If you want to learn sign language:

Pseudogenesis · Post by **Pseudogenesis** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 8:47 pm

http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/lessons/lessons.htm

I've heard this is an excellent resource. Video lessons'd probably be good too. Post whatever else you feel is extremely helpful, and we'll use it.

Join me in my inspired mushiness.

Helbereth · Post by **Helbereth** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:39 pm

Dammit, now I'm intrigued...

Pseudogenesis · Post by **Pseudogenesis** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:49 pm

I know, right? It's interestingly direct and common-sense for the most part, which I think I like. It'd be great to be at least conversational by the time I'm done with school this year, and be able to continue lessons in college.

Helbereth · Post by **Helbereth** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:55 pm

Pseudogenesis wrote:I know, right? It's interestingly direct and common-sense for the most part, which I think I like. It'd be great to be at least conversational by the time I'm done with school this year, and be able to continue lessons in college.

It's also an almost border-less language. There are variations across the world, but many of the practical signs are the same if not similar.

Pseudogenesis · Post by **Pseudogenesis** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 11:30 pm

According to the page, American Sign Language is just one of many variations of sign language. As in ASL is spoken in the US and Canada, but not necessarily places like Japan or Brazil. >:| Which actually really pisses the pragmatist in me off. It would be so much more universal if sign language were standard in all countries, and it could even help bridge language barriers. You could maybe go to Germany and sign if somebody knew sign but not English. Shame that's not the way it turned out, especially considering that it's a fairly new language. Oh well. ASL is apparently the most used.

Kutagh · Post by **Kutagh** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 5:14 am

Pseudogenesis wrote:According to the page, American Sign Language is just one of many variations of sign language. As in ASL is spoken in the US and Britain, but not necessarily places like Japan or Brazil. >:| Which actually really pisses the pragmatist in me off. It would be so much more universal if sign language were standard in all countries, and it could even help bridge language barriers. You could maybe go to Germany and sign if somebody knew sign but not English. Shame that's not the way it turned out, especially considering that it's a fairly new language. Oh well. ASL is apparently the most used.

The pragmatist in me is pissed off because there's no universal spoken language across the globe...

But Sign Language isn't globally developed by a group of Deaf cultures, its locally developed based on the own culture and needs. Here in the Netherlands, there were originally multiple sign languages developed based on the different clusters of the Deaf, in those 5 cities: Groningen, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Voorburg and St. Michielsgestel. Those groups didn't have a lot of contact with each other when the sign languages were developed, leading to a whole range of differences between the dialects. Since 1981 those 5 'dialects' have been merged into one dialect. And that's just one tiny country where it happened, just imagine it on the scale of the USA or so, how many dialects might have been formed...

Anyway, I'm enrolled into an one-year academic minor on Dutch Sign Language. The most important thing when learning any sign language is practice, practice and practice. Don't practice and you'll steadily forget all but your most commonly used signs. I'm talking from experience

[Edited to update info]

metalangel · Post by **metalangel** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 6:24 am

Pseudogenesis wrote:According to the page, American Sign Language is just one of many variations of sign language. As in ASL is spoken in the US and Britain

ASL is not spoken in Britain. BSL is. They are very different.

Which actually really pisses the pragmatist in me off. It would be so much more universal if sign language were standard in all countries, and it could even help bridge language barriers. You could maybe go to Germany and sign if somebody knew sign but not English. Shame that's not the way it turned out, especially considering that it's a fairly new language. Oh well. ASL is apparently the most used.

How dare people have come up with a language when they needed it, and not bothered registering for ISO-9000!

Lifeprint is a useful assistant but it's no substitute for the real teaching from a fluent user, face to face. Speaking of which, my ASL college course starts in September.

Kutagh · Post by **Kutagh** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 9:09 am

metalangel wrote:
Pseudogenesis wrote:According to the page, American Sign Language is just one of many variations of sign language. As in ASL is spoken in the US and Britain
ASL is not spoken in Britain. BSL is. They are very different.

