little forward in the hearing community. Some common questions are whether or not someone was born deaf and if their children and parents are deaf. These sorts of personal questions would probably not be asked in the hearing community until a greater sense of familiarity is achieved, whereas asking the same questions to someone you have recently met is not considered too forward.
Contrastive Structure
When talking about people, places, or things (called referents) that are not visible, these referents need to be "placed" in a virtual space in front of you so you can refer back to them simply by pointing to that space. So if you're talking about your two brothers, you would start by assigning them a space. So you would sign John's name and point slightly to your left, and then sign Jim's name and point slightly to your right. Now whenever you want to say something about one or the other, you would just point to that spot rather than needing to finger spell their names every single time.
Spatial Agreement
When giving directions or showing the location of an object, it's important to use certain non-manual behaviors to show relative distance, trace the actual route to follow, and show the direction of turns.
Eye Gaze
As you trace a route, your eye gaze should follow that route to look at the places you describe. Along with the eye gaze, you should tilt your head in the same direction.
_______________________________
Conveying Distance
Whether you're trying to show that something is far away, not too far away, or very close, there are a few non-manual behaviors required to properly convey the distance.
Far Away
1. Tilt head
2. Squint eyes
3. Open mouth slightly
4. Trace route: extend arm fully
Not Too Far Away
1. Tilt head
2. Purse lips slightly
3. Trace route: extend arm moderately
Very Near
1. Tilt head
2. Clench teeth, turn head to the dominant side with cheek almost touching shoulder
3. Trace route: keep hand close to body (don't extend arm)
_______________________________
One thing that takes a lot of practice is to visualize the directions from the signer's perspective. If they're facing you, they're giving directions from their point of view, so you would need to flip it in your head.
Eye Gaze
As you trace a route, your eye gaze should follow that route to look at the places you describe. Along with the eye gaze, you should tilt your head in the same direction.
_______________________________
Conveying Distance
Whether you're trying to show that something is far away, not too far away, or very close, there are a few non-manual behaviors required to properly convey the distance.
Far Away
1. Tilt head
2. Squint eyes
3. Open mouth slightly
4. Trace route: extend arm fully
Not Too Far Away
1. Tilt head
2. Purse lips slightly
3. Trace route: extend arm moderately
Very Near
1. Tilt head
2. Clench teeth, turn head to the dominant side with cheek almost touching shoulder
3. Trace route: keep hand close to body (don't extend arm)
_______________________________
One thing that takes a lot of practice is to visualize the directions from the signer's perspective. If they're facing you, they're giving directions from their point of view, so you would need to flip it in your head.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sentence structure
The sentence structure of ASL is definitely something to get used to. For one, words such as "the", "it", "is", "are", "am", "to" are not normally acknowledged. So the number of words that it takes to say something in English is significantly more than required by ASL.
For example, if you wanted to tell someone where they may find your cat, you would say in English "You know the bedside table in my room? If you look on the ground to the right of it, she'll be sitting right there." In ASL, the signs used would be "you know my room, bed, table, cat, sit." The rest of the descriptors would be sort of pantomimed. So you would sign "you know my room." You would turn this into a question by opening your eyes wide, raising your eyebrows, and leaning forward a bit (I'll go into the importance of facial expression in another posting). Then you would sign bed and point to an imaginary spot just in front of you. This spot is now a reference point. Then, holding that spot with the index finger of your non-dominant hand, you would then point to a spot close beside it with your other index finger and make the sign for table. You have just shown that the table is to the right (or left) of the bed. Now you would point again to hold the position of the table, and point below and to the right of this point and make the sign for "cat" and "sit".
It sounds like a lot, but that's just because ASL is a much more visual language than a spoken language. You use less "words" and rely more on creating a picture for your audience.
These descriptions start out as quite general, and then you narrow it down to more specific details. Going back to the example of the cat sitting beside the table, you would start by signing the general location (room), then get a bit more specific (bed, table), and finally show which side of the table you would find the cat sitting.
