Sign in to follow this
Followers
0
Becoming a Polyglot
By
Alyssa Jordan Kelley Marshall, in Why are you learning ASL?
-
Posts
-
Like the title says, I'm Jill. I'm 17 years old and have been learning American Sign Language on and off since I was 12. I never really got to learn in a class because in my hometown there were no Sign Language classes outside of the community college. Now I'm taking an online class, but I don't get to practice my signs or conversations at much because it's online and I don't have any classmates. If anyone wants to video chat and practice with me, that'd be fun. I especially need help with the grammar part of ASL. Also, I'm on East Coast time and usually am free around 5:00 pm if that's important. -
Hi Kat, Sad that has happened to you but you are definitely taking the right steps and being very brave and pro-active about it. I recently started here and have been taking a signing classes once a week since March 7th, 2019. I am really surprise how much I've learnt already. I am not deaf however I do work with people who are and occasionally I have the chance to practice with them, which is a lot of fun. I suspect I will be spending a lot of time in the video chat rooms, perhaps I will see you there some time. Regards, epsilonv -
By Randi Alden · Posted
Hello All! Like the title says, I'm Randi. I'm hearing and I'm 24. I have studied ASL on and off since I was eight. The main reason for the 'off' times, was simply frustration. There is really nowhere to practice in my small Georgia town, and my family has no interest whatsoever in learning. After I've studied on my own for a while, I'll hit the proverbial brick wall, struggle for a bit, and then lay it down until I'm ready to work through it. The main reason I'm here is to practice, of course, and to meet people with a similar interest. Interaction with people of all skill-levels in invaluable to me, and I know it'll really open my eyes to how much I've been missing. I'm not going to lie, though. I'm nervous. Shy by nature, putting myself out there with a half developed skill is a little terrifying to me. From the time I was about 10 until I was about 15, everything I learned came from books. Vocabulary, alphabet, numbers and such. The first of those 'brick walls' I hit was that while my books were titled ASL they were in fact PSE/SEE, and I discovered the difference until a few years in. I want to learn true ASL, so slowly but surely, I'm trying to unlearn the English part of it, and sort through to find what I need to keep. It's more challenging than I thought possible. The main resource I use now is Lifeprint.com. Thank you to the wonderful, and fantastic Dr. Bill Vicars who puts so much time into assembling such a comprehensive resource. Another reason I'm looking for more experienced signers to communicate with is simply accountability. Being the only ASL student around, it's easy to slip into incorrect versions, misused words, and worse: gestures. Dun dun dun. Anyway, I'd love the chance to talk to some patient souls. Maybe we can practice some? I'll have a new laptop in about a week, so I'll be able to Skype after that. More about myself: I work 9-5's on weekdays, and I'm starting core classes online beginning in the summer semester. I've got a good start with ASL vocabulary, by my delivery and receptive skills are...un-examined. For those who know ASLU/Lifeprint.com, I've taken lessons 1-10 a few times with no real trouble, if that helps figure out where I'm at. I need to finish it, but every time I quit, I insist on starting over. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I hope I haven't run on too terribly much. Nice to meet you! Randi -
By DreamboatDani · Posted
Hi Kat it's nice to meet you. I am slower paced in my learning and nearly at the finish of my ASL 101 class so I know some basics such as numbers and the alphabet and a lot of basic vocabulary. I am not fluent or professional by any means and I would love to have somebody to practice with and to chat when we have the time. Feel free to send me a message sometime.
-