Which actually really pisses the pragmatist in me off. It would be so much more universal if sign language were standard in all countries, and it could even help bridge language barriers. You could maybe go to Germany and sign if somebody knew sign but not English. Shame that's not the way it turned out, especially considering that it's a fairly new language. Oh well. ASL is apparently the most used.
How dare people have come up with a language when they needed it, and not bothered registering for ISO-9000!

Lifeprint is a useful assistant but it's no substitute for the real teaching from a fluent user, face to face. Speaking of which, my ASL college course starts in September.

Good luck, my NGT (Nederlandse GebarenTaal -> Dutch Sign Language) course also starts in September

Small class though, <20 man. Am used to classes of 100+ man in my Computer Science bachelor

metalangel · Post by **metalangel** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:27 am

You need small classes sizes so you can all sit close to and with a clear view of the instructor. I'm looking forward to hearing how you get on with it all. I meanwhile have just paid out over $3000 in my tuition fees

Kutagh · Post by **Kutagh** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:36 am

metalangel wrote:You need small classes sizes so you can all sit close to and with a clear view of the instructor. I'm looking forward to hearing how you get on with it all. I meanwhile have just paid out over $3000 in my tuition fees

Yeah, I know that you need small class size, it still is gonna getting used to sitting in a small room with like 15 others and the teacher instead of a big lecture room with rows and rows of chairs...
And luckily I don't have to pay extra tuition fees for my sign language minor since I'm already paying tuition fees to my current university and the government somehow managed to set it up so you don't need to pay tuition fees to multiple universities (yes I know, amazing that they managed that...

) so I'm waiting till my current university withdraws the €1800 worth of tuition fees from my account.
You should also let us know how your classes go... Perhaps we should do a videoconference sometimes?

ZXRN · Post by **ZXRN** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 11:18 am

ooo quite interesting indeed, might actually try this out for fun. Who knows, might help in the future.

Gandara · Post by **Gandara** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 12:47 pm

metalangel wrote:Speaking of which, my ASL college course starts in September.

Ooh, me too! Though I have to register for it yet, since my web registration was finnicky with that class. I'm going for a completely unrelated degree, but they have an ASL intro class at my college and it's only like $80 for the semester. I'm okay with this.

We should totally set up a video chat for KS nerds to practice signing. =]

metalangel · Post by **metalangel** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 12:49 pm

Kutagh wrote:
metalangel wrote:You need small classes sizes so you can all sit close to and with a clear view of the instructor. I'm looking forward to hearing how you get on with it all. I meanwhile have just paid out over $3000 in my tuition fees
Yeah, I know that you need small class size, it still is gonna getting used to sitting in a small room with like 15 others and the teacher instead of a big lecture room with rows and rows of chairs...

Yeah, which means no falling asleep/playing Diablo 3 at the back for you!

You should also let us know how your classes go... Perhaps we should do a videoconference sometimes?

I will... once we've had a few months of it and are at a basic conversational level, seeing just how closely related Dutch and American (both are from the French Sign family) are could be amusing.

Megumeru · Post by **Megumeru** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 12:50 pm

Oooh...

hell, why not? You learn something new everyday so why not? Knowledge is power after all

Kutagh · Post by **Kutagh** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 1:29 pm

@Metalangel: FYI one of the reasons I didn't use a sign language interpreter but a written interpreter (spoken to PC) is because sign language needs a 100% focus: You have to focus visually on the signer or you will miss signs (and thus information). With the written interpreter there is basically a 'history' visible of the last 10-15 sentences, a 'sliding window' (as it is known in programming) so I can let my focus go for a bit, read a slide or page and then catch up on what I 'missed'. This allows me to operate like the average student who can just listen with the ears while reading a page or slide

Anyway I don't game or sleep during lectures. I might be reading unrelated material or browse the web but I know the trade-off I'm making and I usually still pay attention to the interpreted text so I don't miss what is being said.

Oh and I'll check out how to do a video-conference. So far Skype is a no-go since it is only free for 1-on-1 video chatting...

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