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 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. You can help out a humble (not to mention kind, caring, generous, compassionate, helpful, friendly, fair, and hard-working) ASL teacher -- just go here right now 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 for just $79.95? See "SuperUSB" in the ASLUniversity bookstore at: lifeprint.com/bookstore/bookstore.htm Take care and love to you all. :)
At one point, for my asl homework, I needed to order food by using asl. I keep forgetting that half the world will stare at me when I sign with no idea what I'm saying. When I had tried to sign to our waiter, "My food is cold"; he came over and gave me a hug. I verbally asked him why he did that and he told me that what he thought I said was saying I needed a warm embrace... Oh wel, I guess I should use my words until I know that the other person can sign...
I am so thankful for Dr. Bill Vicars. He is amazing! I work with a lady who is deaf. She reads lips, but we work in a facility that requires us to wear masks. I always take my mask down so she can read my lips, but I am trying to learn sign language so I can communicate with her through her first language and be respectful. I have always wanted to learn ASL but didn't have the opportunity or means. Now that I found Dr. Bill Vicars, I am learning so much (but have a long way to go). She appreciates me trying ASL to communicate. I am so nervous I am going to sign something wrong.
I love your videos Bill Vicars! :) I am taking ASL classes at my school right now. I am almost to ASL 5 but I am having a hard time understanding what is being signed in my class so I am watching your videos to learn more signs in ASL so I will be ready for ASL 5 and so I'll understand. Thank you for making these videos! Your really helping me and others that need to learn this language. :)
Ah yes, the immersive experience ... eventually you'll feel like you are sitting right here with us in the classroom. It has been rumored that the experience over time becomes even more intense -- if you are really in-tune -- you can hear me farting. It's uncanny.
Started learning ASL from your videos earlier this year and I'm so excited that I can understand now. I have noone to practice with currently but hopefully if the opportunity arises I'll be able to help or surprise someone! Also for what it's worth I love your sense of humor..really makes the lessons more engaging!
Marjorie, I'm replying here to let you know I've seen your comment. For what it is worth, the sign for "easy" in ASL is not the sign for sleeping around. (It would require a lot more context and/or additional signs to make the "easy" sign fit that meaning). Instead there are some rather graphic / very specific signs for that sort of thing in ASL. For example: ua-cam.com/video/vWY1VvKVQjA/v-deo.html Regardless, again, letting you know I've noted your comment. - Dr. Bill
I’m glad you brought up the concept of context because context is crucial here. In English, “Are you easy?” tends to mean “Is it easy to convince you to have s e x?” However, the context is that Katelyn and I were engaged in a process of acting and semi-fictional word play in front of a live broadcast audience of around 3,000 people at the time. We were making a conscious decision to use signs in a fun, highly engaging, and sometimes humorous manner. During our time both on and off camera we did a lot of that type of “playing” with the language which included joking around. Katelyn understood that I was joking and was not offended. She thought it was funny. I know this not only from her on-camera reaction but also because we communicated off camera -- a lot! We enjoyed a strong, positive relationship and communicated often about anything and everything both in sign language and via emails. Literally two weeks after the above video was created Katelyn sent me the following email: ------------------------------- From: Katelyn ███ Sent: Mon, May 16 Subject: ASL 1 Thank you Dr. V! Seriously this was the funnest / inspiring class I have taken! Can't wait for next semester! ------------------------------------ Here's a passage from one of her other (many) emails -- this one close to a year later as she neared graduation: ---Original Message--- From: Katelyn ███ Sent: Tue, Mar 20 ... I feel so blessed to have had a teacher like you! It is people like you who make this world a greater place! I would love to come visit you before this semester ends! Let me know your office hours! ... ------------------------------------ So, I’m not going to feel bad about nor feel any need to apologize for joking around with Katelyn or any of my other students on camera -- or off -- as part of practice sessions full of frequent, often fictional, ongoing joking. I would flog myself if I ever (in her opinion - not random internet people) offended her. Again though, she wasn’t offended. She got the joke. Long afterward she continued to share very positive comments to me directly and seek out further opportunities to experience more time with me, my humor, and my approach to instruction. At that time at the university had twelve ASL instructors from whom Katelyn could have registered to take ASL 2. She chose to take my ASL 2 course the next semester. While my approach to humor was a good fit for Katelyn (or she wouldn't have later sought out opportunities to meet with me and spend time with me or signed up for my ASL 2 course when she had so many other options) and a good fit for the over 450,000 people who have subscribed to my channel - it is apparently sometimes not a good fit for every person. I get that. The good news is there are lots and lots of other free online ASL resources out there. Let's again, for emphasis, take a look at those two earlier examples of emails from Katelyn -- because this comment will likely be read by other readers and some readers who are critical tend to skim over evidence or information that doesn’t agree with their point of view. Plus the emails from Katelyn may help people to develop a sense of the authenticity (and context) of my relationship and interactions with my students (including Katelyn) beyond the camera: ------------------------------- From: Katelyn ███ Sent: Mon, May 16 Subject: ASL 1 Thank you Dr. V! Seriously this was the funnest / inspiring class I have taken! Can't wait for next semester! ------------------------------------ Here's a passage from one of her other (many) emails -- this one close to a year later as she neared graduation: ---Original Message--- From: Katelyn ███ Sent: Tue, Mar 20 ... I feel so blessed to have had a teacher like you! It is people like you who make this world a greater place! I would love to come visit you before this semester ends! ... ------------------------------------
Signs for the years 2011-2019 still exhibit quite a bit of variety. If you watch enough online videos or chat with enough Deaf folks you will certainly see them done more than one way. For what it is worth I tend to sign 2018 by compounding the number 20 and then the number 18. The thing to understand when making compounds is that you tend to reduce movement and/or repetitions. For example, instead of doing "20" using a double movement you instead reduce the movement to one contact of the pads of the thumb and index finger and then you smoothly / quickly transition to an "8" hand and twist it one time towards the outside (without repeating the twist). In isolation those two numbers "20" and "18" both tend to use two movements each -- but when compounded into the year 2018 the "20" and "18" use only one movement each (though there is some leftover jitter in the 18 at the end of the sign). Show less
Hey bill! I have a question since I couldn’t really see your hands at 14:28 what sign is that? My answer to the question was “who they want” but I couldn’t read the finger spelling.
