More about my quest to teach Sethy some simple signs...

[conuly]

Honestly, I don't know why I bothered searching for resources, it's not like we want him to be fluent, we could just make this stuff up. All we want is for him to have a way to communicate until he's more willing to speak with us.

But anyway! I found something interesting, namely British Sign Language's alphabet. Wow. Very different from the ASL version - mostly in that almost all the letters seem to be two handed, while ASL, as far as I know, uses one handed letters.

Still, was cool. I was duly impressed at the differences.

Comments

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

You are correct. All ASL letters are one-handed.

[conuly]

Yeah, I knew that. But I don't want to look like I'm trying to pass myself off as the expert here. So I hedge.

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

I see.
(We actually just learned how to hedge in ASL, interestingly enough.)

I don't think it's trying to pass yourself off as an expert to say you know the basics of the alphabet.

[conuly]

Probably not, but why risk it?

How do you hedge in ASL? They actually taught you this? Where are you learning this?

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

I understand.

Well, it's hedging in the sense of answering requests. It follows the format (basically) of, SURE-ME-FINE-(request verb)-BUT...(express a negative).

I'm learning this at my university. ASL is my foreign language.

[conuly]

Better off just visiting CSI, I am, than going to oklahoma.

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

CSI?

[conuly]

College of Staten Island. AFAIK, only school in the CUNY system to offer ASL.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

Yeah, C is the only one handed sign in the BSL alphabet (because really, what could you do with the second hand?) As far as I know, ours is the only major sign alphabet that is two handed. Irish is one handed like everyone else.

[conuly]

Most of them ones with the Roman alphabet seem to have been based on ASL letters. Which, I believe, were based off of FSL letters.

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

You are correct. All ASL letters are one-handed.

[conuly]

Yeah, I knew that. But I don't want to look like I'm trying to pass myself off as the expert here. So I hedge.

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

I see.
(We actually just learned how to hedge in ASL, interestingly enough.)

I don't think it's trying to pass yourself off as an expert to say you know the basics of the alphabet.

[conuly]

Probably not, but why risk it?

How do you hedge in ASL? They actually taught you this? Where are you learning this?

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

I understand.

Well, it's hedging in the sense of answering requests. It follows the format (basically) of, SURE-ME-FINE-(request verb)-BUT...(express a negative).

I'm learning this at my university. ASL is my foreign language.

[conuly]

Better off just visiting CSI, I am, than going to oklahoma.

[neurotica0.livejournal.com]

CSI?

[conuly]

College of Staten Island. AFAIK, only school in the CUNY system to offer ASL.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

Yeah, C is the only one handed sign in the BSL alphabet (because really, what could you do with the second hand?) As far as I know, ours is the only major sign alphabet that is two handed. Irish is one handed like everyone else.

[conuly]

Most of them ones with the Roman alphabet seem to have been based on ASL letters. Which, I believe, were based off of FSL letters.