Sign Language

[Rye]

I'm learning American Sign Language again. I was discouraged from it initially because of some people, but now I'm back into again. I find it so fascinating. Huxley and I are learning together. Last night, we were watching some videos from a guy named Horatio, teaching people how to sign, and most importantly, what's considered proper in signing!

What fascinates me a lot about sign language is about how much is expressed not so much by your fingers doing the signs, but by your face. When Horatio was teaching, I didn't understand a lot of the signs he was using, but I always understood his meaning through his face.

I hope to take a semester of ASL in college. I signed up for Japanese, but ASL is a language that interests me just as much.

Let's discuss Sign Language.

[Cookie]

The only time that sign language is acceptable is at 2am on the music channels.

[rubah]

My friend loves to sign and one of the things she did back when we were taking the same math class was say the phrase 'eat dirt and die' and she learned how to sign that and it was so hilarious because die is a very definitive motion, and it kinda got made into a dance we liked to call 'the pancake' so the proper way to do the pancake was signing 'die' and saying 'die die die die' to the rhythm of the music/sign.

then our spanish teacher thought that was a little too violent and urged her to say 'va con dios' instead xD

I know most of the alphabet, so I could fingerspell anything that didn't have an f in it (I kinda have a stumbling block with that letter), but I don't remember any of the other signs(except for die and the awkward turtle). I have an ASL dictionary at home somewhere though.

[Rye]

D and F are pretty tricky to finger spell, because they're like the opposites of each other, almost. Like, how D is all the fingers but the index touching the thumb, and the index sticking up, and f is the index on the thumb and the other fingers up.

I feel delighted when I see people sign. At my college orientation, when the president was making a speech, there was a lady translating into ASL and I watched her the whole time. I only understood a very tiny bit (namely, when she finger spelled) though.

[rubah]

but d looks like f xD Thanks for the mnemonic though! I think I'll be able to remember it now xD

[Yar]

I used to do sign language before I could speak.

I have since forgotten it.

If I tried to relearn it, it would be difficult, because I'm left-handed. You could argue "just mirror right-handers," but some signs are side or direction sensitive.

Did you know ASL is closer to Japanese grammar than English grammar? And that it's based on Old French sign language? This isn't sign language for old French, but rather old French sign language.

[Jess]

I know some British Sign Language from my Health and Social Care course, but not a whole lot. :jess:

[Balzac]

The only time that sign language is acceptable is at 2am on the music channels.


I like it when they dance.

[Kes]

I know the alphabet. Right now I'm learning some things like the colours and "I want" because this adorable, little, autistic girl in this summer school class I'm an aide for responds better to/in sign than words.

I used to be not interested in ASL at all because I tend to love languages for their sound, but lately I've seen how really pretty it can be.

[escobert]

I learned sign language in 6th grade. Sadly I can't remember crap of it.

[qwertysaur]

My aunt knows some, and she had the idea to show us in the car once. While she was driving.

It's pretty cool though. I know some random signs she taught me, like chocolate. (Make the sign for C with your right hand and move it in a small circle on your left hand)

[Serapy]

I sign BSL in real life. It's nice to hear people taking interest in signing.

[Breine]

I'd like to learn it some day, but it's probably not going to happen. One of my good friends knows quite a bit of sign language, though, mainly because she took some courses and stuff a while ago.

[Peegee]

Jess, poast that gif of you signing the alphabet ^_^

I love asl. Not that asl. But the other kind.

I know how to sign a certain naughty word in asl though!

[Chemical]

I have an ASL dictionary I like to pull out during sherades sometimes.

[Bowser]

My mom knows Sign Language. She used to teach at a school for deaf people.

I tried making her teach me naughty words, but she wouldn't. :(

[Rye]

My step-grandpa told me the sign for saying bullsh*t. It's so funny.

[scrumpleberry]

I actually don't know any asl xD

Oh dear, I've been lulzing at the ASL all the way through this thread.
I think it'd be great to learn some :)
How different are the different sorts of sign language?

[rubah]

Pretty different from what I've heard. Maybe not in the fingerspelling but the actual signs seem to require you to be "bilingual" to be understood elsewhere.