I went to that point in the video and jumped back a few seconds to see the spelling. My hand is in plain view and I'm spelling rather slowly. The problem here is you are not yet skilled at reading fingerspelling from the side. It is valuable skill to learn so I'm going to give you a couple of hints and send you back to the video to work on it yourself some more. 1. It is a six letter word. 2. It starts with the letter E. ua-cam.com/video/Yf6AMlBm0XY/v-deo.html
@@sign-language thank you I’ve figured it out now. I really appreciate it. Finger spelling and numbers are my weak points in asl. You are a really good teacher and I’ve learned a lot!
What happens if a person is not deaf, they're just mute? Is it wrong to "talk" in verbal conversation while they sign back, or should I sign to them as well?
Let us approach the topic of how to communicate with a person who is mute and knows sign language from the perspective that “mute" people are not homogeneous. Which is to say that individuals who are mute are not all the same. An individual person who is mute may not be a balanced bilingual (equally skilled in both languages). An individual may sign out of necessity but prefer voiced replies. A different individual may prefer for the whole conversation to be signed. The (non-mute) conversation partner may have better receptive skills (ability to understand the signing of others) than expressive signing skills. The (so called) right approach to communicating with a person who is mute is therefore to first seek to understand that individual’s communication preference by asking them directly. If you are new to that person’s social circle and have the opportunity it would be best to note how close friends of the individual go about communicating. If the close friends choose to sign without voicing then you may wish to initially sign something to the effect of, “Do you prefer that I sign, voice, or both?” (For example: “YOU PREFER ME SIGN, VOICE, OR BOTH?”) If the individual replies (in sign language) that it doesn’t matter, you should adopt the mode used by the individual’s close friends since they are likely (or at least more likely than you) to be aware of how their friend prefers to communicate.
Dr. Bill, I've watched this part a few times, but not getting it yet. Around 17:30, you and Katelyn are asking the class what grade they expect to get. What did you sign from 17:50 to 17:54? I think I caught UNDERSTAND and START, but what's at 17:54 that looks like TEACH? Thank you!
At around 17:50 I asked if the person was an "A" (as in an "A" level student). Then I said that since the person didn't understand it MEANS that the grade MAYBE should be LOWERED to a "B" or a "C."
Thank you. I mistook MEANS for START and LOWER for TEACH. I also didn’t know the sign for PASS. I post videos in the FB group fairly often and greatly appreciate the feedback and help!
There's something I'm not exactly grasping and I'm sorry if it's a question that gets asked far too often, but when going through 2008-2011, 2011 seems more like it would mean 2001. Is there a reason that the index finger isn't lifted twice like you would for a normal 11? Or is it just supposed to be understood contextually? And sorry again if it was explained in the lecture and I just overlooked it.
Topic: 2001 vs 2011 Question: An ASL Hero asks: "Is there a reason that the index finger isn't lifted twice like you would for a normal 11? Or is it just supposed to be understood contextually?" Response: The year 2001 is shown by doing a palm forward 2001 using a sliding movement. The zeros in 2001 tend to be formed by the thumb, index finger and middle fingers as a result of following the number 2. The year 2011 is often done as a compound of "20" and "11." Compound concepts tend to drop extra movement. Thus the signs for "20" and "11" which each tend to use a double movement when done as standalone signs become shortened to a single movement each. The reduced form of 11 (using a single flick) is different from the sign for "1" which uses no flick. Additionally, the palm orientation of 11 is palm back versus the palm orientation of an embedded "1." When done in isolation the number one is typically done palm back. When done as part of a larger number the number (such as 31, 41, 51 etc.) the number one is done palm forward. As a Deaf/hh person I've gone through a considerable amount of "speech" training in my life. I grew up with speech therapists (who could have benefited a breath mint) in my face teaching me how to pronounce spoken English. I had to really think about how things are pronounced and even to this day my (Deaf) wife and I are frequently amused when one of us asks the other how a common word is pronounced and we have to shrug or look it up. With that in mind I'm going to ask you to consider how you personally pronounce the following two items: 1. Eleven 2. Year: 2011 I would predict that you do not pronounce the 11 in "2011" the way you pronounce the isolated word "eleven." Rather you likely say: twenty'leven (dropping "eh" sound.") The faster you say 2011 you more likely you are to drop the "eh" sound in eleven. Or try counting very quickly 1 to 12 and listen to how you say "eleven." Do you drop the "eh" sound? Or do a tongue twister wherein you say the word "eleven" repeatedly, faster, and faster. It is my understanding that number of English speakers actually say "eleven" starting with a "long e" sound (ee). So add that to the list of variances. Thus we see in spoken English the same sort of changes we see in signed ASL. The spoken English word "eleven" becomes shortened or pronounced in a more efficient manner when it is compounded with another word and/or embedded in a series. Now to specifically answer your two questions: Question 1: "Is there a reason that the index finger isn't lifted twice like you would for a normal 11?" Answer: Yes, the reason is that a single movement is more efficient than a double movement. Question: "...is [the single movement version of eleven done in the year 2011] just supposed to be understood contextually?"" Answer: Yes. The fact that "11" is embedded in the context of being expressed as the year "2011" we can use less movement and still be understood as meaning "eleven." The higher the context -- the less language needs to be employed. Language takes effort. While there are exceptions such as entertainment, obstruction, and instruction (hence singing, filibusters, and the length of this reply) in general we tend to use as little language as possible to accomplish our communication needs.
