How long until proficiency?

[Horizon]

This is AlleyCat's post here from another thread:

It certainly takes 2 to make it work.

My hearing husband and I were together for 5 1/2 years before marrying. In that time, I taught him all his basic signs. He then went to our local college and took 2 years of ASL (ASL 1-4), Deaf Culture, Linguistics. He's gone with me to our local Deaf club to meet my Deaf friends. By no means is he proficient yet, but he's slowing getting there. His Deaf Culture class really opened his eyes to understand what I experienced as a deaf child and the hardships growing up (learning the language, being bullied, you name it.)

For me, as the Deaf person, I have to be patient and teach him signs he still doesn't know. I have to be patient when he's feeling nervous about the Deaf club. We have friends stopping by all the time (who are hearing) and sometimes it gets loud and rambunctious in our house, but I end up feeling left out. It's hard. I often retreat to our bedroom and play with our cats, with my iPhone or iPad, etc. He understands and comes find me and keeps me company from time to time throughout the night. He understands I can't do an entire night of lipreading everyone. He tries to sign what others are saying. Sometimes its a lost art when things can't be kept up with. But I appreciate the effort.

All said, it's not easy. It does take 2 to make it work.

I just wondered how long it takes to become proficient at sign language. When I read this I was like, wow, it must take longer than I thought. I heard that after 3 semesters of ASL a person should be able to carry on a decent conversation. As someone going into my 3rd semester of ASL I can say the more I learn, the more I see I need to learn. Real ASL seems like layers of an onion. It's a very deep an complex language.

 

[dereksbicycles]

I was with a hearing girlfriend for 2 years. She took ASL 1-2 and yet, she had hard time being fluent. She did get better steadily over time. We're no longer together. She has decided that she wanted to go to school to be an interpreter. I wish her good luck. IT's a great language if you can get hang of it.

 

[Jiro]

This is AlleyCat's post here from another thread:

It certainly takes 2 to make it work.

My hearing husband and I were together for 5 1/2 years before marrying. In that time, I taught him all his basic signs. He then went to our local college and took 2 years of ASL (ASL 1-4), Deaf Culture, Linguistics. He's gone with me to our local Deaf club to meet my Deaf friends. By no means is he proficient yet, but he's slowing getting there. His Deaf Culture class really opened his eyes to understand what I experienced as a deaf child and the hardships growing up (learning the language, being bullied, you name it.)

For me, as the Deaf person, I have to be patient and teach him signs he still doesn't know. I have to be patient when he's feeling nervous about the Deaf club. We have friends stopping by all the time (who are hearing) and sometimes it gets loud and rambunctious in our house, but I end up feeling left out. It's hard. I often retreat to our bedroom and play with our cats, with my iPhone or iPad, etc. He understands and comes find me and keeps me company from time to time throughout the night. He understands I can't do an entire night of lipreading everyone. He tries to sign what others are saying. Sometimes its a lost art when things can't be kept up with. But I appreciate the effort.

All said, it's not easy. It does take 2 to make it work.
End post-

I just wondered how long it takes to become proficient at sign language. When I read this I was like, wow, it must take longer than I thought. I heard that after 3 semesters of ASL a person should be able to carry on a decent conversation. As someone going into my 3rd semester of ASL I can say the more I learn, the more I see I need to learn. Real ASL seems like layers of an onion. It's a very deep an complex language.

3 semesters? to carry on a decent conversation? nope!!!!

I learned ASL 4-5 years ago and it has gotten to a level where I can make a decent conversation with many deafies but not good enough for serious in-depth convo because I'm still learning how to express things in ASL, not English.

 

[AlleyCat]

It is different for everyone.

I've met people who pick up signs on a whim, and then there are others who take ASL for years and are as awkward as they were their first month learning. Natural instinct plays a part. I wouldn't kick yourself over not being as comfortable as you are/aren't at this point.

That may sound simplistic, but it's true. I'm a true natural when it comes to graphic design, and it didn't take but a moment for me to learn it. Yet I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to fix a car, when the guy standing next to me -- all he has to do is look at it and know instantly what to do. Some things work easily for some, and it's different for others.

 

[ncff07]

Your EGR valve and the front O2 sensor is bad and needs to be replaced ... that will be $50 for diagnostics charge

 

[dereksbicycles]

Your EGR valve and the front O2 sensor is bad and needs to be replaced ... that will be $50 for diagnostics charge

Hey, are vehicles supposed to have front and rear O2 sensor? I hope that novices are not gullible haha.

 

[Stargazer Lilies]

I was with a hearing girlfriend for 2 years. She took ASL 1-2 and yet, she had hard time being fluent. She did get better steadily over time. We're no longer together. She has decided that she wanted to go to school to be an interpreter. I wish her good luck. IT's a great language if you can get hang of it.

Maybe she'll come back for you...

It is so rare for deaf woman to find men who willing to learn sign language. Deaf men has it easier sometimes!

Sorry to be off the subject!

 

[AlleyCat]

Your EGR valve and the front O2 sensor is bad and needs to be replaced ... that will be $50 for diagnostics charge

My Extreme Great Rubies valve and the front Onyx 2 sensor is bad and needs to be replaced. Does that mean I need Extreme Great Diamonds and new Onyxs? I will take both since that will cost me less than the $50 diagnostics charge, thank you, my great mechanic!

