Best way to learn syntax?

KristinaB has posted a link of a long list of online ASL resources here somewhere, including several online ASL courses for free.

Here is something that I find helpful- study two different courses. My oldest girl learned this when she was studying French on her own. For some reason, if you go back and forth between two different courses, you get better reinforcement and it helps some with syntax and grammar.

I like lifeprint.com and the Bravo family videos.
 
cayisforgetul said:
Taking an ASL course isn't possible for some people.

You can find some ebooks and PDF files online that explain quite a bit about ASL syntax. Here's a few to get you started:

American Sign Language (ASL)
American Sign Language: Grammar and ASL
ASL vs PSE
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You seem to be following me around tonight. You must be lonely...

If you can't find a course, chances are you aren't in a place where ASL is used much anyway.

I don't have too much patience for hearing children who bother me...
 
Bottesini said:
You seem to be following me around tonight. You must be lonely...

If you can't find a course, chances are you aren't in a place where ASL is used much anyway.

I don't have too much patience for hearing children who bother me...
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You think way too much of yourself:giggle: I wasn't following you (or bothering you); I'm just branching out and seeing what other kind of topics are on this board, and I saw this one and wanted to comment. :P

ETA: Oops forgot to add this part. And I didn't say "some people can't find a course," I said it isn't possible for some people. Job, busy, no money, etc. :( I wish ASL classes were free lol. That would solve everything.
 
I'm taking classes, but I also do alot of reading and other learning activities on my own. (Hopefully this will include interacting with actual Deaf people in real life before too long.) Anyway, I've found some good books that explain some of the rules and give lots of examples (Barrons ASL the easy way is one, although I hate the title) but what I've found to be helpful is to watch and practice with some DVDs I got from the library. Everyday ASL (not saying they're better or worse than any others, just what I've found at my library) has a series of videos on idioms. What I like about them is that after they teach you the idiom, they use it in a sentence, and they give you the sentence in English before they sign it. So I pause the play, and try to sign the sentence before they show it. I think that studying rules and examples helps my brain on one level, but taking a shot at doing it myself, then either seeing I got it right or wrong and seeing how they do it - that goes alot further for me. Of course it's good to do both, so there's some understanding and familiarity in what you're seeing. Also, I think I'm starting to be able to differentiate between when my signing is different because I've signed something in an awkward or wrong way vs a way that's just as good but different.

Grayma said:
everything but a source of income and renumeration of time for a valued service for ASL instructors.
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Free courses don't have to equate to instructors not getting paid. Imagine if our government took on the attitude "It's a hearing person's responsibility to learn to sign, and we're going to subsidize the financial expense involved." Yeah, I know, it's a fantasy that goes right up there next to my beach house in France (Hugh Jackman is there now, keeping the place nice for me for when I finish with these ASL classes...) Still, if we're going to dream, might as well make it a good one. (Refering to society getting behind asl education, not the jackman imagery. He'd be there a while anyway, as I'm planning to study asl for a *long* time...)
 
amylynne said:
Free courses don't have to equate to instructors not getting paid. Imagine if our government took on the attitude "It's a hearing person's responsibility to learn to sign, and we're going to subsidize the financial expense involved."
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Eek.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. The government has no money at all except what it takes from taxpayers. Government subsidized isn't free. It's just a shift in payment mechanism.
 
It's a good shift in the payment mechanism for some things. Like public schools. Which is another great place to offer ASL.

And free doesn't have to be an ugly word. My take on cayisforgetful's comment was that it would be great if people interested in ASL could learn it, even if they can't afford courses. I don't think that has to imply a devaluation of the time and expertise and effort of the instructors. It only requires, as you've said, a shift in the payment mechanism, and I would add, another shift. Society would have to place sufficient value on the idea of people learning ASL to want to allocate funds to the process (which it already does in some public schools).

I think that particular valuing is a great thing. So, Eek back at you. Earnest students without means to pay for instruction can also demonstrate that they value the opportunity to learn in other ways. Like working hard on their studies, being respectful in class, arriving on time, being enthusiastic and verbally appreciative of their instructor. (Point being that value shifted doesn't have to mean value lost somewhere either. We can even have standards for continued admittance even if they're not monetary.)
 
cayisforgetul said:
You think way too much of yourself:giggle: I wasn't following you (or bothering you); I'm just branching out and seeing what other kind of topics are on this board, and I saw this one and wanted to comment. :P

ETA: Oops forgot to add this part. And I didn't say "some people can't find a course," I said it isn't possible for some people. Job, busy, no money, etc. :( I wish ASL classes were free lol. That would solve everything.
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^^^^ Absolutely agree with this!
 
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