Wondering if this video is intentionally omitted from "The ASL University Playlist" (Official), or should it be part of the playlist? Apologies if I've missed something!
At the 18:30 mark while practicing the question "Do you find the class hard?" You followed up with finger spelling the alphabet with each pressed against the palm of your other hand. What does that signify?
In this context (discussing whether or not someone things a class is hard) the letters up against the palm of the hand signify "letter grades on a report card." I was (in jest) assigning grades to various class members.
Hi Dr. Bill. I am blanking on the meaning of the sign you did at 6:57. Both hands are in an f-shape and make a back and forth movement. I'm racking my brain trying to figure it out and I've completely forgotten
@@sign-language omg thank you! I sometimes get that sign and "translate" confused. Have to wrap my head around the movements being completely different
Synamon, Hello! By asking your question you have earned a history micro-lesson. You have taken note of an awesome old sign for a device called a stenotype. Google "stenotype" and check out some of the pics. These days when one of us Deaf attends college and requests a notetaker from the Office for Students with Disabilities they typically send someone with a laptop and skill in typing fast. In the "old days" when we asked for a notetaker they used to hand us this messy blue "carbon" paper for us to hand to a classmate to place under their notes page while writing their own notes. Then when they got done they would hand you back the carbon paper and the paper under that which now had a blue "copy" of the classmate's notes. However, sometimes the approach was to send a stenographer with a stenotype to take notes. Courtroom stenographers would "moonlight" (work a second job) as college notetakers for Deaf students. Thus for many years the sign for "typing on a stenotype" was also commonly used to refer to a type of "notetaker" or "notetaking." Many younger Deaf probably don't even recognize that "stenography" sign any more because classroom notetakers tend to use laptops. If you would like to see a real-life stenotype just commit a crime serious enough to get yourself hauled into a courtroom and you may be lucky and that courtroom might still be using a stenographer! Um...wait... maybe just stick to Googling the images.
I am learning sign using these videos. When you start conversing and going into long explanations like at mark 22:17 using signs not covered in previous videos/ lessons...it is VERY confusing. Some of the signs can figure out, others I can not. I am sure if anyone else is learning online like me....they are lost too.. Just something to consider. Other than that I am enjoying learning sign language. I am studying to become a teacher I hope to be able to teach the hearing impaired as well.
It may help to think of yourself as a "plant being watered" by these videos. Plants typically do not absorb every drop of a rainfall -- however they absorb enough to function and keep growing. In the overall process of learning a new language is okay to "not understand" everything in an "immersion"-type language learning process or environment. The five or ten percent of the time that I go "off script" actually serve the purpose of giving students a chance to practice "figuring things out." For example, in your post you state: "Some of the signs can figure out..." Exactly!!! If I hadn't gone off script for a bit then you wouldn't have been exercising that part of your brain that helps you "figure out signs" from context within the target language. In a non-spoon-fed environment you never get the chance to practice "figuring out" the overall message. Watch my student (Katelyn) during that process and you'll see her face switch back and forth several times between intense concentration (as she strives to overcome her lack of understanding) and "Ah ha!" -- when she "gets's it." She doesn't get "everything" but gets enough to understand that I'm explaining the use of carbon paper to enable a fellow student to take notes for me (something that was common many years ago but is fairly rare these days). Also, I notice that sometimes people start watching my videos using the later lessons without having watched the earlier lessons where I introduce signs like "right" and/or "good." So it may be helpful for students to go back and watch from the beginning of the series if they didn't start with Lesson 1 and/or the fingerspelling video. Really though it is not important to catch "every" sign in every lesson since I circle back rather often and review previous vocabulary or concepts in later lessons. p.s. A tip for you as you enter the "culturally Deaf World" -- most native (culturally) Deaf adults prefer to be referred to as "Deaf" rather than "hearing impaired." The "HI" label was imposed on us by the Hearing world and implies that we are impaired versions of Hearing people. Yes, the term "HI" is still used by quite a few school districts and generally well-meaning administrators but if you'll look around a bit online you note things such as the www.NAD.org website where the the phraseology is not the National Association of Hearing Impaired people but rather it is the "National Association of the Deaf."
Hello Karen! See: ASL University “official” clothing or ASLU gear: teespring.com/stores/aslu ============================ 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 or more specifically: ua-cam.com/users/Lifeprint-signsplaylists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=1 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 If you like the free LIfeprint.com lessons you might enjoy the low-cost subscription version of the lessons. For information see: lifeprint.com/asltc/ Ways to support the ASL University channel: * Click the “thumb up” (like) icon on videos at UA-cam.com/billvicars * Click the “subscribe” button at UA-cam.com/billvicars (if you haven't done so yet) * Click the “Share” link and share the videos. * Donate via: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=64QMBRBXQSV6G * 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 * Visit the “ASLU” bookstore at www.lifeprint.com/bookstore/bookstore.htm (feel free to suggest new products that you would like to see). Thanks!
She asked me the practice question, "Do you want to become an interpreter?" I replied, "Maybe." Then I told the audience to not freak out about the idea of "me" (a Deaf/hh person) becoming a terp. Then I explained that there are terps known as CDI's. I explained that a CDI is a "Certified Deaf Interpreter" and that these Deaf interpreters work with Hearing interpreters to help the Hearing interpreter do a better job of interpreting advanced or challenging signing. Then I followed up by saying that, "Nah, I'd rather continue teaching because I enjoy teaching sign and find satisfaction in doing so. For more information on the topic of CDI's see: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/certified-deaf-interpreter-cdi-02.htm
Would it be considered odd for me you say "YOUR-DAD-GO-COLLEGE" instead of just "YOUR-DAD-COLLEGE"? Maybe "novice" is a better word than 'odd' *EDIT*: Also-and this isn't really all that important, except maybe for memory aid-I'm still confused as to why that's the sign for graduate school. I get the freshman-senior part, but it seems like you skipped over one finger, and the 2 on the dominant hand doesn't make any sense. Basically, I'll know the sign, but I can't figure out WHY that's the sign, does that make sense?
