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Frisky Feline

Frisky Feline

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How do you feel when you first learn sign language? no worries what you think of this ASL or BSL or any form of sign languages.. just share your experiences here.


It does not matter how old you first learn but how do you feel about you first learned ASL, BSL and/or others?

:ty:
 
I started learning a sign language about four months ago (BSL) so it's all very new for me.

My initial experience is how different it is. Different rather difficult. In fact I find BSL classes easier as I don't have to use my unreliable ears and can just use my eyes. Plus there's no writing. However BSL vocabulary appears to be more limited than English and the same sign seems to different meanings depending on the context (which I'm not always sure about). For about 3 months I felt very uncomfortable and confused. My attachment to English actually increased as it was familiar and I could express what was inside me far more fluently and easily and accurately.

Then a few weeks ago, I had a 'Eureka!' experience. It would take several pages for me to explain it, but in essence I realised that BSL uses my brain in a different way and is capable of speedily by-passing my cluttered English "city centre". The subtleties of English is achieved by using a wide range of words, each having a precise meaning (e.g. "irritated" is slightly different from "angry" which is different to "fury" and so on). The subtleties of BSL are done in little variations such as the speed or degree of movement & facial expression. Where I only saw one limited sign (e.g. "angry"), I now see a vast range of subtle variations (e.g. from "mildly irritated" all the way to "blood-vessel bursting rage"). It was like the scales falling away from my eyes and I was seeing BSL in all its glorious sublime beauty.

So I now have a new frustration. It's the frustration that my knowledge of BSL is so poor and especially my receptive skills are not up to scratch. I need to learn to see, to really see, with my eyes. In the way a hearing person picks out the subtle variations of meaning in the tone and pitch of a person's voice (e.g. sarcasm), I have to do the same with my eyes observing the slightly different ways a person will place & move their hands. I need to improve my visual memory. I know this will take many more months, if not a few years, and this delay is so frustrating for me.

But in the end, BSL will serve me better than oral English when socialising (and we are fundamentally social creatures). I have never been able to participate fully in the banter of my hearing friends, or enjoy the cut and thrust of quick speaking debates, or follow the rapid wit of a group of friends mercilessly taking the piss out of each other. Instead I would laugh nervously on the edge, knowing that a joke has been told but not sure what it was. Presently my BSL skills aren't good enough for me to be part of the banter of Deaf people, but the only thing stopping me is my lack of knowledge of BSL. This isn't a permanent barrier unlike my deafness with hearing people. I now wish that I was raised bilingual in BSL & English. Psychologically it would have been so much healthier for me.
 
I am still learning ASL. I am finding it to be very hard as I am not able to devote a lot of time to it what with family obligations and responsibilities. What little I am learning, I do try to use as much as possible, so that little by little my vocabulary is increasing.

Going to deaf events, I do find myself opening up more and trying more. Since going total deaf, I was withdrawing too much and had problems with communication. It is getting a little easier.

I am hoping soon, I will have more time to actually do more video chats and practice more. Having a negative person in the house really drags me don and I need to get away from it.
 
I can't remember who teach me BSL when I was 2/3/4 years old before I learn speak. I do remember it was London hospital, I do remember being in room full of toys esp cars, planes and trains that I really love playing with, I do remember someone come up teach me sign and sign to me and I understand. I remember when leave London hospital with parents and it go back to world I don't understand anything. I remember being sad that I won't see person sign to me for while. I do remember that my parents never in that room, they always wave bye to me.

I am not sure if my parents know that I was taught to sign and my parents was 100% focus on speech and never learn sign for me.
 
Thank you for sharing.

If you hang out with a person who uses BSL or ASL or others, will you be able to pick up better rather than learning in the classroom and teacher?
 
As to the first question, I don't remember cuz I was just six years old. :lol:
 
In my veeery long process of learning ASL (read: slow but steady), it brought to light 'how' I learn which was interesting in and of itself. Some signs made perfect sense and 'stuck' quickly, others .. well not so much haha. But, all in all, I continue to enjoy the process.

I think learning in a classroom was a great way for me to start - the pace was good and it felt like a safe environment to make mistakes. I hope to return to a classroom setting again at some point if I can ever find one that is suitable for my schedule and level. That said, I also think interacting with my deaf friends and the community in general has been invaluable in increasing my receptive skills, learning to sign 'under pressure' and to pick up various vocabulary (slang, common expressions, preferred signs) as well as understanding the rhythm of the language in a casual setting. I only wish I had the time and opportunity to engage in both settings more often :).
 
AJWSmith said:
I started learning a sign language about four months ago (BSL) so it's all very new for me.

My initial experience is how different it is. Different rather difficult. In fact I find BSL classes easier as I don't have to use my unreliable ears and can just use my eyes. Plus there's no writing. However BSL vocabulary appears to be more limited than English and the same sign seems to different meanings depending on the context (which I'm not always sure about). For about 3 months I felt very uncomfortable and confused. My attachment to English actually increased as it was familiar and I could express what was inside me far more fluently and easily and accurately.

Then a few weeks ago, I had a 'Eureka!' experience. It would take several pages for me to explain it, but in essence I realised that BSL uses my brain in a different way and is capable of speedily by-passing my cluttered English "city centre". The subtleties of English is achieved by using a wide range of words, each having a precise meaning (e.g. "irritated" is slightly different from "angry" which is different to "fury" and so on). The subtleties of BSL are done in little variations such as the speed or degree of movement & facial expression. Where I only saw one limited sign (e.g. "angry"), I now see a vast range of subtle variations (e.g. from "mildly irritated" all the way to "blood-vessel bursting rage"). It was like the scales falling away from my eyes and I was seeing BSL in all its glorious sublime beauty.

So I now have a new frustration. It's the frustration that my knowledge of BSL is so poor and especially my receptive skills are not up to scratch. I need to learn to see, to really see, with my eyes. In the way a hearing person picks out the subtle variations of meaning in the tone and pitch of a person's voice (e.g. sarcasm), I have to do the same with my eyes observing the slightly different ways a person will place & move their hands. I need to improve my visual memory. I know this will take many more months, if not a few years, and this delay is so frustrating for me.

But in the end, BSL will serve me better than oral English when socialising (and we are fundamentally social creatures). I have never been able to participate fully in the banter of my hearing friends, or enjoy the cut and thrust of quick speaking debates, or follow the rapid wit of a group of friends mercilessly taking the piss out of each other. Instead I would laugh nervously on the edge, knowing that a joke has been told but not sure what it was. Presently my BSL skills aren't good enough for me to be part of the banter of Deaf people, but the only thing stopping me is my lack of knowledge of BSL. This isn't a permanent barrier unlike my deafness with hearing people. I now wish that I was raised bilingual in BSL & English. Psychologically it would have been so much healthier for me.
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wow that is something that you gave me some idea like eureka! i love that show. i understand what you are saying. Hope you keep up with BSL and will feel less eureka or more. lol
 
Frisky Feline said:
Thank you for sharing.

If you hang out with a person who uses BSL or ASL or others, will you be able to pick up better rather than learning in the classroom and teacher?
Click to expand...

BSL my first language, anyone sign BSL I understand easy. Doesn't matter where.
 
when my co worker is a new worker. she came and sat across to my cubie. within 3 years later, she signs already! everyone asked her where did she learn> she said, "from Frisky feline":D she told me that she likes to learn ASL through deaf people better than taking class. cool
 
However, i m an asl user. I still want to take deaf studies so i want to understand why or what etc. I need to understand ASl history better. :)
 
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