Do we have a challenge ahead of us to avoid becoming Hearing?

Beach girl said:
I'm wondering if ASL is learned in something of the same way that students of non-phonetic languages learn. For instance, English, Spanish, Italian, other European languages, are all phonetic languages. Once you learn the phonetic rules, you can sound out most words (although English complicates things with having so many spellings for the same sound).

Chinese is not phonetic. Small children spend hours practicing and memorizing the characters that make up the language. There is no way to know how a word is pronounced just by looking at the characters.

Is ASL something like that? Each word has its sign, but you have to memorize the signs, since there is no way to figure out what a sign means by its shape alone?
Click to expand...

No.
 
Beach girl said:
I'm wondering if ASL is learned in something of the same way that students of non-phonetic languages learn. For instance, English, Spanish, Italian, other European languages, are all phonetic languages. Once you learn the phonetic rules, you can sound out most words (although English complicates things with having so many spellings for the same sound).

Chinese is not phonetic. Small children spend hours practicing and memorizing the characters that make up the language. There is no way to know how a word is pronounced just by looking at the characters.

Is ASL something like that? Each word has its sign, but you have to memorize the signs, since there is no way to figure out what a sign means by its shape alone?
Click to expand...

Chinese ideograms are not the Chinese language. In fact there is no Chinese language, which is why the ideograms exist. China, like Europe, is made up of many differing peoples, each with their own language, customs, etc. The two main ones are Mandarin and Cantonese. I think I read that there are 300 different languages.

The idea of the ideograms was to develop a system of writing that could be read and understood by the speakers of all the languages. A very interesting and useful idea.

To address something you are not asking directly, but may be alluding too.

There are connections in ASL that are absorbed internally and seldom if ever understood overtly, just as in English.

For instance in English you have the "i" sound. High, light, bright, rise, sky -- Which all refer to those things that are upward, bright, and bountiful. Easy to see and easy to understand.

Then you have that set of sounds that tend to represent all things low, dark, and mysterious. Down, Dark, under, below -- Ah, Ow, Un, and the minute you hear words with those sounds in them you tend to think in terms of lower, less, dark, and mysterious.

Edgar Allan Poe was a master of such sound usage:

"Once upon a midnight dreary
While I pondered weak and weary"

The same is true with the horizon in ASL.

All things above the horizon line or rising above it are bountiful, bright, clear, understandable. All things below or falling are dark, suspicious, mysterious, unknown.

The sign for analysis is literally "digging in the dirt."

Watch some of Clayton Valli's ASL poetry.
 
Berry said:
If you have any doubts about my gender you can get a good look at me here.
YouTube - ‪PathOfTheHappySpirit's Channel‬‏ I want to do more of these as they are a lot of fun but I have been insanely busy for a while now.
Click to expand...

I'm at work right now so I can't see that, :lol:. I was mostly just saying that cause I didn't know for certain and didn't want to assume a gender based on writing styles.

And thanks for the book recommendations, though *damn* are they expensive, lol.
 
Berry said:
Chinese ideograms are not the Chinese language. In fact there is no Chinese language, which is why the ideograms exist. China, like Europe, is made up of many differing peoples, each with their own language, customs, etc. The two main ones are Mandarin and Cantonese. I think I read that there are 300 different languages.

The idea of the ideograms was to develop a system of writing that could be read and understood by the speakers of all the languages. A very interesting and useful idea.

To address something you are not asking directly, but may be alluding too.

There are connections in ASL that are absorbed internally and seldom if ever understood overtly, just as in English.

For instance in English you have the "i" sound. High, light, bright, rise, sky -- Which all refer to those things that are upward, bright, and bountiful. Easy to see and easy to understand.

Then you have that set of sounds that tend to represent all things low, dark, and mysterious. Down, Dark, under, below -- Ah, Ow, Un, and the minute you hear words with those sounds in them you tend to think in terms of lower, less, dark, and mysterious.

Edgar Allan Poe was a master of such sound usage:

"Once upon a midnight dreary
While I pondered weak and weary"

The same is true with the horizon in ASL.

All things above the horizon line or rising above it are bountiful, bright, clear, understandable. All things below or falling are dark, suspicious, mysterious, unknown.

The sign for analysis is literally "digging in the dirt."

Watch some of Clayton Valli's ASL poetry.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. Thanks for that, Berry.
 