For example, if you wanted to tell someone where they may find your cat, you would say in English "You know the bedside table in my room? If you look on the ground to the right of it, she'll be sitting right there." In ASL, the signs used would be "you know my room, bed, table, cat, sit." The rest of the descriptors would be sort of pantomimed. So you would sign "you know my room." You would turn this into a question by opening your eyes wide, raising your eyebrows, and leaning forward a bit (I'll go into the importance of facial expression in another posting). Then you would sign bed and point to an imaginary spot just in front of you. This spot is now a reference point. Then, holding that spot with the index finger of your non-dominant hand, you would then point to a spot close beside it with your other index finger and make the sign for table. You have just shown that the table is to the right (or left) of the bed. Now you would point again to hold the position of the table, and point below and to the right of this point and make the sign for "cat" and "sit".
It sounds like a lot, but that's just because ASL is a much more visual language than a spoken language. You use less "words" and rely more on creating a picture for your audience.
These descriptions start out as quite general, and then you narrow it down to more specific details. Going back to the example of the cat sitting beside the table, you would start by signing the general location (room), then get a bit more specific (bed, table), and finally show which side of the table you would find the cat sitting.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Facial Expressions
Facial expressions are extremely important in ASL. Questions become questions not through the words signed but rather through the expression on your face as you sign. In terms of asking questions, there are 2 different expressions that differentiate between the 2 types of questions being asked.
The first type of question is a yes/no question. For example, if you're asking "Is she deaf?" you should do the following:
- raise eyebrows
- widen eyes
- lean forward
- hold the last sign in the sentence
The second type of question is a wh-word question, such as "who", "what", "where", etc. For example, if you want to ask "Who is she?" you would need to do the following:
- lower eyebrows
- lean head forward
- hold the last sign in the sentence
If this is a bit hard to picture, not to worry. You will be seeing many examples of this in the videos of the "Key Phrases" section of each unit.
The first type of question is a yes/no question. For example, if you're asking "Is she deaf?" you should do the following:
- raise eyebrows
- widen eyes
- lean forward
- hold the last sign in the sentence
The second type of question is a wh-word question, such as "who", "what", "where", etc. For example, if you want to ask "Who is she?" you would need to do the following:
- lower eyebrows
- lean head forward
- hold the last sign in the sentence
If this is a bit hard to picture, not to worry. You will be seeing many examples of this in the videos of the "Key Phrases" section of each unit.
Left or Right Hand?
When signing, there is a dominant hand and a non-dominant hand. If you are right handed, then your right hand is the dominant hand, and vice versa. Some signs require only one hand, and in these cases, you would use only your dominant hand. For example, I am right handed. So when I am fingerspelling words or signing numbers or letters, I use only my right hand. There are also signs that are two-handed, where one hand moves while the other one stays stationary. Your dominant hand would be the hand to move while your non-dominant hand would stay still.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Multiple Signs for the Same Word
One thing that has taken a lot of getting used to is the fact that one word can have several signs, depending on who you are speaking to. I volunteer at the local deaf centre, and one girl I was signing with was trying to say that she had missed something (in the sense that she didn't catch it). She used a sign I was not familiar with, so I asked her to fingerspell it. When I showed her the sign I knew for that word, she wasn't familiar with mine! Although, this girl is also just learning ASL as she grew up learning LSQ (Langue des signes québécoise), which is quite different from ASL. We compared our signs to those used by another native ASL user, and she had a few more to throw into the pool. It's actually quite comical to see us trying to communicate, because she signs so fast and uses a lot of signs I haven't learned yet, but a lot of them are actually signs I will never learn because they're not ASL signs, but I'm not sure which ones are from which language, and I have to constantly ask her to slow down! Whew! But it's definitely a lot of fun and gets my brain going. One thing that reassures me is when I see 2 native ASL users asking for clarification from each other for a sign that one of them doesn't understand. This is something that happens to everyone, no matter what level you are.
One major factor that accounts for the differences is the region where you learned ASL. If you learned in Manitoba, you will probably have quite a few signs that differ from those used by someone who learned in Ontario. If you look at the Canadian Dictionary for ASL, you will see they mention sometimes up to 6 different signs for one word, and they'll indicate which region uses which.
This can be a little daunting for someone like me who is just starting out and who is trying to make sense of it all. My teacher in level 1 showed us the sign for "twin". When I used it in level 3, my teacher didn't know what I was talking about. But when I went home to check in my dictionary, sure enough, there it was. One saving grace with this language is that you can always fingerspell anything! Thank goodness for that.