Indeed -- one of the hallmarks of a fluent signer is knowing which sentences need more signs and which sentences need fewer signs. There are many concepts in English that do not need "extra words" to make sense. For example: "Are you married?" You don't need to say: "Are you married to someone? Nor do you need to say: "Are you currently married to someone who lives on planet Earth?" I suppose if Gamora and Peter Quill were having a conversation the longer version of the question might be appropriate but for most humans in everyday life sitting at a bar (or wherever) could simply lean toward the other person and ask, "You married?" So, yes, you could add "go" to an ASL phrase regarding "college" but if your meaning is clear without the sign GO then why add it? I note you didn't ask if you should add the sign "TO" as in "go TO college." You already get it that if you "go somewhere" you are "going to somewhere" and adding "to" would be a waste of time. Similarly, the default for what we do with college is we "go to" college. Thus we don't need to add "go to" to the sentence, "YOUR DAD COLLEGE?" Plus, in this day and age of online education "going to" college is somewhat of an anachronism since we can "do" college without going there eh?
Leo Buscaglia is one of my favorite authors. It has been a long while though since I've read his work. This pandemic would be a good time to go back and re-read.
My partner and I have really loved learning from you, but we were astonished at the follow-up question you asked after teaching the word "easy." We haven't done any lessons since. Hopefully you apologized to your student. But can't you edit that scene out, so future viewers don't have to watch it?
Kate, Katelyn was not offended. She thought it was funny. I know this because we communicated off camera -- a lot! We communicated often about anything and everything both in sign language and via emails. Literally two weeks after the above video was created Katelyn sent me the following email: ------------------------------- From: Katelyn ███ Sent: Mon, May 16 Subject: ASL 1 Thank you Dr. V! Seriously this was the funnest / inspiring class I have taken! Can't wait for next semester! ------------------------------------ Here's a passage from one of her other (many) emails -- this one close to a year later as she neared graduation: -----Original Message----- From: Katelyn ███ Sent: Tue, Mar 20 ... I feel so blessed to have had a teacher like you! It is people like you who make this world a greater place! I would love to come visit you before this semester ends! Let me know your office hours! ... ------------------------------------ So, Kate, no, I didn't apologize to Katelyn for joking around with her on camera as part of practice sessions full of frequent, ongoing joking. I would flog myself if I ever (in her opinion) offended her. My response here is mainly so you will know that I've seen and reflected on your comment. After seeing your comment I took the time to review the over 66 other comments on this version of the video and the 51 or so comments on the other version of the video. Reviewing the spectrum of comments helps me to get a feel for how the general audience is responding to and feels about the video and how much weight to give any particular comment or bit of feedback regarding the video. The vast majority (nearly but not quite all) of the people commenting (out of the 123,000 people who have watched that video) either think the video is funny or seem to really like the instruction in general (using terms such as "awesome.") Notes: This video is the 1080p version of the lesson. It has been watched 37,000 times. The other version of this same video has been watched over 86,000 times. That is where the 123,000 number comes from. The other resolution of this video is at ua-cam.com/video/N5DmGu0-nj8/v-deo.html ) Again, on both videos the comments seem to overwhelmingly be positive. The student afterward shared very positive comments to me directly. I share the above information not at all to indicate your opinion is invalid -- but rather to add some perspective. Your feelings are what your feelings are (and those of your partner) and I respect that. My sort of humor (at least in this video) is apparently not a good fit for you. I get that. The good news is there are lots and lots of other online / free ASL resources out there. I wish you and your partner the absolute best.
Love, love, love you, Dr. Bill, but when you go off script and start wildly signing I have no idea what you are saying. Have pity on those of us who are challenged. Thank you.
Tip: Flip the mental switch that says you "have to" catch and understand "everything" in order to feel comfortable. Give yourself permission to just keep proceeding to the next video -- and the next. If you get the target vocabulary and sentences consider it a "win" and move on. Then after you get done with Lesson 60 and a few of the "Find Out" curriculum videos come back to the beginning-level videos and re-watch them a second time with a more experienced "eye" and you'll be amazed at what you will pick up.
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 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.
You can help out a humble (not to mention kind, caring, generous, compassionate, helpful, friendly, fair, and hard-working) ASL teacher -- just go here right now 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 for just $79.95? See "SuperUSB" in the ASLUniversity bookstore at:
lifeprint.com/bookstore/bookstore.htm
Take care and love to you all.
:)
At one point, for my asl homework, I needed to order food by using asl. I keep forgetting that half the world will stare at me when I sign with no idea what I'm saying. When I had tried to sign to our waiter, "My food is cold"; he came over and gave me a hug. I verbally asked him why he did that and he told me that what he thought I said was saying I needed a warm embrace... Oh wel, I guess I should use my words until I know that the other person can sign...
Or...you could keep signing "My food is cold" to caring people and keep getting "warm embraces."
The world is a better place after a warm embrace.
@@sign-language 😂
@@sign-language Sounds like a good idea. Will all need some love🤭
Oh, the sense of progress every time I watch your video. Thank you!
You are so welcome!
I like Katelyn so much. She's awesome!
I am so thankful for Dr. Bill Vicars. He is amazing! I work with a lady who is deaf. She reads lips, but we work in a facility that requires us to wear masks. I always take my mask down so she can read my lips, but I am trying to learn sign language so I can communicate with her through her first language and be respectful. I have always wanted to learn ASL but didn't have the opportunity or means. Now that I found Dr. Bill Vicars, I am learning so much (but have a long way to go). She appreciates me trying ASL to communicate. I am so nervous I am going to sign something wrong.
