How to Learn and Communicate in American Sign Language
How to Learn and Communicate in American Sign Language
Sign language is learned by people who are deaf and cannot hear what we speak. There is a way out for such people as they can learn to talk with other deaf people through sign language. There is a different type of sign language used in USA. There is numerous numbers of people in USA who speak through the mode of sign language. Not only deaf people use this language but it is also learned by normal people so they can communicate with deaf people easily.
American Sign Language or ASL is a useful language and contains good context and other grammatical components. The best thing about this language is the use of finger spelling. People use their fingers to spell out proper nouns and other words which do not have any sign indication. Finger spelling is not an easy thing to learn and many people tend to make mistakes and skip their fingers which make the word hard to understand and consequently the receiver fails to understand what is being said. Some people tend to finger spell fast and then too it is hard for deaf people to understand it, so if you are not clear with what has been said then you can ask them again or tell them to go a little slower.
Another important feature of ASL is the use of facial expressions. Many people find it hard to understand what is being said through their facial expressions. When you are trying to explain a situation most people will identify your expressions and understand more properly the nature of the situation. If you are telling a happy story then your facial expressions will have a sort of smile on it and when you are serious or sad then your expressions will be different such as a frown on your face. You know that even facial expressions can be like an answer to some questions for example someone asks you that how you are feeling and your facial expressions can get the person his answer. Facial expressions are something that is not learned but it is developed by people themselves as facial expressions are so common between people that they can understand easily.
Facial expressions help you to clearly demonstrate what you are trying to say through ASL and you need to be clear on your expressions as it will be hard to understand by people who cannot hear.
Another important thing that you should learn in ASL is the use of multiple meaning words. Multiple meaning words are expressed in ASL through signed messages. There are several words in English language which have the same spelling but are different in their meanings and make a totally different meaning when put in different sentences. You need to be clear and have strong hold on multiple meaning words as if you counter confusion in this area then it will be hard for you to communicate with people.
These few things will help you to know what ASL is.