Hello ASL Heroes!!! Hey, I could really use your help. If you’ve enjoyed having access to an expert in ASL you can help me continue my work for you. A small monthly donation from you would instantly make a big difference here at the studio because teachers don’t earn much and I could use some help paying for server and domain hosting for Lifeprint.com. Right now you can help out a humble (not to mention kind, caring, generous, compassionate, helpful, friendly, fair, and hard-working) ASL teacher -- just go here and a few clicks later you too will be a true “ASL Hero!” www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=64QMBRBXQSV6G For more donation options, see: Lifeprint.com/donate Thanks! - Dr. Bill
And now you got me signing “we are the Borg, you will be assimilated, resistance is futile” L.O.L.!!!! You showed Borg once, no idea how to sign futile. And picturing that quote in ASL seems as funny as watching Deafenstine in Switched at Birth =P
How to use ASL University to learn sign language for free: 1. Visit Lifeprint.com and become familiar with the ASL University website. 2. Bookmark the official ASLU UA-cam master playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PL6akqFwEeSpiLwRFA3ZvuOWMwPXwI7NqA.html 3. For quick reviews (to prevent memory extinction) bookmark the "Signs" channel playlist page: ua-cam.com/users/Lifeprint-signsplaylists 4. If you use a desktop or laptop computer you can look up signs using this page: www.lifeprint.com/search.htm 5. If you use a mobile device you can look up signs using this page: www.lifeprint.com/search/index.htm 6. If you can’t find a sign after using the search options at Lifeprint.com then consider applying to join the Lifeprint-ASLU Facebook group and asking your question there. See: facebook.com/groups/Lifeprint.ASLU/ 7. Go through the ASLU Lessons for free: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/lessons/lessons.htm Your comments, questions, or suggestions are always welcome. To contact Dr. Bill Vicars, see: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/contact.htm Ways to support the ASL University channel: 1. Click the “thumb up” (like) icon on videos at UA-cam.com/billvicars 2. Click the “subscribe” button at UA-cam.com/billvicars (if you haven't done so yet) 3. Click the “Share” link and share the videos. 4. Visit the “ASLU” bookstore at www.lifeprint.com/bookstore/bookstore.htm (feel free to suggest new products that you would like to see). 5. Buy some ASL University “official” clothing at: ASLU gear: teespring.com/stores/aslu 6. Subscribe to the ASLU subscription site: asl.tc (For information see: lifeprint.com/asltc/ ) 7. Donate via: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=64QMBRBXQSV6G 8. For other donation options, see: www.Lifeprint.com/donate.htm If you have any friends who might be in a position to do so you might want to consider inviting them to donate -- thus supporting Deaf children and the promotion of free sign language resources via Lifeprint.com
what's more important..for us to fingerspell fast or for people to be able to read our fingerspelling?i am weak with reading fingerspelling..especially those who fingerspell fast.
It depends on your audience and/or the person with whom you are conversing. If you are conversing with a beginner then it is more important to fingerspell slowly and carefully. If you are conversing with a native signer then it is more important to fingerspell quickly (even if it is a bit sloppy). It is a myth in the minds of many beginners though that Deaf are actually reading each letter in fingerspelled words. We often only catch the general shape and flow of a quickly fingerspelled word but that is enough to combine with context (and/or sometimes with mouth movements) to guess or figure out the intended word or concept. If YOU are the beginner then you need to become familiar with how to slow down videos, pause videos, advance frame by frame, etc. -- or get used to asking more advanced signers to slow down for you. Compare fingerspelling to speed limits for cars. There is a reason some roads have a limit of 10 MPH and other roads have speed limits of 75 MPH. However, just because you might not be skilled at driving doesn't mean that others want to drive 10 MPH. Us Deaf people tend to prefer to hang out with other Deaf people for many reasons, one of the main reasons being the ability to communicate at high speeds. Imagine yourself in a sports car on a multi-lane highway. Imagine it is a 75 mph zone but in every lane, driving side by side, there are slow-pokes doing 30 miles per hour. How would you feel after just a few moments of having to drive behind these people? Now imagine having to commute to work everyday there and back behind these slow pokes? Now imagine they are doing 15 mph instead of 30. Now imagine they frequently break down and ask you to tow them to their destination. All you want to do is get to work and get home and you'd like to do it at full highway speeds. Can you imagine the frustration? Now, imagine one of the lanes frees up and starts moving at 75 miles per hour. Would you hang around behind the slowpoke, or would you hastily move away from the slowpoke and get into the fast lane? It isn't that you have anything against the slowpoke. You don't really know that person. You just want to get to where you are going and getting in the fast lane is the least frustrating, most enjoyable way of getting to your destination. It is the same for Deaf people every day of our lives. Those of us that can fingerspell and read fingerspelling quickly tend to do so because it gets our message across quickly. If you are a beginner it is natural to seek out roads or fingerspelling speeds that match your driving or fingerspelling ability. As you get more skilled at driving and fingerspelling you'll have access to faster travel and faster communication.