I love your videos Bill Vicars! :) I am taking ASL classes at my school right now. I am almost to ASL 5 but I am having a hard time understanding what is being signed in my class so I am watching your videos to learn more signs in ASL so I will be ready for ASL 5 and so I'll understand. Thank you for making these videos! Your really helping me and others that need to learn this language. :)
You got this! Soon you'll be a signing wizard.
You guys were so goofy in this one! Thanks for making learning ASL so much fun
at 14:52 it all started coming together. i felt like i could hear every word he signed. that was cool!
Ah yes, the immersive experience ... eventually you'll feel like you are sitting right here with us in the classroom. It has been rumored that the experience over time becomes even more intense -- if you are really in-tune -- you can hear me farting.
It's uncanny.
@@sign-language estas loco :)
Thanks much for your helpful lessons! I am having fun learning!!
Thank you very much for helping out. I appreciate it! So nice of you!
Started learning ASL from your videos earlier this year and I'm so excited that I can understand now. I have noone to practice with currently but hopefully if the opportunity arises I'll be able to help or surprise someone! Also for what it's worth I love your sense of humor..really makes the lessons more engaging!
To find someone to practice with, consider the advice at this page:
www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/what-now.htm
At 36:20 he asks her "Are you easy (as in sleeping around)?" LOL
Yeah 😂
Big fan of Lifeprint curriculum, generally, but this is just inappropriate.
Marjorie,
I'm replying here to let you know I've seen your comment.
For what it is worth, the sign for "easy" in ASL is not the sign for sleeping around. (It would require a lot more context and/or additional signs to make the "easy" sign fit that meaning). Instead there are some rather graphic / very specific signs for that sort of thing in ASL.
For example: ua-cam.com/video/vWY1VvKVQjA/v-deo.html
Regardless, again, letting you know I've noted your comment.
- Dr. Bill
I found this inappropriate too, but I'm so glad to know that's not what he meant.
What **does** "are you easy?" mean in that context? Thank you!!
I’m glad you brought up the concept of context because context is crucial here.
In English, “Are you easy?” tends to mean “Is it easy to convince you to have s e x?”
However, the context is that Katelyn and I were engaged in a process of acting and semi-fictional word play in front of a live broadcast audience of around 3,000 people at the time.
We were making a conscious decision to use signs in a fun, highly engaging, and sometimes humorous manner.
During our time both on and off camera we did a lot of that type of “playing” with the language which included joking around.
Katelyn understood that I was joking and was not offended. She thought it was funny. I know this not only from her on-camera reaction but also because we communicated off camera -- a lot!
We enjoyed a strong, positive relationship and communicated often about anything and everything both in sign language and via emails.
Literally two weeks after the above video was created Katelyn sent me the following email:
-------------------------------
From: Katelyn ███
Sent: Mon, May 16
Subject: ASL 1
Thank you Dr. V! Seriously this was the funnest / inspiring class I have taken! Can't wait for next semester!
------------------------------------
Here's a passage from one of her other (many) emails -- this one close to a year later as she neared graduation:
---Original Message---
From: Katelyn ███
Sent: Tue, Mar 20
... I feel so blessed to have had a teacher like you! It is people like you who make this world a greater place! I would love to come visit you before this semester ends! Let me know your office hours! ...
------------------------------------
So, I’m not going to feel bad about nor feel any need to apologize for joking around with Katelyn or any of my other students on camera -- or off -- as part of practice sessions full of frequent, often fictional, ongoing joking.
I would flog myself if I ever (in her opinion - not random internet people) offended her.
Again though, she wasn’t offended. She got the joke. Long afterward she continued to share very positive comments to me directly and seek out further opportunities to experience more time with me, my humor, and my approach to instruction. At that time at the university had twelve ASL instructors from whom Katelyn could have registered to take ASL 2. She chose to take my ASL 2 course the next semester.
While my approach to humor was a good fit for Katelyn (or she wouldn't have later sought out opportunities to meet with me and spend time with me or signed up for my ASL 2 course when she had so many other options) and a good fit for the over 450,000 people who have subscribed to my channel - it is apparently sometimes not a good fit for every person. I get that.
The good news is there are lots and lots of other free online ASL resources out there.
Let's again, for emphasis, take a look at those two earlier examples of emails from Katelyn -- because this comment will likely be read by other readers and some readers who are critical tend to skim over evidence or information that doesn’t agree with their point of view. Plus the emails from Katelyn may help people to develop a sense of the authenticity (and context) of my relationship and interactions with my students (including Katelyn) beyond the camera:
-------------------------------
From: Katelyn ███
Sent: Mon, May 16
Subject: ASL 1
Thank you Dr. V! Seriously this was the funnest / inspiring class I have taken! Can't wait for next semester!
------------------------------------
Here's a passage from one of her other (many) emails -- this one close to a year later as she neared graduation:
---Original Message---
From: Katelyn ███
Sent: Tue, Mar 20
... I feel so blessed to have had a teacher like you! It is people like you who make this world a greater place! I would love to come visit you before this semester ends! ...
------------------------------------
just finished this lesson again. on to the next lesson video.
since its been quite a while since the original video was filmed, how would you sign 2018?
thank you so much! I'm currently taking Belinda's ASL1 online through Sac and I'm loving it! :)
Signs for the years 2011-2019 still exhibit quite a bit of variety. If you watch enough online videos or chat with enough Deaf folks you will certainly see them done more than one way. For what it is worth I tend to sign 2018 by compounding the number 20 and then the number 18. The thing to understand when making compounds is that you tend to reduce movement and/or repetitions. For example, instead of doing "20" using a double movement you instead reduce the movement to one contact of the pads of the thumb and index finger and then you smoothly / quickly transition to an "8" hand and twist it one time towards the outside (without repeating the twist). In isolation those two numbers "20" and "18" both tend to use two movements each -- but when compounded into the year 2018 the "20" and "18" use only one movement each (though there is some leftover jitter in the 18 at the end of the sign).
