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 Thanks! - Dr. Bill p.s. Want to have your very own USB drive with four semesters worth of ASL instruction (that’s the equivalent of two years of colleges classes) for just $79.95? See "SuperUSB" in the ASLUniversity bookstore at: lifeprint.com/bookstore/bookstore.htm Take care and love to you all. :)
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
The afterlife is very similar to the "aftermath" of life. I have a question about the sign "Near Death Experience", I want to avoid signing every word "near - death - experience" so is there another sign for it? Thank you for sharing your great work.
You could spell NDE for the remainder of a conversation or lecture after having established the concept of "near death experience." It is interesting to consider that perhaps what we really mean is a temporary death experience in which we experience death but come back from it. Thus the sign "near" would map to the English phraseology (which can be useful in some ways, true) but perhaps some other sign would be good for an ASL expansion or explanation of the concept of NDE. (For example maybe: HAPPEN IX-(that-person) DIE BRIEF fs-BACK LIVE AGAIN (or some similar approach).
I indicate that one is behind the other two different ways. If I'm telling someone where to find the bakery, which is behind a grocery store, I'll use the general classifier to indicate where the grocery store is. Then, putting myself into my friend's shoes, I stand next to him and then sign the general classifier for the bakery behind the grocery store - further away from my body. But I THINK that when I'm just narrating without trying to help someone find the bakery, I make the general classifier for the grocery store and then I put the classifier for the bakery behind it and in this case, behind is CLOSER to my body. Never really thought about it before. What do you think about my usual way of doing it?
I love the whole discussion and am impressed that you are thinking along those lines. I've seen some research on placement (if I recall right it involved a banana and a bowl -- ha) and some signers signed the banana closer to the body and others signed it further away from the body. Thus much of the choice seems to be exactly that: a choice (not a rule). I think that we could however claim "context" as an influencing factor and that the lower the context the more likely we will default to the basic sign for "behind." Which if you think about uses the dominant hand to a location closer to the body than the non-dominant hand. That ties into what you are suggesting -- when we have defined a scenario (or in other words established some "context") and are describing something to someone else (perhaps taking their their point of view, etc.) we have "more" context than if we are simply stating "the bakery is behind the bank" with no other context. So, yes, I think there is some validity to your thinking even though the actual usage in real life will still vary quite a bit. Placement choices would be fun (?) research topic for a linguistics major to choose for their dissertation topic.
@@sign-language Very good, thank you! 🙂 I'm sure I just use the sign BEHIND often, so I think probably when I'm not giving directions and am establishing placement, I'm probably telling a story.
how about for "Survive", the formal introduction "this is me", palm-up-wave-down-chest, plus "by-a-hair", especially in context of some panicky signing just before, then maybe throw in a "Well", could also mean "What-about-that". Some of those soft subtle gestures aren't mentioned anywhere, but still show up in the class practice videos untranslated.
Hello. I was just wondering if you could do a review of your first 10 lessons ( just words) I appreciate what your doing. Just started learning but on lessons 4 already. Keep it up and thank you!
For quick reviews (to prevent memory extinction) bookmark the "Signs" channel playlist page: ua-cam.com/users/Lifeprint-signsplaylists There you can find reviews for each of the main lessons in the ASLU curriculum. Also consider visiting the Lifeprint.com website lesson pages.
Question: Would "memory book" be an acceptable way to say scrapbook? The two v hands moving from the eyes toward the back of the head. Response: The concept of the sign works for the association with the English concept. As to whether or not it is "acceptable" the question becomes -- acceptable to or by whom? A word or sign that is only used by one person is an idionym (a type of "one word idiom"). If you use the "LOOK-back" sign and others understand your concept -- then we can say it worked. I decided to teach the PUT-PUT-PUT book version because it was mentioned in an online forum that at least one group of Deaf scrapbookers were using that version. Your idea is solid -- but it is a protologism until others actually use it in real life conversations. If you join a functioning Deaf-centric scrapbooking group and they adopt that sign -- it will change from a protologism into a neologism. If it gets published and spreads -- then it changes into a citable sign. www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/protologism.htm
Language evolve toward efficiency. Reduction is an ongoing evolution in ASL. Signs like "know" move downward. Nouns of noun / verb pairs can lose their double movement (usually in strong context and at high speed). For example chair is sometimes signed as "sit" but the meaning is still understood. Two handed signs sometimes gravitate to one handed if the meaning is still clear. It is fun to watch happen from a linguistic perspective but as a lexicographer it makes my job challenging.
