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Baby Sign Language | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5555 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes  Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 1 of 8 11 February 2010 at 4:55pm | IP Logged | ||
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Following a conversation about how useful sign language can be for bringing up very young children, I saw this video about a 1-year-old baby communicating with her mother via simple signs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gSZfW4gVhI&feature=fvw Seeing "Cheerios" in the core vocabulary was a little scary at first but nonetheless fascinating. Then I found another clip about a 17-month-old child who can actually READ ALOUD! The parents said that they used sign language to promote early literacy and language skills, and it looks like it worked... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vys9jvXwcU&feature=related They used a well-established method in America called "Your Baby Can Read", which starts with reading and the child communicating back in sign language, and then graduates later towards the child reading and speaking aloud...I guess nothing particularly new or radical here; just systematic. I know plenty of parents who instinctively already do a fair bit of this anyway, whilst talking with their children and being expressive, and I recall my own parents brought me up with a little sign language and then flashcards later on too... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsWyoBAqIE8&feature=related Finally, this is amazing - here's Aleka at 9 months old READING and signing back... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHygByUGI0Y Thought this might intrigue some of our members, and I'd be interested to hear back from anyone who's tried out a bit of sign language, either themselves or with their children, or has some fresh views on the subject? :) Edited by Teango on 11 February 2010 at 4:56pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| jimbo Tetraglot Senior Member Canada Joined 6293 days ago 469 posts - 642 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin, Korean, French Studies: Japanese, Latin | Message 2 of 8 12 February 2010 at 5:37am | IP Logged | ||
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My wife is a huge fan of the "Baby Signing Time" series. It teaches important words like bathroom, water, more,
food, help, all done. I've become a fan too because a baby signing that she has to go to the bathroom means fewer messy diapers for me to change. It is also entertaining to watch my daughter make the sign for apple if you say apple in English or in Mandarin. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| victor-osorio Diglot Groupie Venezuela Joined 5431 days ago 73 posts - 129 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English Studies: Italian | Message 3 of 8 12 February 2010 at 2:21pm | IP Logged | ||
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This is simply amazing. I wonder whether this can be used for teaching kids to read in
several languages at once when they're parents don't speak those languages. I mean teaching to read the basic words of various languages; parents can find those words easily with an online translator. It sounds reasonable. And even if doesn't imply that children will be able to pronounce words in every language (since their parents don't know those languages), but they can learn when teenagers easily those languages, isn't it? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Lugubert Heptaglot Senior Member Sweden Joined 6866 days ago 186 posts - 235 votes Speaks: Swedish*, Danish, Norwegian, EnglishC2, German, Dutch, French Studies: Mandarin, Hindi | Message 4 of 8 12 February 2010 at 7:52pm | IP Logged | ||
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Not everybody is enthusiastic. http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/hearing_and_language/index.htm l on September 02, 2005 featured "Thumbs down to baby signing", referring to a statement of the Royal College of Speech and Language therapists:
“it is not necessary for parents to learn formal signing such as British Sign Language for children with no identified risk of speech and language development… The College is concerned that the use of signing does not replace/take priority over the need for parents to talk to their children". 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6010 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 5 of 8 13 February 2010 at 10:40am | IP Logged | ||
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I recall hearing about this in the news a few years ago, and one child psychologist was concerned that making communication easier might reduce the effort the child puts into learning to speak.
Of course, it's all conjecture and hearsay both ways, because I've not heard of any major studies being carried out.... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| jimbo Tetraglot Senior Member Canada Joined 6293 days ago 469 posts - 642 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin, Korean, French Studies: Japanese, Latin | Message 6 of 8 13 February 2010 at 10:58am | IP Logged | ||
Wouldn't want that. Let's make the little rascals suffer. ;-) Ever heard the saying "children should be seen and not heard"? ;-) Sorry, just kidding... Talk to the kids when you do the signs. Problem solved. Edited by jimbo on 13 February 2010 at 11:05am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6010 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 7 of 8 13 February 2010 at 12:03pm | IP Logged | ||
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Hang on... you're mixing two things up here -- signing and responding to spoken and written language. They're very different things...
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Teango Triglot Winner TAC 2010 & 2012 Senior Member United States teango.wordpress.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5555 days ago 2210 posts - 3734 votes Speaks: English*, German, Russian Studies: Hawaiian, French, Toki Pona | Message 8 of 8 13 February 2010 at 12:53pm | IP Logged | ||
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Here are some interesting links on the subject of using sign language with infants. The first one is a general overview on Wikipedia.
The second looks at the case in more depth for baby signing from both sides of the argument, supporters and sceptics alike. Looking at the full statement in context from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, the official line seems to be: "Research evidence supports the use of gestures to help babies focus on what they hear - much as child-directed speech does - as part of 'normal' parent-child interaction"... ...so long as... "use of signing does not replace/take priority over the need for parents to talk to their children". So don't worry folks, using a few cool signs whilst talking to your child is perfectly normal and can only help with overall focus, make learning a bit more fun, and perhaps avoid early frustrations for the little fellas trying to communicate with the big world around them too ;) I agree with other members that this doesn't need to involve a systematic course, and children certainly don't need to learn BSL or ASL or whatever properly unless they or their parents have respective hearing problems of course. Research and case studies generally support the view that using a bit of sign language or gestures along with speaking can reap really positive rewards overall for a developing child, and promotes once again the usefulness of engaging more senses in the learning process and encouraging complementary lines of communication. Edited by Teango on 13 February 2010 at 1:11pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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