Show less
Oh hey, make sure to fill out the "end of semester" evaluation so the administration will see there is value to online instruction.
Hey bill! I have a question since I couldn’t really see your hands at 14:28 what sign is that? My answer to the question was “who they want” but I couldn’t read the finger spelling.
I went to that point in the video and jumped back a few seconds to see the spelling. My hand is in plain view and I'm spelling rather slowly.
The problem here is you are not yet skilled at reading fingerspelling from the side. It is valuable skill to learn so I'm going to give you a couple of hints and send you back to the video to work on it yourself some more.
1. It is a six letter word.
2. It starts with the letter E.
ua-cam.com/video/Yf6AMlBm0XY/v-deo.html
@@sign-language thank you I’ve figured it out now. I really appreciate it. Finger spelling and numbers are my weak points in asl. You are a really good teacher and I’ve learned a lot!
Excellent! Good job on figuring it out!
ua-cam.com/video/07b9v4cKcuo/v-deo.html
What happens if a person is not deaf, they're just mute? Is it wrong to "talk" in verbal conversation while they sign back, or should I sign to them as well?
Let us approach the topic of how to communicate with a person who is mute and knows sign language from the perspective that “mute" people are not homogeneous.
Which is to say that individuals who are mute are not all the same. An individual person who is mute may not be a balanced bilingual (equally skilled in both languages).
An individual may sign out of necessity but prefer voiced replies. A different individual may prefer for the whole conversation to be signed. The (non-mute) conversation partner may have better receptive skills (ability to understand the signing of others) than expressive signing skills.
The (so called) right approach to communicating with a person who is mute is therefore to first seek to understand that individual’s communication preference by asking them directly.
If you are new to that person’s social circle and have the opportunity it would be best to note how close friends of the individual go about communicating. If the close friends choose to sign without voicing then you may wish to initially sign something to the effect of, “Do you prefer that I sign, voice, or both?” (For example: “YOU PREFER ME SIGN, VOICE, OR BOTH?”)
If the individual replies (in sign language) that it doesn’t matter, you should adopt the mode used by the individual’s close friends since they are likely (or at least more likely than you) to be aware of how their friend prefers to communicate.
Dr. Bill, I've watched this part a few times, but not getting it yet. Around 17:30, you and Katelyn are asking the class what grade they expect to get. What did you sign from 17:50 to 17:54? I think I caught UNDERSTAND and START, but what's at 17:54 that looks like TEACH? Thank you!
I've kept watching still. Were you saying the class didn't understand the discussion so you were going to start to teach? Apologies if I'm way off!
One more question - what are two signs at 18:53 and 18:54? Thank you!
At around 17:50 I asked if the person was an "A" (as in an "A" level student). Then I said that since the person didn't understand it MEANS that the grade MAYBE should be LOWERED to a "B" or a "C."
Around 18:53 and 18:54 I mention something about maybe lowering of a grade to a "D" or an "F" and HOPE the person will PASS the course.
Thank you. I mistook MEANS for START and LOWER for TEACH. I also didn’t know the sign for PASS. I post videos in the FB group fairly often and greatly appreciate the feedback and help!
I'm just wondering if they hear your voice or you just mouthing the words?
I'm not voicing.
There's something I'm not exactly grasping and I'm sorry if it's a question that gets asked far too often, but when going through 2008-2011, 2011 seems more like it would mean 2001. Is there a reason that the index finger isn't lifted twice like you would for a normal 11? Or is it just supposed to be understood contextually? And sorry again if it was explained in the lecture and I just overlooked it.
Topic: 2001 vs 2011
Question: An ASL Hero asks:
"Is there a reason that the index finger isn't lifted twice like you would for a normal 11? Or is it just supposed to be understood contextually?"
Response:
The year 2001 is shown by doing a palm forward 2001 using a sliding movement. The zeros in 2001 tend to be formed by the thumb, index finger and middle fingers as a result of following the number 2.
The year 2011 is often done as a compound of "20" and "11." Compound concepts tend to drop extra movement. Thus the signs for "20" and "11" which each tend to use a double movement when done as standalone signs become shortened to a single movement each. The reduced form of 11 (using a single flick) is different from the sign for "1" which uses no flick. Additionally, the palm orientation of 11 is palm back versus the palm orientation of an embedded "1." When done in isolation the number one is typically done palm back. When done as part of a larger number the number (such as 31, 41, 51 etc.) the number one is done palm forward.
As a Deaf/hh person I've gone through a considerable amount of "speech" training in my life. I grew up with speech therapists (who could have benefited a breath mint) in my face teaching me how to pronounce spoken English. I had to really think about how things are pronounced and even to this day my (Deaf) wife and I are frequently amused when one of us asks the other how a common word is pronounced and we have to shrug or look it up. With that in mind I'm going to ask you to consider how you personally pronounce the following two items:
1. Eleven
2. Year: 2011
I would predict that you do not pronounce the 11 in "2011" the way you pronounce the isolated word "eleven."
Rather you likely say: twenty'leven (dropping "eh" sound.") The faster you say 2011 you more likely you are to drop the "eh" sound in eleven. Or try counting very quickly 1 to 12 and listen to how you say "eleven." Do you drop the "eh" sound? Or do a tongue twister wherein you say the word "eleven" repeatedly, faster, and faster.
It is my understanding that number of English speakers actually say "eleven" starting with a "long e" sound (ee).
So add that to the list of variances.
Thus we see in spoken English the same sort of changes we see in signed ASL. The spoken English word "eleven" becomes shortened or pronounced in a more efficient manner when it is compounded with another word and/or embedded in a series.
Now to specifically answer your two questions:
Question 1: "Is there a reason that the index finger isn't lifted twice like you would for a normal 11?"