@@sign-language A hearing ASL learner recently asked what the official (lexical?) sign for KNOW is, since I sign it lower. I think I tend to sign HOME (with two contacts) WORK (with one contact), but I really wasn't aware of the contact reduction idea. Would you say that one contact each is the dictionary sign for homework? I'm curious. A while back, I was using a made-up sign for dishwasher and dryer because I use those words frequently when talking to my kids. PLATE+WASH+MACHINE CLOTHES+DRY+MACHINE I was aware that this was cumbersome, but I didn't have a sign for either one. One day, I asked a Deaf married couple what they used, and they gave me a sign for each, which I've very happily adopted. 🙂
Stating that something is lexical simply means that it functions as a word (or in our case a "sign") or a phrase in a language. "Lexical" is thus a very general term. For example, Lexical Variation refers to differences in word choice across different dialects, regions, or social groups within the same language. Lexical items are words or phrases in a language, each carrying specific meanings. When we refer to an official version of a sign we are most likely referring to the "citation" version. The citation version of HOMEWORK absolutely uses only one contact for HOME and one contact for WORK. However if someone signs HOME with two contacts followed by WORK with one contact I think we can categorize that as a bit of over-pronunciation (or in our case over-articulation) and if used as a form of emphasis it would not be considered wrong. If a person is signing HOMEWORK and uses two contacts for HOME and two contacts for WORK I actually consider that to be an error. Why? Because HOME WORK and HOMEWORK are two different concepts. The space or lack of a space in the gloss and in the English is there for a reason. Similarly in ASL when you compound words you reduce contact holds and movement into a single sequence otherwise you haven't actually compounded the signs you are simply signing two signs near each other. The citation version of KNOW is the version that is cited in dictionaries -- the one on the forehead. When dictionaries start citing the cheek-based version then we will eventually have a "new" citation version and the forehead version may (someday) become "archaic." (Only time will tell.) For fun, consider the fact that the sign for DEAF when signed as part of the compound "DEAF-COMMUNITY" is often done with just one contact on the cheek. That sort of freaked me out to think that the sign DEAF is sometimes done with just one contact -- until I actually started paying attention to how the phrase DEAF-COMMUNITY is produced by skilled native or near native-level signers in context at high speed. When signers are signing slow and carefully they sign DEAF COMMUNITY using four contacts. When they are signing very fast we often see reduction of the contact holds to one each for DEAF and CITY -- particularly in a phrase such as "Deaf community events." While it might be tempting to call such signing "sloppy" that would be a mislabel. It is fluent signing.
@@sign-language That is all very helpful and insightful. And the point about compound words - that's a lightbulb moment for me. Yes, citation was definitely the word I was looking for. And it IS interesting to contemplate the possibility of the citation form of KNOW changing someday. I love picking your brain! My husband - hearing - is also a subscriber and contributes to you. I hope that you have a lot of financial supporters for the high quality content that you provide!
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
Thanks!
- Dr. Bill
p.s. Want to have your very own USB drive with four semesters worth of ASL instruction (that’s the equivalent of two years of colleges classes) for just $79.95? See "SuperUSB" in the ASLUniversity bookstore at:
lifeprint.com/bookstore/bookstore.htm
Take care and love to you all.
:)
Thank you so much for sharing and posting your lessons. when I' m able to do so financially i will remember you Dr Bill.
