How to Choose Perfect American Sign Language Learning Source

American sign language is very different from British sign language. No surprise there, since the spoken version of American English is vastly different to what's spoken in England, with the gap seemingly widening all the time. Sure you Americans and Brits can communicate with each other but there are nuances between the two cultures reflected in their respective languages.

Back to sign language, and it's probably a surprise to a lot of people that American sign language is hugely different also to *American* spoken English!

The grammatical structures are quite separate, if anything it's more akin to spoken Japanese than English.

This is an important point, because when it comes to learning American sign language, it is *not* the same as miming the spoken word.

Any course or book that teaches you this way is leading you down the wrong path, and will leave you all at sea if you try to sign with someone who has been taught properly.

This is another reason why, when looking for a course to choose, that you pick a course that has good testimonials, that has samples you can try, and let's you find out all about the course in advance, with a solid money back guarantee.

Rocket Languages- American Sign Language

The whole package consists of 5 major components which are a Mega spelling software game that would teach you how to fingerspell fluently, a Mega sign software game that would teach you tons of words and phrases, a Dictionary software with over 1200 signs, a language learning guide that would teach you how to understand sign language in an easy way and a members only forum where you can ask questions.

The good thing about this course is that if you have any problems you are free to ask questions at the forum and get help from other users. But the not so good thing is that learning this language requires a lot of practice and commitment on your part

Can You Learn American Sign Language At Home?

Learning at home is great - the obvious advantages are that you an study at your own pace, and at times to suit your lifestyle. It's a lot easier to learn from home while still being able to deal with daily home activities. It becomes an issue of time if you have to jump in a car and drive to class somewhere. The requirements of sitting in a class environment can add stress to your already hectic scheduling which will than impact your learning.You could just buy yourself a book on the subject, but that's not advisable as the quickest way to learn, because you will be staring at a lot of diagrams which will take a lot of effort to turn into the actual hand movements you'll need.You'll also need to be a great self motivator to stick to the learning, and not just put it off.I prefer to recommend a full home study course. This has all the advantages of learning at home, plus it negates some of the downsides mentioned above.

A full home study course that's any good will have practical study, and interactive elements to the learning. This speeds up the process and taps into your subconscious quicker than trying to digest pages from a book.

Also, a good course for learning American signing will be taught by someone who is fluent and knows the current usages, so you are not learning old fashioned techniques.

The Advantages Of Sign Language

Sign language is not just a random collection of gestures... it is a full-blown language in its own right, complete with its own grammatical rules. Each country or region has its own sign language, as different from each other as English is from Spanish. Each version of sign language is somewhat linked to the spoken language in its region. For example, American sign language does share similarities with English, even though it is its own language.

Sign language is not based on sentences like English, but on phrases and ideas. When translating sign language into English, for example, some words will have a direct translation. Others find no adequate translation for the true meaning, just like translating Japanese to English, or English to Arabic.

Learning Sign language Over The Internet

Learning sign language always seemed to be an intimidating prospect to me because I struggled so much in my Spanish classes. I'd always heard that learning to sign is like learning a new language - even if you already speak the language that is signed - because of the new hand movements and gestures you have to learn. But people like me would be happy to find out that there are tons of websites available that provide hands-on instruction to get you started. This was good news to me, because even though I've learned the basics, I'm still a "newbie"! If you're interested in learning more about sign language, or even want to brush up on skills you've already learned, why not join me in venturing to these informative signing websites? Let's get started!

American Sign Language (ASL) Browser
Lesson Tutor
A Basic Dictionary of ASL Terms (Mastertech.com)
ASL University
Hand speak
American Sign Language Finger spelling Practice Site

A Look At The Positive Aspects Of The American Sign Language

American sign language is the language of the deaf community in America and English speaking countries around North America. This language involves the use of body language like hands and the reading of impressions on lips. Body and facial expressions constitute this kind of special communication. The birth of this kind of language was due to necessity. Many American families with deaf children had to employ teachers to instruct their children but, with growing need, the language is being taught in secondary and post secondary level. Family members and friends have been known to learn this kind of language to help deaf people.