Answer: Yes, the reason is that a single movement is more efficient than a double movement.
Question: "...is [the single movement version of eleven done in the year 2011] just supposed to be understood contextually?""
Answer: Yes. The fact that "11" is embedded in the context of being expressed as the year "2011" we can use less movement and still be understood as meaning "eleven." The higher the context -- the less language needs to be employed. Language takes effort. While there are exceptions such as entertainment, obstruction, and instruction (hence singing, filibusters, and the length of this reply) in general we tend to use as little language as possible to accomplish our communication needs.
At about 25:30, I think you tap your chest on the left side with a g handshape. What sign is that, please?
It was a (loose) "L" handshape and the sign means "lazy."
Wondering if this video is intentionally omitted from "The ASL University Playlist" (Official), or should it be part of the playlist? Apologies if I've missed something!
You did a good thing mentioning it. I added it to the playlist and moved it to just after the Lesson 12 video!
Thanks!
At the 18:30 mark while practicing the question "Do you find the class hard?" You followed up with finger spelling the alphabet with each pressed against the palm of your other hand. What does that signify?
In this context (discussing whether or not someone things a class is hard) the letters up against the palm of the hand signify "letter grades on a report card."
I was (in jest) assigning grades to various class members.
@@sign-language hahahha
thank you for taking the time to explain.
Hi Dr. Bill. I am blanking on the meaning of the sign you did at 6:57. Both hands are in an f-shape and make a back and forth movement. I'm racking my brain trying to figure it out and I've completely forgotten
That sign can mean explain, directions, expound upon, elucidate, add more details, etc.
@@sign-language omg thank you! I sometimes get that sign and "translate" confused. Have to wrap my head around the movements being completely different
Hi Dr. Bill what is the sign at 25:53 referencing? The skill to type fast? Thank you!
Synamon,
Hello! By asking your question you have earned a history micro-lesson.
You have taken note of an awesome old sign for a device called a stenotype. Google "stenotype" and check out some of the pics.
These days when one of us Deaf attends college and requests a notetaker from the Office for Students with Disabilities they typically send someone with a laptop and skill in typing fast.
In the "old days" when we asked for a notetaker they used to hand us this messy blue "carbon" paper for us to hand to a classmate to place under their notes page while writing their own notes. Then when they got done they would hand you back the carbon paper and the paper under that which now had a blue "copy" of the classmate's notes.
However, sometimes the approach was to send a stenographer with a stenotype to take notes. Courtroom stenographers would "moonlight" (work a second job) as college notetakers for Deaf students. Thus for many years the sign for "typing on a stenotype" was also commonly used to refer to a type of "notetaker" or "notetaking."
Many younger Deaf probably don't even recognize that "stenography" sign any more because classroom notetakers tend to use laptops.
If you would like to see a real-life stenotype just commit a crime serious enough to get yourself hauled into a courtroom and you may be lucky and that courtroom might still be using a stenographer!
Um...wait... maybe just stick to Googling the images.
what did katelyn sign at 4:32 ?
"some / part"
I am learning sign using these videos. When you start conversing and going into long explanations like at mark 22:17 using signs not covered in previous videos/ lessons...it is VERY confusing. Some of the signs can figure out, others I can not. I am sure if anyone else is learning online like me....they are lost too.. Just something to consider. Other than that I am enjoying learning sign language. I am studying to become a teacher I hope to be able to teach the hearing impaired as well.
It may help to think of yourself as a "plant being watered" by these videos.
Plants typically do not absorb every drop of a rainfall -- however they absorb enough to function and keep growing.
In the overall process of learning a new language is okay to "not understand" everything in an "immersion"-type language learning process or environment. The five or ten percent of the time that I go "off script" actually serve the purpose of giving students a chance to practice "figuring things out." For example, in your post you state: "Some of the signs can figure out..."
Exactly!!! If I hadn't gone off script for a bit then you wouldn't have been exercising that part of your brain that helps you "figure out signs" from context within the target language. In a non-spoon-fed environment you never get the chance to practice "figuring out" the overall message. Watch my student (Katelyn) during that process and you'll see her face switch back and forth several times between intense concentration (as she strives to overcome her lack of understanding) and "Ah ha!" -- when she "gets's it." She doesn't get "everything" but gets enough to understand that I'm explaining the use of carbon paper to enable a fellow student to take notes for me (something that was common many years ago but is fairly rare these days).
Also, I notice that sometimes people start watching my videos using the later lessons without having watched the earlier lessons where I introduce signs like "right" and/or "good." So it may be helpful for students to go back and watch from the beginning of the series if they didn't start with Lesson 1 and/or the fingerspelling video. Really though it is not important to catch "every" sign in every lesson since I circle back rather often and review previous vocabulary or concepts in later lessons.
p.s. A tip for you as you enter the "culturally Deaf World" -- most native (culturally) Deaf adults prefer to be referred to as "Deaf" rather than "hearing impaired." The "HI" label was imposed on us by the Hearing world and implies that we are impaired versions of Hearing people. Yes, the term "HI" is still used by quite a few school districts and generally well-meaning administrators but if you'll look around a bit online you note things such as the www.NAD.org website where the the phraseology is not the National Association of Hearing Impaired people but rather it is the "National Association of the Deaf."
Hi Bill, do you have any Merchandise, hoodies/teeshirts/bags etc?
Hello Karen!
See: ASL University “official” clothing or ASLU gear: teespring.com/stores/aslu
============================
How to use ASL University to learn sign language for free:
1. Visit Lifeprint.com and become familiar with the ASL University website.
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ua-cam.com/play/PL6akqFwEeSpiLwRFA3ZvuOWMwPXwI7NqA.html
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ua-cam.com/users/Lifeprint-signsplaylists or more specifically: ua-cam.com/users/Lifeprint-signsplaylists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=1
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Thanks!