Thanks for the quick lesson, always enjoy these and always pick something up. 🤓
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
The afterlife is very similar to the "aftermath" of life. I have a question about the sign "Near Death Experience", I want to avoid signing every word "near - death - experience" so is there another sign for it? Thank you for sharing your great work.
You could spell NDE for the remainder of a conversation or lecture after having established the concept of "near death experience."
It is interesting to consider that perhaps what we really mean is a temporary death experience in which we experience death but come back from it. Thus the sign "near" would map to the English phraseology (which can be useful in some ways, true) but perhaps some other sign would be good for an ASL expansion or explanation of the concept of NDE. (For example maybe: HAPPEN IX-(that-person) DIE BRIEF fs-BACK LIVE AGAIN (or some similar approach).
I indicate that one is behind the other two different ways.
If I'm telling someone where to find the bakery, which is behind a grocery store, I'll use the general classifier to indicate where the grocery store is. Then, putting myself into my friend's shoes, I stand next to him and then sign the general classifier for the bakery behind the grocery store - further away from my body.
But I THINK that when I'm just narrating without trying to help someone find the bakery, I make the general classifier for the grocery store and then I put the classifier for the bakery behind it and in this case, behind is CLOSER to my body.
Never really thought about it before. What do you think about my usual way of doing it?
I love the whole discussion and am impressed that you are thinking along those lines.
I've seen some research on placement (if I recall right it involved a banana and a bowl -- ha) and some signers signed the banana closer to the body and others signed it further away from the body. Thus much of the choice seems to be exactly that: a choice (not a rule).
I think that we could however claim "context" as an influencing factor and that the lower the context the more likely we will default to the basic sign for "behind." Which if you think about uses the dominant hand to a location closer to the body than the non-dominant hand.
That ties into what you are suggesting -- when we have defined a scenario (or in other words established some "context") and are describing something to someone else (perhaps taking their their point of view, etc.) we have "more" context than if we are simply stating "the bakery is behind the bank" with no other context.
So, yes, I think there is some validity to your thinking even though the actual usage in real life will still vary quite a bit. Placement choices would be fun (?) research topic for a linguistics major to choose for their dissertation topic.
@@sign-language Very good, thank you! 🙂 I'm sure I just use the sign BEHIND often, so I think probably when I'm not giving directions and am establishing placement, I'm probably telling a story.
how about for "Survive", the formal introduction "this is me", palm-up-wave-down-chest, plus "by-a-hair", especially in context of some panicky signing just before, then maybe throw in a "Well", could also mean "What-about-that". Some of those soft subtle gestures aren't mentioned anywhere, but still show up in the class practice videos untranslated.
Oh, that reminds me, there are fifty signs for "ummmmmm" consisting of half formed movements with different handshapes in different positions.
A cast-saw and a bone-saw are nearly identical, but one costs an arm and a leg~~
Hello. I was just wondering if you could do a review of your first 10 lessons ( just words) I appreciate what your doing. Just started learning but on lessons 4 already. Keep it up and thank you!
For quick reviews (to prevent memory extinction) bookmark the "Signs" channel playlist page:
ua-cam.com/users/Lifeprint-signsplaylists
There you can find reviews for each of the main lessons in the ASLU curriculum. Also consider visiting the Lifeprint.com website lesson pages.
With continue to live, now I know how to sign "stayin' alive" 😅
Thank you !!!!
Would "memory book" be an acceptable way to say scrapbook? The two v hands moving from the eyes toward the back of the head.
Question: Would "memory book" be an acceptable way to say scrapbook? The two v hands moving from the eyes toward the back of the head.
Response: The concept of the sign works for the association with the English concept. As to whether or not it is "acceptable" the question becomes -- acceptable to or by whom?
A word or sign that is only used by one person is an idionym (a type of "one word idiom"). If you use the "LOOK-back" sign and others understand your concept -- then we can say it worked. I decided to teach the PUT-PUT-PUT book version because it was mentioned in an online forum that at least one group of Deaf scrapbookers were using that version. Your idea is solid -- but it is a protologism until others actually use it in real life conversations. If you join a functioning Deaf-centric scrapbooking group and they adopt that sign -- it will change from a protologism into a neologism. If it gets published and spreads -- then it changes into a citable sign.
www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/protologism.htm
@@sign-language thank you Dr Bill!!