Learn American Sign Language - Easy To Learn And Useful To Know

Many people find sign language fascinating. While other languages take years to learn, American Sign Language can be taught in a much shorter time period. It is one of the easiest languages to learn because most of the signs were developed to mimic the actual word or phrase it is representing. Even the alphabet signs look like the letters of the English alphabet. It is a very useful language to learn and one of the simplest to master.

People choose to learn American Sign Language for many reasons. Some have a loved one who is deaf and they want to be able to communicate. Others want to be able to communicate to deaf people that they work with or go to church with. Many wish to become more involved in the deaf community. No matter what your motives, the Learn American Sign Language program from Rocket Sign Language is simple, quick, and effective.

American Sign Language - Why Should You Learn It?

Why should you learn Sign Language? Do you want to improve your communication with a family member or friend who is deaf? Do you want to be able to communicate with deaf people in general?

For whatever reason, many people are many learning ASL... it is not difficult or expensive to learn this unique form of communication. It's even exciting!

You can communicate clearly with ASL at distances far beyond the reach of the loudest shout!

Underwater divers use sign language to communicate with each other, in an environment where speaking is often impossible.

A very small microphone can pick up and eavesdrop on any spoken conversation, even if whispered. But a microphone is useless at recording sign language!

Yes, it is true that a video pickup COULD record it. But the recording would have to be continuous (not a sequence of still-shots) and in well-positioned direct line of sight. A video camera would be useless if the person speaking American Sign Language was behind something or had his back to the camera...

The Truth About American Sign Language

American Sign Language, or ASL, is the third most used language in the United States. Used by the deaf community, interpreters, and friends and family of the deaf, it is fairly easy to learn compared to other languages. Watching anyone fluent in ASL, you can see it is a graceful and beautiful language.

There are many versions of sign language, and American Sign Language can trace its roots back to France and Italy. Then, a deaf community on Martha's Vineyard developed their own adaptation. This eventually evolved into American Sign Language as we know it today.

Learning American Sign Language

Learn the Alphabet First

Many sign language practitioners suggest that in order to really get the most out of signing, just like in any spoken language, you need to learn the alphabet first. The main reason is that the alphabet is the foundation for most languages. But don't worry - learning the alphabet is relatively simple. I learned it in one day and am still able to recall the letters. The way I taught myself is a little bit strange, but it worked for me. I actually learned the Spanish alphabet (spoken) years ago in middle school but was having a hard time remembering it, so I decided to teach myself to remember sign language letters by speaking each letter that I signed in Spanish. Since I know the English alphabet so well, I knew my mind would passively run through the letters and leave room for me to forget what I was signing, but by reciting the Spanish alphabet, I could make sure I would remember both - and it actually worked.

Learning Finger Spelling

To see how far you've come, you can test your skills by seeing how fast you can spell out simple words like "jump" or "play" or even your name; this is known as finger spelling. Instead of signing in full words (you haven't learned them yet anyway), you spell out words by signing each letter. You will see that it can be a challenge to arrange the letters in different orders without practice. But once you are able to move quickly through words without pausing, you can successfully say you've learned.

Learn American Sign Language At Home?

Learning at home is great - the obvious advantages are that you an study at your own pace, and at times to suit your lifestyle. It's a lot easier to learn from home while still being able to deal with daily home activities. It becomes an issue of time if you have to jump in a car and drive to class somewhere. The requirements of sitting in a class environment can add stress to your already hectic scheduling which will than impact your learning.

You could just buy yourself a book on the subject, but that's not advisable as the quickest way to learn, because you will be staring at a lot of diagrams which will take a lot of effort to turn into the actual hand movements you'll need.

Rocket Languages vs Rosetta Stone

Ease of use:

Rocket Languages is a systematic program with emphasis on teaching your chosen language fast. Their software interface is based on audio, text, and with languages, they have games as well. Rosetta Stone's interface is more graphical and shows much focus on visuals to get you learning the language.

Languages:

Between Rocket Languages vs Rosetta Stone, when it comes to the number of languages that each program teach, then Rosetta Stone have much great range of languages with around 30. Rocket Languages have only 6 languages, however interestingly this includes American Sign Language, which Rosetta Stone does not include. Rocket Languages have just released Rocket Italian as well to complement their range.