 

[ncff07]

My Extreme Great Rubies valve and the front Onyx 2 sensor is bad and needs to be replaced. Does that mean I need Extreme Great Diamonds and new Onyxs? I will take both since that will cost me less than the $50 diagnostics charge, thank you, my great mechanic!

exhaust gas recirculation valve and oxygen sensor Rubies and Onyx??? I thought diamonds were a girls best friend?!?!

 

[AlleyCat]

exhaust gas recirculation valve and oxygen sensor Rubies and Onyx??? I thought diamonds were a girls best friend?!?!

That is why I said I'll take the diamonds!!

I don't even wanna know about recirculation.

 

[RisinDragon]

When I first took ASL at NTID, my ASL teacher told us it can take anywhere from 3 to 5 years to master ASL.

As I only took 1 class, and the rest I learned from other Deafs and HoHs over time.

I found that I can do the signs easy as I am doing them. My struggle is actually being able to read the signs as they were given to me by another person. I tend to be slow on that aspect.

 

[Horizon]

When I first took ASL at NTID, my ASL teacher told us it can take anywhere from 3 to 5 years to master ASL.

As I only took 1 class, and the rest I learned from other Deafs and HoHs over time.

I found that I can do the signs easy as I am doing them. My struggle is actually being able to read the signs as they were given to me by another person. I tend to be slow on that aspect.

How funny, I'm just the opposite. I can understand the conversations pretty well but when I have to sign I just freeze up.
I guess 3-5 years sounds reasonable to become proficient in another language. I don't know why I thought it would be faster.

 

[Reba]

It depends on the individual's natural capabilities, openness to learning new things, amount of time and effort put into learning, and exposure with practice in real-life settings. I notice that the less someone tries to compare ASL to English the easier it is to learn. One truly needs to go with the flow.

 

[sonocativo]

I am trying to learn it, just no one to practice or communicate with here, my wife took ASL I with me but we are divorcing so she doesn't work with me on it, she never has the time since she has to groom 3 dogs constantly now. I was ok with the basics, but want to advance in it, been almost 2 years and Im still at the basics, she lost all the ASL books ( she thought I took them, if I did, I would be reading them all day to learn more) it is harder as we get older, but with the time I have on my hands, I could advance greatly with a little help/communication partner.

 

[Journey]

If you define proficient as skilled, adept or an expert, my answer to the question is 'rarely ever' ... unless ... you learn from native ASL users AND continually immerse yourself in the language and the culture. Like any second language, anyone can learn to 'get by' relatively easily as long as the native speakers you interact with are kind and patient (as is my case, thank goodness! ) . However, becoming proficient, requires a strong commitment, years of study and regular exposure/usage.

 

[AlleyCat]

If you define proficient as skilled, adept or an expert, my answer to the question is 'rarely ever' ... unless ... you learn from native ASL users AND continually immerse yourself in the language and the culture. Like any second language, anyone can learn to 'get by' relatively easily as long as the native speakers you interact with are kind and patient (as is my case, thank goodness! ) . However, becoming proficient, requires a strong commitment, years of study and regular exposure/usage.

Agreed. I've been signing since I was 2, and I'm in my 40's now. I consider myself extremely proficient in ASL but if I didn't have deaf friends and interpreters growing up, I probably wouldn't be.

I also "know" Swedish, but I am by no means proficient whatsoever. I probably never will be. I started learning it so I could decipher ancestry records but that's about my only exposure thus far.

 

[Oink]

Forever.

 

[RisinDragon]

It depends on the individual's natural capabilities, openness to learning new things, amount of time and effort put into learning, and exposure with practice in real-life settings. I notice that the less someone tries to compare ASL to English the easier it is to learn. One truly needs to go with the flow.

The confusion for me comes from the fact that I am signing what I speak.

In my mind I am thinking "My name is David." So automatically I sign "My name is David."

But I was told I was wrong and I should sign "Name, me David".

That's why it takes me longer to read someone that signs, because I have to take the signs and try to put them back into proper sentences.

Does this make sense?? It's not that I don't want to learn how to sign. I just struggle with the order the signs comes at me.

 

[Reba]

The confusion for me comes from the fact that I am signing what I speak.

In my mind I am thinking "My name is David." So automatically I sign "My name is David."

But I was told I was wrong and I should sign "Name, me David".

That's what I mean--stop thinking in English sentences when you're signing.

That's why it takes me longer to read someone that signs, because I have to take the signs and try to put them back into proper sentences.

Again, you're thinking English, and dare I say, audist if by "proper" you mean English sentence structure. There is nothing "improper" about ASL grammar.

You don't need to change the order of an ASL message into an English one for comprehension. The only times you need to do that is if you want to put it into writing (like on a ASL class quiz), or you need to voice interpret for a hearing person. As a beginning signer you shouldn't be doing any interpreting, so I wouldn't even worry about that right now.

Does this make sense?? It's not that I don't want to learn how to sign. I just struggle with the order the signs comes at me.

You need to approach learning ASL as though you had no other language. Don't compare it to English. If you do, you will always have that struggle.

When you see a round rubber object that bounces, think BALL (the ASL sign), not b-a-l-l. Don't even think BALL = b-a-l-l. Just see the round rubber object in your mind.

Don't be discouraged. It takes time, and at some point, if you let it, you should arrive at a day when it hits you that you just signed and understood something signed back without making the English sentence! PAH!

 

[Journey]

That's really good advice Reba and something I need to focus on more often. As I am often in the role of interpreter between deaf and hearing friends, my opportunities to think strictly ASL are limited. When I am in an all deaf situation, I have to make quite an effort to try and 'go with the flow' ... definitely something I will always need to work on.