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Reasons why everyone should learn ASL | ||
Tags: Sign Language | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5000 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes  Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 9 of 16 20 April 2012 at 4:11am | IP Logged | ||
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(In my case, it would be the Czech sign language, not the American, but the base is the
same.) I was surprised to not see the first reason mentioned the first or accented: You may get in a situation when you'll need to speak with a deaf person. And, especially in some fields, it is much more probable than the need to speak Mandarin or any other foreign language. An exemple: I've seen a doctor communicate with a deaf patient without a translator. They were solving just a few quite simple things with paper and pen and it was already difficult. The translator would be necessary for anything more complex. So, if you are working with people, especially in the health care, social services, education and some other fields, it may be useful to you one day. I don't have time now but should I keep studying medicine and should I decide to become a doctor who meets the patients and their families (not the laboratory or research kind or doctor), I will surely try to learn it. P.S. ouch, I look like I have no sense of humour now :-D 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| FireViN Diglot Senior Member Brazil missaoitaliano.wordpRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5220 days ago 196 posts - 292 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, EnglishC2 Studies: Italian | Message 10 of 16 20 April 2012 at 3:35pm | IP Logged | ||
This deaf woman claims to sign 30+ sign languages at various levels. The interview is in Portuguese. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Hampie Diglot Senior Member Sweden Joined 6650 days ago 625 posts - 1009 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: Latin, German, Mandarin | Message 11 of 16 20 April 2012 at 3:48pm | IP Logged | ||
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Deaf people in Sweden does not "speak" ASL.
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| Michael K. Senior Member United States Joined 5720 days ago 568 posts - 886 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Esperanto | Message 12 of 16 20 April 2012 at 5:46pm | IP Logged | ||
Thanks for answering the question of why people learn sign language when they could just communicate with a deaf person by using pen and paper. My dad went to the doctor and the doctor was tending to a deaf person, and they were communicating in ASL. After the doctor got finished, and went to tend to my dad, he was still signing. He told my dad, "I'm going to be signing for the rest of the day." 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5000 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 13 of 16 21 April 2012 at 8:37am | IP Logged | ||
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The pen and paper takes too long, doesn't allow the conversation to be fluent and takes
of the non-verbal communication because the people are looking at the paper instead of each other, that's what I gathered from what I've seen. The "signing for the rest of the day" made me laugh. It is wonderful that it is so natural for someone who is not deaf. I wonder, is it difficult to sign and speak at the same time? It may be useful, because many of the deaf people are more or less skilled at reading from lips (most of the rest of the world doesn't give them a choice) but isn't it similarly difficult like thinking in two languages at the same time? And I've just remembered I saw a group of deaf children in a tram some time ago. It was wonderful to see that the language works exactly the same. A boy was obviously the most talkative and was entertaining the girls. But I realised in time it is probably just as rude to stare at them as to listen to conversations (even when they are in other languages :-D ) 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Michael K. Senior Member United States Joined 5720 days ago 568 posts - 886 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Esperanto | Message 14 of 16 21 April 2012 at 12:31pm | IP Logged | ||
Maybe in Czech or other languages it's easy to read lips, but from reading an ASL book once, few deaf Americans actually lip read because the book claimed 70% or more of English sounds look the same when they're spoken. The interpreters I've seen mouth the words and sign at the same time, so maybe they don't speak, but they do mouth words. Edited by Michael K. on 21 April 2012 at 12:33pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5000 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 15 of 16 21 April 2012 at 2:15pm | IP Logged | ||
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I don't think it's easy in any language but in some, it is certainly doable with some
practice. I believe English may be an exception, I tried to catch the original by riding lips behind a dubbing a few times. Some parts were quite clear, some were as you say. The interpreters are cool, I've heard some speak at the same time, I though more of normal people. It's like comparing normal person like me to an interpreter. :-) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Andrew C Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom naturalarabic.com Joined 5181 days ago 205 posts - 350 votes Speaks: English*, Arabic (Written) | Message 16 of 16 21 April 2012 at 5:01pm | IP Logged | ||
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I've just finished reading Oliver Sack's "Seeing Voices", which is about sign language and ASL sounds absolutely fascinating;
It is a language which evolved naturally in deaf communities and is unconnected to spoken English. It has its own vocabulary and grammar. It is learned by deaf children just as hearing children learn their language, and later learners will not become as proficient in it. This shows the brain can learn a language visually as well as aurally. It can express things that cannot be expressed in the spoken word, e.g. by expoiting space and time and simultaneous gestures. It is incredibly complex, and something so different from any other language, I think these are very good reasons to learn ASL! 1 person has voted this message useful |
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