I think so your changelle your empower mind your focus your strength because your courage to your building improve strong ! I try best communication and Challenge power is very focus skills building your skills lots of improve strength!!
 
Wirelessly posted

dragonman said:
I think so your changelle your empower mind your focus your strength because your courage to your building improve strong ! I try best communication and Challenge power is very focus skills building your skills lots of improve strength!!
Click to expand...

Yes I agree. Our language, sign language is our greatest asset. We must have courage and confidence to use it especially in the hearing society. The more we use it in public regardless of whether they are d/Deaf or Hearing, the more we can raise awareness and break down ignorance and prejudice and ultimately gain respect for our language and culture.
 
Wirelessly posted

Edit: doublepost.sorry. (Must remember not to press back button on my phone after posting otherwise it doubleposts!)
 
Last edited:
BecLak said:
Wirelessly posted



Yes I agree. Our language, sign language is our greatest asset. We must have courage and confidence to use it especially in the hearing society. The more we use it in public regardless of whether they are d/Deaf or Hearing, the more we can raise awareness and break down ignorance and prejudice and ultimately gain respect for our language and culture.
Click to expand...

true! you are right! courage to respect to deaf /deaf of hearing increase support confidence communication! clear encourage to best effort and skills!

quality grow your improve intersting goal ASL,I offer respect to deaf and hearing support! otherwise confdience! my personal I am lots of encourage to teach people ASL, depend on hard to understand difficult ! that is not easy, Lots respect cultures!
 
Berry said:
Forget words. Think of them as handy names for signs. Often the most used meaning is the "gloss". When learning ASL your best friend is not the dictionary -- It is the thesaurus.

You get the "feel" of a sign by studying its synonyms. And as many signs are their own antonyms it is a good idea to study them as well.
Click to expand...

Speaking of ASL synonyms, I like to think about "root" signs like the ASL sign for past which is signed toward and beyond the shoulder. I notice that ASL signs like Ancestors, long ago all involve the same movement. Same for the ASL sign for around and interact.
 
I remember when DeafCaroline asked about the sign which was brushing the chin with two fingers, and moving the hand down. (If I'm remembering that correctly.) Turns out the meaning was probably "cute."

Is there anything specifically about that sign that gives the clue that it's talking about the appearance of the face? Be it touching the face, or the two fingers, or the movement, or anything like that? Are there related signs to that which have to do with appearance?
 
Was there something especially baby-like about the gesture?

I remembered it particularly because I would have thought a chin-stroke meant something like "I'm thinking" or possibly "you have something on your chin," maybe even something to do with eating, but "cute" would never have occurred to me.
 
Beach girl said:
Was there something especially baby-like about the gesture?

I remembered it particularly because I would have thought a chin-stroke meant something like "I'm thinking" or possibly "you have something on your chin," maybe even something to do with eating, but "cute" would never have occurred to me.
Click to expand...

:lol: You should check the sign for "bored."
 
Beach girl said:
Was there something especially baby-like about the gesture?

I remembered it particularly because I would have thought a chin-stroke meant something like "I'm thinking" or possibly "you have something on your chin," maybe even something to do with eating, but "cute" would never have occurred to me.
Click to expand...

Perhaps it's because some people have dimples in their chins.
 
Beach girl said:
I remember when DeafCaroline asked about the sign which was brushing the chin with two fingers, and moving the hand down. (If I'm remembering that correctly.) Turns out the meaning was probably "cute."

Is there anything specifically about that sign that gives the clue that it's talking about the appearance of the face? Be it touching the face, or the two fingers, or the movement, or anything like that? Are there related signs to that which have to do with appearance?
Click to expand...

It also means sweet and can mean candy.

With a "coo at the baby" face it means a cute baby. With a "whistle at the behind over there" face it can mean "That person turns me on."

When looking at your coffee, depending on the facial expression it can mean "too sweet", "not sweet enough", or "just right." With a "wh" expression it can mean "Where is the sugar."

If you can get ahold of the set of DVD's "Signing Naturally" it may help you.
 
deafskeptic said:
Perhaps it's because some people have dimples in their chins.
Click to expand...

I do! I also have dimples on my shoulders. My mother told me that was where my angel wings were attached before I was born. Guess the angels must have clipped my wings. :lol:
 
Back
Top