American Sign Language
| October 21, 2011 | Posted by admin under American Sign Language |
Sign languages have probably been around for as long as there have been deaf people in the world. American sign language is a variation among others, that it can be beneficial to learn even if you are not a deaf person.
The need to communicate, share your thoughts and influence other people is strong in most people, and those who aren’t able to do so using their voice have instead come up with ingenious ways to speak to the eyes instead. Sign language is thus not an invention that can be credited to a single person. Instead it has been developed among deaf people in a very similar manner most spoken languages have evolved.
People in different countries have also developed different sign languages. For example, there is a British sign language and an American sign language, and a person speaking the American one will not understand a person using the British version – and vice versa.
Sign language evolves
Since all sign languages use hand gestures and expressions, many people believe that they are all the same. As many gestures and facial expressions we humans make are indeed similar regardless of culture, this indeed seems like a logical deduction.
However, as sign language is used in a much more complex way – for everything we would use our spoken language of choice – each sign language have developed it’s own strict rules. American sign language for example, is different from English and has its own unique grammar.
Just as we can not be quite sure what the first spoken languages sounded like, we know very little of what the first sign language looked like. It is natural to assume that people, before there where real languages, used a mixture of sounds, expressions and gestures in order to communicate. Over time, this communication became more and more complex.
While those people who could hear, came to eventually develop their grunts, screams and whatever into more sophisticated speech, sign language went through a similar evolution among deaf people.
Signing and Pointing
The primary tools of sign language are gestures and expressions. Gestures are those signs performed with the hands. There are gestures that work in a similar fashion words do in spoken languages. For example, one hand gesture or sign may say “ball” while another one means “horse”. There are as many signs in sign language as there are words in spoken languages, but not all spoken words have an equivalent gesture and not all gestures have a corresponding word.
A particularly useful gesture is that of pointing. The person performing the sign language can point at himself, at other people or other things close by just like people would normally use this gesture when talking. However, using sign language you can also point to various locations without there being anyone or anything there. In this case, something or someone has been allocated to that particular spot earlier on in the conversation.
Learning American sign language can not only give you a grater understanding of the deaf culture. As ASL is the fourth most “spoken” language in the US, it may also help you become more of an asset to any potential employer – as you will no longer only be able to speak using your voice, but you will also be able to speak using your hands.
For more about American Sign Language, including resources to learn it, visit the Rocket Langauges Sign Language Course.
Yes. I’m really like american sign language, because it’s easier to learn than other sign languages.
ya, american sing language is much easy to speak also
i feel american sign language is easier to learn compared to other languages.
Sure, its much easier to use american sign language ..
American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, complex language that employs signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body. It is the best language where we can talk to person even though we are deaf and dumb .This is wonderful language and it reduces to somewhat sound pollution and saves a lot of energy for the human beings
ASL is also useful for a person who is not deaf and dumb. Thanks for putting up such a good site. Keep up the good work.
ASL is very helpful. ASL is easy to learn. Thank you for sharing the information. Hope can be useful for everyone.
this site is very good! Thanks for this ide, i like it…
I realy wish people would stop using the term Deaf & Dumb, it’s like calling black people nigger. If you’re going to use the language then please learn the history and respect the culture. That would make sign language a socially theraputic medium since you don’t have to stop listening to your head-phones to carry a conversation. If I was signng this right now you would be reading my thoughts without hearing my voice. In the virtual world this reads like mental telepathy. Combine that with music and you have a consciouse evolution for the ages….ONELove!!!!
I like american sign language
it’s easy to learn..
I mean, deaf people need a support on their means of communication, they need a simpler “language” and American Sigh is the solution!
Learn it earn it.. u did really a nice work…
very effective post. It ll help me to improve my skill to show a news in tv channel’s in our origin. Thanks
Greet site.
Thats Quite Useful And Interesting, and useful.
I’ll try To Learn This.
Thanks for this nice post. I really like the concept of American sign language. It looks easier. Must have a look at it now.
American had their own sign language, it is a new new infoemation with me because i think sign language is the same all over the world !!
Wow, thanks for the info yeah! I am interested and will definitely join the course~
it’s quiet easier to learn asl compared to other languages.
it’s easy to learn and i love this language ….
this is useful information about ASL, i am willing to join in it, thanks for sharing!!!
i like this information very much, it is very usefull
thx
its so easy to learn
This is very good for all. Although I can hear, I want to learn ASL so that we can communicate easily to our deaf people. Very useful and very east to understand.
Thank you for sharing this with us. Its very essential thing.
Greets good people! thank you very much for sharing this useful informations that is helpful to all people. I really need this, so way to go!
greetings from Marko
this is very helpful topic, thank you
i didn’t know that sign language can also be useful to us as like as the deaf people. thanks for the knowledge and good job!
eveything is cool. thanks for share
thanks for very useful site… its awesome….its easy to understand
very useful sign language..
Thanks for giving such great information about sign languages. Very informative!
i have actually seen people using it,good means of communicating.
Useful And Interesting Thanks
its easy to learn. hehe
Very Nice Topic, thanks for sharing
this is really useful article and konwlegde!
Very easy to learn!
ASL should be a must-learn for all of us! I’m getting to it right now!
learn whatever it does not take place. Thanks
this is really easy and very much use full. If it is using sound pollution problem are solve not fully but a lots.
american sign language is so easy to learn.thnx for sharing
I realy appriciate that you publish this information!It so useful!
As I think it is a very good way to learn to sign language,I have shared this in face and tweeted. Thanks.
thanks for this awesome site…….:p!
very sweet signs )
This website help to us easy language learn so i like this so much
ASL should be a must-learn for all of us!
I will thried an american sign language, I think is so easy to learn.
I never tought that you can learn leanguage from a web , nice i will share this
American Language is simple and every easy .Thanx a lot. Cheers !!
Can I use ASL in other countries?
This is a very good way to learn sign language, its like international sign language.
Yes. I’m really like american sign language, because it’s easier to learn than other sign languages.I feel american sign language is easier to learn compared to other languages.
can i learn from ASL with in 30 days
nice
American Sign Language course is very important.