6:10 - 7:10
Can you translate please ?
She asked me the practice question, "Do you want to become an interpreter?" I replied, "Maybe." Then I told the audience to not freak out about the idea of "me" (a Deaf/hh person) becoming a terp. Then I explained that there are terps known as CDI's. I explained that a CDI is a "Certified Deaf Interpreter" and that these Deaf interpreters work with Hearing interpreters to help the Hearing interpreter do a better job of interpreting advanced or challenging signing. Then I followed up by saying that, "Nah, I'd rather continue teaching because I enjoy teaching sign and find satisfaction in doing so. For more information on the topic of CDI's see:
www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/certified-deaf-interpreter-cdi-02.htm
Would it be considered odd for me you say "YOUR-DAD-GO-COLLEGE" instead of just "YOUR-DAD-COLLEGE"? Maybe "novice" is a better word than 'odd'
*EDIT*: Also-and this isn't really all that important, except maybe for memory aid-I'm still confused as to why that's the sign for graduate school. I get the freshman-senior part, but it seems like you skipped over one finger, and the 2 on the dominant hand doesn't make any sense. Basically, I'll know the sign, but I can't figure out WHY that's the sign, does that make sense?
Indeed -- one of the hallmarks of a fluent signer is knowing which sentences need more signs and which sentences need fewer signs. There are many concepts in English that do not need "extra words" to make sense. For example:
"Are you married?"
You don't need to say:
"Are you married to someone?
Nor do you need to say:
"Are you currently married to someone who lives on planet Earth?"
I suppose if Gamora and Peter Quill were having a conversation the longer version of the question might be appropriate but for most humans in everyday life sitting at a bar (or wherever) could simply lean toward the other person and ask, "You married?"
So, yes, you could add "go" to an ASL phrase regarding "college" but if your meaning is clear without the sign GO then why add it? I note you didn't ask if you should add the sign "TO" as in "go TO college." You already get it that if you "go somewhere" you are "going to somewhere" and adding "to" would be a waste of time. Similarly, the default for what we do with college is we "go to" college. Thus we don't need to add "go to" to the sentence, "YOUR DAD COLLEGE?" Plus, in this day and age of online education "going to" college is somewhat of an anachronism since we can "do" college without going there eh?
Hello is there a lesson 12 with Katelyn?
There is not. At least not that I've found in my archives.
Is this you: michelleferreira.weebly.com/
?
@@sign-language yes it is
Leo Buscaglia is one of my favorite authors. It has been a long while though since I've read his work. This pandemic would be a good time to go back and re-read.
@@sign-language yes you should
IKR i 'm deaf too
graduated hs in the stone age hahaha 😂
Was Katelyn talking at 18:04?
My partner and I have really loved learning from you, but we were astonished at the follow-up question you asked after teaching the word "easy." We haven't done any lessons since. Hopefully you apologized to your student. But can't you edit that scene out, so future viewers don't have to watch it?
Kate,
Katelyn was not offended. She thought it was funny. I know this because we communicated off camera -- a lot! We communicated often about anything and everything both in sign language and via emails.
Literally two weeks after the above video was created Katelyn sent me the following email:
-------------------------------
From: Katelyn ███
Sent: Mon, May 16
Subject: ASL 1
Thank you Dr. V! Seriously this was the funnest / inspiring class I have taken! Can't wait for next semester!
------------------------------------
Here's a passage from one of her other (many) emails -- this one close to a year later as she neared graduation:
-----Original Message-----
From: Katelyn ███
Sent: Tue, Mar 20
... I feel so blessed to have had a teacher like you! It is people like you who make this world a greater place! I would love to come visit you before this semester ends! Let me know your office hours! ...
------------------------------------
So, Kate, no, I didn't apologize to Katelyn for joking around with her on camera as part of practice sessions full of frequent, ongoing joking. I would flog myself if I ever (in her opinion) offended her.
My response here is mainly so you will know that I've seen and reflected on your comment.
After seeing your comment I took the time to review the over 66 other comments on this version of the video and the 51 or so comments on the other version of the video.
Reviewing the spectrum of comments helps me to get a feel for how the general audience is responding to and feels about the video and how much weight to give any particular comment or bit of feedback regarding the video.
The vast majority (nearly but not quite all) of the people commenting (out of the 123,000 people who have watched that video) either think the video is funny or seem to really like the instruction in general (using terms such as "awesome.")
Notes: This video is the 1080p version of the lesson. It has been watched 37,000 times.
The other version of this same video has been watched over 86,000 times. That is where the 123,000 number comes from. The other resolution of this video is at ua-cam.com/video/N5DmGu0-nj8/v-deo.html )
Again, on both videos the comments seem to overwhelmingly be positive. The student afterward shared very positive comments to me directly.
I share the above information not at all to indicate your opinion is invalid -- but rather to add some perspective. Your feelings are what your feelings are (and those of your partner) and I respect that. My sort of humor (at least in this video) is apparently not a good fit for you. I get that.
The good news is there are lots and lots of other online / free ASL resources out there.
I wish you and your partner the absolute best.
Katelyn is so pretty
24:29 hahahaha 😂😂
What is that sign?
"Stone age"
(STONE TIMES/era/epoch)
They need public voice so can hearing with sign language more understanding exactly you asl with voice thank you 🙏
Love, love, love you, Dr. Bill, but when you go off script and start wildly signing I have no idea what you are saying. Have pity on those of us who are challenged. Thank you.
Tip: Flip the mental switch that says you "have to" catch and understand "everything" in order to feel comfortable.
Give yourself permission to just keep proceeding to the next video -- and the next.
If you get the target vocabulary and sentences consider it a "win" and move on.
Then after you get done with Lesson 60 and a few of the "Find Out" curriculum videos come back to the beginning-level videos and re-watch them a second time with a more experienced "eye" and you'll be amazed at what you will pick up.