One major factor that accounts for the differences is the region where you learned ASL. If you learned in Manitoba, you will probably have quite a few signs that differ from those used by someone who learned in Ontario. If you look at the Canadian Dictionary for ASL, you will see they mention sometimes up to 6 different signs for one word, and they'll indicate which region uses which.
This can be a little daunting for someone like me who is just starting out and who is trying to make sense of it all. My teacher in level 1 showed us the sign for "twin". When I used it in level 3, my teacher didn't know what I was talking about. But when I went home to check in my dictionary, sure enough, there it was. One saving grace with this language is that you can always fingerspell anything! Thank goodness for that.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
ASL versus SEE
When I first started trying to learn sign language, I browsed for many hours through a slew of "Teach Yourself to Sign" books. I learned that there are many books out there that would send you in the wrong direction (if you want to learn ASL, that is). Just for clarification, ASL stands for American Sign Language, and it is the sign language used in North America. There are many regional differences (American vs Canadian, as well as provincial), but ASL is the main language used by the deaf community.
There is another sign language used which is called SEE (Sign Exact English), and it is exactly as it suggests. There is a sign for every word, including "the", "it", and other words that ASL doesn't normally acknowledge, and the order in which they are used is the same in speech. For example, if you want to ask someone their name, in SEE you would say "What is your name", whereas in ASL you would say "you name what." And because the fact that you're asking a question is not completely clear just from the words, your facial expression is absolutely key.
An excellent reference for learning Canadian ASL is the Canadian Dictionary of ASL. This book is absolutely invaluable and acknowledges the regional differences.
There is another sign language used which is called SEE (Sign Exact English), and it is exactly as it suggests. There is a sign for every word, including "the", "it", and other words that ASL doesn't normally acknowledge, and the order in which they are used is the same in speech. For example, if you want to ask someone their name, in SEE you would say "What is your name", whereas in ASL you would say "you name what." And because the fact that you're asking a question is not completely clear just from the words, your facial expression is absolutely key.
An excellent reference for learning Canadian ASL is the Canadian Dictionary of ASL. This book is absolutely invaluable and acknowledges the regional differences.
The Journey Begins
My interest in leaning ASL began when my daughter was born. I had read many years ago about the benefits of teaching sign language to babies, and I always knew that I would teach my children to sign. I started signing with my daughter Finley when she was about 5 months old, and when she was around 8 1/2 months old, she made the sign for bird. Signing was her main method of communication for the first year-and-a-half of her life, and the signs were slowly replaced with words as she learned to speak. She would always fall back on signing to clarify a word when we didn't understand what she was trying to say. Still to this day (she is now 2 1/2 years old), I teach her new signs for new words, and we review her old signs throughout the day as opportunities present. She always felt heard and understood, and I think that explains why she just never went through the terrible twos.
I began learning from baby signing books that I picked up, and that certainly gave me a great base of knowledge, and everything I needed to teach her the key words she would be using. But I didn't feel like that was enough for me. I was so in love with this language and amazed how people could talk with their hands, I needed more. I enrolled in an ASL class at a local community college, and I plan to go as far as I can with it.
I am pretty independent and I love to learn on my own whenever possible, but Sign Language is one of the few things I have not been able to teach myself. It is not something you can pick up just from reading a book or browsing the web. Its nuances and idiosyncrasies are such that you absolutely need to learn from someone who has an intimate knowledge of the language (preferably someone who is deaf). I am just beginning my journey to hopefully one day becoming fluent in this beautiful language, and I hope this blog will help explain and clarify the many things that make ASL so unique.
This is a video of Finley making the sign for light. She's about 10 months old here.
I began learning from baby signing books that I picked up, and that certainly gave me a great base of knowledge, and everything I needed to teach her the key words she would be using. But I didn't feel like that was enough for me. I was so in love with this language and amazed how people could talk with their hands, I needed more. I enrolled in an ASL class at a local community college, and I plan to go as far as I can with it.
I am pretty independent and I love to learn on my own whenever possible, but Sign Language is one of the few things I have not been able to teach myself. It is not something you can pick up just from reading a book or browsing the web. Its nuances and idiosyncrasies are such that you absolutely need to learn from someone who has an intimate knowledge of the language (preferably someone who is deaf). I am just beginning my journey to hopefully one day becoming fluent in this beautiful language, and I hope this blog will help explain and clarify the many things that make ASL so unique.
This is a video of Finley making the sign for light. She's about 10 months old here.
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