Great signing video
People can learn a lot from this
If I were to guess the girl’s age, I’d say 24
Ha. My first guess at scrapbook was 'garbage book'. hmmmmmm... 😉
I didn't know it's correct to reduce there number of contacts for compound words!
Language evolve toward efficiency.
Reduction is an ongoing evolution in ASL. Signs like "know" move downward. Nouns of noun / verb pairs can lose their double movement (usually in strong context and at high speed). For example chair is sometimes signed as "sit" but the meaning is still understood. Two handed signs sometimes gravitate to one handed if the meaning is still clear. It is fun to watch happen from a linguistic perspective but as a lexicographer it makes my job challenging.
@@sign-language A hearing ASL learner recently asked what the official (lexical?) sign for KNOW is, since I sign it lower.
I think I tend to sign HOME (with two contacts) WORK (with one contact), but I really wasn't aware of the contact reduction idea. Would you say that one contact each is the dictionary sign for homework? I'm curious.
A while back, I was using a made-up sign for dishwasher and dryer because I use those words frequently when talking to my kids.
PLATE+WASH+MACHINE
CLOTHES+DRY+MACHINE
I was aware that this was cumbersome, but I didn't have a sign for either one. One day, I asked a Deaf married couple what they used, and they gave me a sign for each, which I've very happily adopted. 🙂
Stating that something is lexical simply means that it functions as a word (or in our case a "sign") or a phrase in a language. "Lexical" is thus a very general term. For example, Lexical Variation refers to differences in word choice across different dialects, regions, or social groups within the same language.
Lexical items are words or phrases in a language, each carrying specific meanings.
When we refer to an official version of a sign we are most likely referring to the "citation" version.
The citation version of HOMEWORK absolutely uses only one contact for HOME and one contact for WORK. However if someone signs HOME with two contacts followed by WORK with one contact I think we can categorize that as a bit of over-pronunciation (or in our case over-articulation) and if used as a form of emphasis it would not be considered wrong.
If a person is signing HOMEWORK and uses two contacts for HOME and two contacts for WORK I actually consider that to be an error. Why? Because HOME WORK and HOMEWORK are two different concepts. The space or lack of a space in the gloss and in the English is there for a reason. Similarly in ASL when you compound words you reduce contact holds and movement into a single sequence otherwise you haven't actually compounded the signs you are simply signing two signs near each other.
The citation version of KNOW is the version that is cited in dictionaries -- the one on the forehead. When dictionaries start citing the cheek-based version then we will eventually have a "new" citation version and the forehead version may (someday) become "archaic." (Only time will tell.)
For fun, consider the fact that the sign for DEAF when signed as part of the compound "DEAF-COMMUNITY" is often done with just one contact on the cheek. That sort of freaked me out to think that the sign DEAF is sometimes done with just one contact -- until I actually started paying attention to how the phrase DEAF-COMMUNITY is produced by skilled native or near native-level signers in context at high speed.
When signers are signing slow and carefully they sign DEAF COMMUNITY using four contacts. When they are signing very fast we often see reduction of the contact holds to one each for DEAF and CITY -- particularly in a phrase such as "Deaf community events."
While it might be tempting to call such signing "sloppy" that would be a mislabel. It is fluent signing.
@@sign-language That is all very helpful and insightful. And the point about compound words - that's a lightbulb moment for me.
Yes, citation was definitely the word I was looking for. And it IS interesting to contemplate the possibility of the citation form of KNOW changing someday.
I love picking your brain! My husband - hearing - is also a subscriber and contributes to you. I hope that you have a lot of financial supporters for the high quality content that you provide!
The girl is too pretty ❤
How about noticing how good her signing was?
Yeah she’s good looking and a great signer
Looks like the end needs to be shaved off a LITTLE more.