Thank you for this, I wanted to talk about how adjacency affected how signs are formed as it helps me as a new signer to understand and see examples of clipped signing. Totally my own hands make a lot of the versions that you mention, even the three-finger letters. Now shouldn't the sign for signing-fluently only throw out three fingers likewise, hahaha. Oh, how about a sign for assimilation that looks like an offhand downward facing 5-claw intercepting an S-hand or something then both hands part as 5-claws, "resistance is futile"~~ (or that kind of handshape transfer while tapping like with shoes)
Letting you know I saw your "throw out three fingers" comment. (And groaned appropriately.) Heh. But, actually, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see that showing up on peoples' hands. Language evolves the way it wants to evolve.
I wanted to comment on your sign for LETTER, as in letter of the alphabet. I use an L handshape twice tapping the tip of my 1/D handshape. I don't remember where I got it from, but I know I grew up with it. Have you seen that version?
Indeed! That version used to be a lot more commonly in use to refer to an "alphabet letter" and it was (and is) a great way to distinguish between an alphabet letter and a piece of mail. However, lately (for years actually) I mostly just see the two "A"-hands version being used for both concepts. Quite a bit of variety out there though on the "letter" concept.
Hello ASL Heroes!!!
Hey, I could really use your help.
If you’ve enjoyed having access to an expert in ASL you can help me continue my work for you.
A small monthly donation from you would instantly make a big difference here at the studio because teachers don’t earn much and I could use some help paying for server and domain hosting for Lifeprint.com.
Right now you can help out a humble (not to mention kind, caring, generous, compassionate, helpful, friendly, fair, and hard-working) ASL teacher -- just go here and a few clicks later you too will be a true “ASL Hero!”
www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=64QMBRBXQSV6G
For more donation options, see: Lifeprint.com/donate
Thanks!
- Dr. Bill
thank you!
Bill Vicars has more fun teaching ASL than anyone has a right to. ❤
Thanks Bill for everything you post.
And now you got me signing “we are the Borg, you will be assimilated, resistance is futile”
L.O.L.!!!! You showed Borg once, no idea how to sign futile. And picturing that quote in ASL seems as funny as watching Deafenstine in Switched at Birth =P
Not a perfect match but IMPOSSIBLE would work for futile in many situations. As in: Resistance is impossible.
Thanks for this video. Lots of really good info and things to learning this one.
Thanks again
Rich
Love sign language. When my kids were very young i taught them how to sign the alphabet
How to use ASL University to learn sign language for free:
1. Visit Lifeprint.com and become familiar with the ASL University website.
2. Bookmark the official ASLU UA-cam master playlist:
ua-cam.com/play/PL6akqFwEeSpiLwRFA3ZvuOWMwPXwI7NqA.html
3. For quick reviews (to prevent memory extinction) bookmark the "Signs" channel playlist page:
ua-cam.com/users/Lifeprint-signsplaylists
4. If you use a desktop or laptop computer you can look up signs using this page: www.lifeprint.com/search.htm
5. If you use a mobile device you can look up signs using this page:
www.lifeprint.com/search/index.htm
6. If you can’t find a sign after using the search options at Lifeprint.com then consider applying to join the Lifeprint-ASLU Facebook group and asking your question there. See:
facebook.com/groups/Lifeprint.ASLU/
7. Go through the ASLU Lessons for free:
www.lifeprint.com/asl101/lessons/lessons.htm
Your comments, questions, or suggestions are always welcome.
To contact Dr. Bill Vicars, see: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/contact.htm
Ways to support the ASL University channel:
1. Click the “thumb up” (like) icon on videos at UA-cam.com/billvicars
2. Click the “subscribe” button at UA-cam.com/billvicars (if you haven't done so yet)
3. Click the “Share” link and share the videos.
4. Visit the “ASLU” bookstore at www.lifeprint.com/bookstore/bookstore.htm (feel free to suggest new products that you would like to see).
