Open questions to ASL students

In the city where I'm from, greeting strangers wasn't something we did growing up... and there was - and still may be - a cultural difference between what was called the "South Side" and the "North side", so my example may have applied only to my side of town. But when I went to college in a small, conservative town in the Central part of the state <what would still be called "Up North">, it was very common and expected to smile and greet strangers as you went about your daily business.

I think it's very situational/contextual.
 
I know this thread is a little old, but I thought I would offer my two cents for why this may happen. I am not actively in a class (I start in a couple days, but it is not formal and will not be graded or go on a transcript), but I imagine that when people come here for help or answers to their questions, it is much like students of other foreign languages and unfamiliar cultures.

I speak a fair amount of Spanish and just conversationally in a couple other languages, and I actually do ask strangers for help. "Buenas tardes. Como esta usted hoy? Si? Trabajando duro? Hey--como se dice __________?" How do you say __________? What does X mean? Why do they use the word Y in Z region? Where else?

The thing is, I can typically guess whether or not someone is a native Spanish speaker, and I might be able to guess where they are from. And of course, Spanish speakers are everywhere in the US. They are plentiful. This is part of why other languages I know a little of are difficult to pick up. It's not easy to find a general forum for, say, native Japanese speakers and then be able to communicate with them and ask questions if you are just starting out.

ASL students looking to have their homework done should probably find other study tools, but I think it's sort of natural that hearing "seekers" if you will turn up here for help with aspects of a language that is foreign to them and more likely to be native to many members here. These people--me, we--benefit from those of you who are bilingual. You know the language we're trying to learn, but you also communicate with us fluently in written English. It's difficult to resist the temptation to ask questions.

I have randomly bumped into and then identified fluent ASL users a total of three times (to be fair, two out of those times users were en masse) in my 23 years. That's not a lot compared to the speakers of Farsi, Mandarin, Hebrew, German, etc. I have met and identified.

Maybe this group should start a forum of its own: Wannabe ASL Users United. :D

Just my thoughts.
 
When I started to learn ASL, it was through a Continuing Adult Education class and I found out the instructor wasn't very good..... He taught a lot of mistakes.

One day at work, took break on another floor and saw a group of deaf women. I walked up to the and signed, "Excuse. May I borrow this chair?" They said yes, I took the chair to a table, sat and read the newspaper. Then next day at break, as soon as I entered that break room, those lady were waving at me to join them.

One of these women became a very good friend of mine. Within a few weeks, they suggested I take the ASL class being offered at their church. I signed up and had a wonderful deaf instructor. I was constantly being invited to go to deaf functions and events. Soon I met some deaf who told me about the local parish which offered signed Mass on a monthly basis. (Now it's offered on a weekly basis and for all church holidays and events.)

I remember speaking to one of the daughters of the deaf women I had met. She told me to throw out any sign text books with ASL grammar because they are most often incorrect. She suggested just engaging in conversations and communicate. Now I am constantly asked when I graduated from a deaf school and it surprises people when I tell them I grew up hearing and then became deafened later in life.

So my advice to those wanting to learn sign is to treat the Deaf with the same amount of dignity as you would anyone else. Don't have the attitude of "hey, will you be my friend and you can teach me?".

PS

When I started the ASL class at the church, the women at break would ask me about the class and loved to discuss what I had learned was learning.
 
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