I wanna learn a signed language

[conuly]

Two people. 16 or so. Signing rapidly on the boat. And I wanna know how to speak ASL because... damn, that's just cool. It's not fair that they're younger than I am (presumably) and they speak a language I don't come close to being able to understand! Waah!

Okay, joking aside, does anyone know of any decent ASL programs in the city? BESIDES the one at CSI, which is a pain to get to?

I mean, aside from being useful (interpreters can make lots of money, right? or at least some money, right? besides, another language is always a useful skill), signed languages are worth learning for their linguistic value, aka the coolness factor.

In spoken languages, words are made up of phonemes, which are basically the sounds of the language. Each phoneme occurs separately from each other phoneme... if I tried to make the sounds "p", "a", "t" together, you would not get the word "pat", "apt", or "tap". Similarly, if I put the sounds in the wrong order, you might get a nonsense word like "pta" instead. Signed languages don't have phonemes. Instead, they have what are called primes or cheremes. These cheremes fall into certain categories, such as "the shape of the hand (is it flat and open, or a fist?)", "the movement of the sign (are you moving your hand in a quick circle, or directly out from you, but slowly?)" and "the place of articulation (where you put the hand while making the sign, is it at your head or your chest?)" Unlike the phonemes of spoken languages, the cheremes of signed languages exist all together... you can't say p,t,a at the same time and get a word, but you have to shape your hand, move it, and have it at the right part of the body to make a sign.

Also, the verbs in signed languages sometimes have what's called directionality. You change how you make the verb depending on what you're doing. This is often very obvious, for example, I give you is signed with "give" going from me to you. You give me is signed with "give" going from you to me. The verb "give" has directionality going from the subject to the object. Other verbs have the opposite sort of directionality, for example, I pull you goes from you to me.

If you want to talk about people who aren't there, you (I'm told) point in a specific location, and all signs refering to that person go in that area.

And so on. Signed languages are so different from spoken ones, I somehow feel as though my education would be incomplete without knowing at least one.

Comments

[darkangelmuse.livejournal.com]

I WANNA DO THAT TOO!

[conuly]

*grins*

I'm gonna learn one first!

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

*stares*

What boat was this? Was it a white girl, short, with blond hair, and a rather tall black guy?

[conuly]

No, black girl, about your height, with a similarly sized hispanic guy.

The boat is full of deaf people, apparently.

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

If you want to talk about people who aren't there, you (I'm told) point in a specific location, and all signs refering to that person go in that area.

OOOH! Gossiping in ASL! Score!

[shoumagic.livejournal.com]

My younger sister's friend knows ASL and I believe she's six... Her mother and her grandmother are both deaf so I suppose she's known it since she was little. I wouldn't mind learning a signed language but I have a feeling it would be difficult for me.

[conuly]

That's the fun! Taking a class that's difficult, you get to feel happy when you finally get it.

[darkangelmuse.livejournal.com]

I WANNA DO THAT TOO!

[conuly]

*grins*

I'm gonna learn one first!

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

*stares*

What boat was this? Was it a white girl, short, with blond hair, and a rather tall black guy?

[conuly]

No, black girl, about your height, with a similarly sized hispanic guy.

The boat is full of deaf people, apparently.

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

If you want to talk about people who aren't there, you (I'm told) point in a specific location, and all signs refering to that person go in that area.

OOOH! Gossiping in ASL! Score!

[shoumagic.livejournal.com]

My younger sister's friend knows ASL and I believe she's six... Her mother and her grandmother are both deaf so I suppose she's known it since she was little. I wouldn't mind learning a signed language but I have a feeling it would be difficult for me.

[conuly]

That's the fun! Taking a class that's difficult, you get to feel happy when you finally get it.

[xreferenced.livejournal.com]

I'd love to learn a sign language as well, I've even looked into it, but there's no local standard, only a bunch of dialects. Argh I can't believe I'm living in a country so backward that it doesn't have a sign language standard!! (aggressive)

[xreferenced.livejournal.com]

I'd love to learn a sign language as well, I've even looked into it, but there's no local standard, only a bunch of dialects. Argh I can't believe I'm living in a country so backward that it doesn't have a sign language standard!! (aggressive)