5. Buy some ASL University “official” clothing at: ASLU gear: teespring.com/stores/aslu
6. Subscribe to the ASLU subscription site: asl.tc
(For information see: lifeprint.com/asltc/ )
7. Donate via: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=64QMBRBXQSV6G
8. For other donation options, see: www.Lifeprint.com/donate.htm If you have any friends who might be in a position to do so you might want to consider inviting them to donate -- thus supporting Deaf children and the promotion of free sign language resources via Lifeprint.com
your videos are so helpful and simple. i love your channel!
what's more important..for us to fingerspell fast or for people to be able to read our fingerspelling?i am weak with reading fingerspelling..especially those who fingerspell fast.
It depends on your audience and/or the person with whom you are conversing.
If you are conversing with a beginner then it is more important to fingerspell slowly and carefully.
If you are conversing with a native signer then it is more important to fingerspell quickly (even if it is a bit sloppy).
It is a myth in the minds of many beginners though that Deaf are actually reading each letter in fingerspelled words. We often only catch the general shape and flow of a quickly fingerspelled word but that is enough to combine with context (and/or sometimes with mouth movements) to guess or figure out the intended word or concept.
If YOU are the beginner then you need to become familiar with how to slow down videos, pause videos, advance frame by frame, etc. -- or get used to asking more advanced signers to slow down for you.
Compare fingerspelling to speed limits for cars.
There is a reason some roads have a limit of 10 MPH and other roads have speed limits of 75 MPH.
However, just because you might not be skilled at driving doesn't mean that others want to drive 10 MPH.
Us Deaf people tend to prefer to hang out with other Deaf people for many reasons, one of the main reasons being the ability to communicate at high speeds.
Imagine yourself in a sports car on a multi-lane highway. Imagine it is a 75 mph zone but in every lane, driving side by side, there are slow-pokes doing 30 miles per hour.
How would you feel after just a few moments of having to drive behind these people?
Now imagine having to commute to work everyday there and back behind these slow pokes? Now imagine they are doing 15 mph instead of 30. Now imagine they frequently break down and ask you to tow them to their destination.
All you want to do is get to work and get home and you'd like to do it at full highway speeds. Can you imagine the frustration?
Now, imagine one of the lanes frees up and starts moving at 75 miles per hour.
Would you hang around behind the slowpoke, or would you hastily move away from the slowpoke and get into the fast lane?
It isn't that you have anything against the slowpoke. You don't really know that person. You just want to get to where you are going and getting in the fast lane is the least frustrating, most enjoyable way of getting to your destination.
It is the same for Deaf people every day of our lives. Those of us that can fingerspell and read fingerspelling quickly tend to do so because it gets our message across quickly.
If you are a beginner it is natural to seek out roads or fingerspelling speeds that match your driving or fingerspelling ability. As you get more skilled at driving and fingerspelling you'll have access to faster travel and faster communication.
Thank you for this, I wanted to talk about how adjacency affected how signs are formed as it helps me as a new signer to understand and see examples of clipped signing. Totally my own hands make a lot of the versions that you mention, even the three-finger letters. Now shouldn't the sign for signing-fluently only throw out three fingers likewise, hahaha. Oh, how about a sign for assimilation that looks like an offhand downward facing 5-claw intercepting an S-hand or something then both hands part as 5-claws, "resistance is futile"~~ (or that kind of handshape transfer while tapping like with shoes)
OMG Rock-Paper-Scissors at Gallaudet would be amazing!~~
Letting you know I saw your "throw out three fingers" comment.
(And groaned appropriately.)
Heh.
But, actually, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see that showing up on peoples' hands. Language evolves the way it wants to evolve.
I still like it better with the five~~
I wanted to comment on your sign for LETTER, as in letter of the alphabet. I use an L handshape twice tapping the tip of my 1/D handshape. I don't remember where I got it from, but I know I grew up with it. Have you seen that version?
Indeed! That version used to be a lot more commonly in use to refer to an "alphabet letter" and it was (and is) a great way to distinguish between an alphabet letter and a piece of mail. However, lately (for years actually) I mostly just see the two "A"-hands version being used for both concepts. Quite a bit of variety out there though on the "letter" concept.
Thanks. :-)
The woman is very pretty