Before heading out to the vet

[mousme]

I had my first ASL class yesterday. (mellybean71, my teacher's name is Jo-Anne)

It was a really interesting time. For one, the entire class is silent. There is a strict "no voice" policy while class is in session. The idea, like most language classes, is to learn to think in ASL as opposed to think of it as a translation for English or French.

Jo-Anne is a beautiful black woman with a lovely smile. I don't interact with deaf people or the Deaf community much in my everyday life, so it was interesting for me to note that there is something of a "vocal" component to her language. I noticed it in other deaf people at the Centre while I was there. I'm not sure if the small sounds they make (kind of like "mm" noises, or "mm-hmm" or "unh," if you're looking for an onomatopoeia) come "naturally," in that they are brought to use their vocal chords as a automatic part of communicating, or if it's a cultural thing particular to the Deaf community, or if it's something else entirely. Something to find out later, I expect.

It was both difficult and easy. I have a lot of trouble making my fingers do some of the letters for fingerspelling ("R" was a bitch for me at first), and kept confusing some of the letters. Overall, though, I did okay. It was very frustrating not to be able to ask questions about the syntax. The teacher would often repeat the same signs to make sure we got the message, but while I understood the signs, I never did quite figure out in which order they should go.

For instance, I learned the signs for "practice" and "home," but she used them in sequence several times, so that I don't know which would go first in order to say "practice when [you] get home."

I also had trouble with some of the numbers. There is a lot of practice in my future. I'm already much more comfortable with the fingerspelling alphabet. I also need to get myself a clipboard for the handouts.

Okay. Time to pack Gretzky into her box and get going.

Comments

[ravgonfly.livejournal.com]

ASL was my foreign language in college. :) I love it! I found that the easiest way to pick up your fingerspelling space is to practice with street signs or signs along the side of the road when you are driving. Good luck and have TONS of fun!

[elanya.livejournal.com]

I don't remember when or where I learned finger spelling, but I still remember a lot of it. Possibly it was one of those things where I was playing too much larp and thought it would be cool to be able to secretly communicate with my fellows, how knows :o

I'm a dork. But one with a memory for random things!

[ladyiolanthe.livejournal.com]

I suspect it was when you were playing Shinnan. ;)

[elanya.livejournal.com]

Possibly! I think the plan failed as no one else knew it?

(I played a mute character in a LARP for a long time - she eventually won a little faerie in a bottle that let her sing from a fey for giving him an unexpected kiss ^-^)

[elanya.livejournal.com]

(Actually, that's a lie. i didn't kiss him. I licked him on the nose. And they were called the Folk, not the Fey. And afterward, she was known as Shinnan Folk-Licker, at least to some :x I'll stop randomly reminiscing in your journal now!)

[mellybean71.livejournal.com]

Me 'n my classmates would practice by spelling everything we saw.

As for grammar, I *still* have no clue but you won't get into that for awhile and really, it hasn't been a problem. I can practice with you anytime, it would probably be good for me since it looks like I'm not getting any class at all this semester.

These sites should help (although I found some of the signs were different):

http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm

http://www.aslpro.com/

http://www.aslpro.com/games/jeopardy/jeopardy.html

[mousme.livejournal.com]

I would love to practice with you. I sent my schedule to sultrysong last night so that we can try to coordinate seeing each other more than twice a year. :)

[mellybean71.livejournal.com]

In the meantime you can do practice tests on ASLpro.com and they're awesome for working on your fingerspelling. It can be addictive though. :)