Need Advice about signing

~*Kaelei*~

~*Kaelei*~

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Ok, I need some advice here,

I want to improve my signing and I've been told by many of my friends that I don't use my expression enough, that I'm signing a lot like this person and I don't want to sign like her... no way.... so I was wondering if there's any way or any tricks I can learn to become more expressive while signing?
 
Hard to say without a more detailed explanation of exactly what your difficulty is (don't know who "this person" is). Are you having trouble with non-manuals? Such as raising your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question, or pursing your lips to show that something is normal, or puffing your cheeks to emphasize intensity? Non-manuals are essentially the punctuation of ASL and are a critical part of the language. I think you simply need to learn what the different non-manuals are and when it's appropriate to use them.
 
non manuals is what mountain man said above - you can observe by watching other people's expressions when they converse, it can help you get the idea in expressing more in your converastion with other people. It is the same thing when people express in jokes. ;) Just don't OVER-express...
 
JClarke said:
...It is the same thing when people express in jokes. ;) Just don't OVER-express...
Click to expand...

Hmmm, I was gonna say to try to do just that... over-express a little. My hubby was teaching my kids about acting and said that if you practice a little over dramatic, then when you actually do it, it will be expressive enough. I don't know... maybe just watch people's videos and watch their faces?
 
Hutt5asl said:
Hmmm, I was gonna say to try to do just that... over-express a little. My hubby was teaching my kids about acting and said that if you practice a little over dramatic, then when you actually do it, it will be expressive enough. I don't know... maybe just watch people's videos and watch their faces?
Click to expand...
I might add, too much over expressive would be the right word, or well, eexgragging? :dunno:
 
One thing that can help with various non-manuals/facial expression is practising in front of a mirror :) That way you can look into the mirror and create the correct expression over and over again until it starts to become a more natural part of your communication.

Another thing that really helps is practicing ASL with a partner/mentor who you trust, so that you can get feedback from them to make sure you're applying the correct facial grammar etc when you sign

HTH ...

Practice makes perfect!
 
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