Sign language classes soar at colleges

[Nesmuth]

Even the pizzahut.com delivery guys that come to our deaf center almost every day knows how to sign!

Richard

 

[Tousi]

A really good ASL teacher would be able to weed out those who attend cuz its an easy foreign language class to pass. I would guess the mortality rate is higher in those classes (the ones with really good teachers).

 

[Vance]

According to Modern Language Association, many college students are enrolling in American Sign Language classes these days that it recorded the fastest growth rate of foreign languages offered at US colleges. Get this. The majority of these students are not planning to become sign language interpreters for the deaf.

These students have discovered American Sign Language in recent years, thinking that it is cool and easy to learn, they only enrolled in these classes to avoid taking Spanish, French, or other spoken languages which they find hard to master. This is one of the reasons why Boston University rejected American Sign Language in 1994, and the other reason being that ASL is not a "foreign" language but rather a North American language. They are, however, reviewing the issue again.

American Sign Language relies on hand and arm movements as well as body language and facial expressions, and it is the primary language to at least 500,000 people in the US. American Sign Language was first used by the deaf community on Martha's Vineyard in the late 1600's.

http://www.4hearingloss.com/archives/2005/01/sign_language_c.html

That's excellent!

I currently teach the ASL in ASL lab at university as odd job to earn some extra bucks. I have several good connections in hearing world and I usually advertise the information about ASL by several activities and participate in some organizations (usually environment-aware stuffs). Some new hearies sign up for ASL classes each semester thru me or my friends.

Anyway, this is good news to hear!