023 ASL American Sign Language Vocabulary Expansion Series (Dr. Bill) (Rach)

[@sign-language]

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. :)

[@نجودامريكا]

Me negood deaf

[@jrtwine]

Already bought it. ;)

[@karaokevideos5418]

You’re my favourite teacher in the world!

[@saint333s]

Mine Too!!!!👍💜💜💜🤟🏽He's the best. I always recommend to friend's that want to learn sign to watch him and when I go in my ASL groups.😉👍❤❤❤

[@sign-language]

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 KZbin master playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PL6akqFwEeSpiLwRFA3ZvuOWMwPXwI7NqA 3. For quick reviews (to prevent memory extinction) bookmark the "Signs" channel playlist page: kzbin.infoplaylists 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 KZbin.com/billvicars 2. Click the “subscribe” button at KZbin.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

[@keithamos6992]

Thank you for your videos Mr. Vicars ! I have been learning ASL for a little over a month. In my city we have a bar where hearing and deaf interact every Thursday ( I'm hearing ). I still have a lot to learn, but I am happy that I am able to communicate with others and have made new friends as well.

[@saint333s]

Wish we had that here in Maine. That would be Awesome. Your very fortunate. 👌👍💜💜💜🌹Happy Valentine's Day. 😊

[@saint333s]

This was Awesome, learned a few New signs. 👌👍💕💕💕

[@sign-language]

Lots more where that one came from. You may wish to see the official ASLU KZbin master playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PL6akqFwEeSpiLwRFA3ZvuOWMwPXwI7NqA and scroll down to whatever content looks interesting to you.

[@Galakyllz]

These are always exceptional. Thanks for the lesson.

[@inaayatazkia420]

Hii i love ur vids sooo much im learning sooo much from these. Hope that maybe i will become fluent lool. Have told my friends to learn sign as well!!😁

[@marisac.5303]

Another great video, I learned a lot, thank you.

[@cassondatadlock9214]

Good job Rachel!! 👌🏻 Thank you Dr Vicars!

[@Ana-nw7gs]

I'm learning ASL and I'm still a beginner. What does it mean when you open and close your fists like at 0:32. I've seen it many times is it another version of "sign"

[@carminedinitto6431]

That you are an ASL Pro. You sign well

[@keithamos6992]

another way of saying sign

[@sign-language]

​@@carminedinitto6431 You are right in the sense that the sign at 0:32 "did" in the early days of the use of that sign seem to have meant "highly skilled signing." These days (2019) that sign tends to depend on context to decide if you mean "a sign / signing" or if you mean "highly skilled signing." As time goes on, that sign is starting to just mean "signing in general." There is actually an emerging version (evolution) of the sign for "highly skilled signing" that uses the same "5-S-5" handshapes but only one hand is used and there is a strong downward and back upward movement involved. Soon (since the evolved version is spreading) I will need to update my online dictionary due to language evolution. Language is a moving target.

[@carminedinitto6431]

@@sign-language , Thanks for the explanation. I often have discussions about "old" and "new" signs. It can get confusing. Best bet is to just keep building a strong vocabulary, Never know who one may meet along the way! Thanks for the wonderful lessons!!!

[@sign-language]

@Carmine Dinitto, You are certainly right about that "best bet." We can't predict how far along the "new vs old" signing spectrum our future conversation partners will be.

[@jobischwartz3824]

Dear Bill. Thank you for your work. I have learned so much from you. May I ask when you would use the sign for "since, or up until now" vs "up until this point"? They seem similar. I've asked deaf educators about the latter choice and they have not seen that sign. Thank you for any input.

[@marianaaqueen6208]

Im early ❤️ i hope one day i can be fluent at asl, i love learning this lenguage and you make it better, tysm

[@baudecordier]

Bill, big fan here. Two questions: 1) "D-I-D"-- tenses and aspects are normally signed or indicated in conversation context (of course you know this but I write so you see where I'm coming from); this spelled out in English verb I haven't seen, but is it used in cases like "Y-E-S" as in eg, super underlined response to a repeated annoying question. This would be in a same situation, instead of "YES-FINISH” to some question with a transitive verb? 2) this is a sociolinguistics question: I had a teacher who--inappropriately in my view--would almost intimidatingly tell us about cap D deaf cap C culture and how "you'll never get it but here's things to learn so we'll tolerate you" (not specifically but you've met the type). One of the things we learned--and here I drop my cynicism because I totally get it as a language/cultural identity is hewn, and here ASL is analogous to modern Hebrew or Gaelic)--is the deprecation of English initial signs. That teacher would jump down our throats if we used the current ones we saw all the time. So .... :) Your first "SO” as a once-spelled-out but now a phoneme (there's a word for that, as you've taught in one of your lessons, but I forget it), It still bears, etymologically and visibly, the dreaded English alphabet. I'm sure I saw you make some facial distinction in your opinion of the S-O derivative and the two-S-hand one, which is new to me. But I couldn't tell what you meant--if you were in fact signaling anything in your tone of voice, as it were--as for current usage. Any thoughts? Hell, under this guy (and maybe another teacher also) we were reprimanded if we even used the S-O sign _ever_. We were supposed to indicate the flow and relationship of the correlated events by a pause for breath with a kind of shrug and the upwards flat hand "THING” placed once at one spot and then moved to another. To which we all gave a collective "oy, gimme a break."

[@sign-language]

Baudecordier, 1. Your assessment of "fs-D-I-D" is on target. Think of that version as being analogous to the English word "indeed" (as in "did indeed do something" -- with a connotation that can range from sincere to exasperated -- depending on your manner and facial expression). Why did I include that version of "fs-D-I-D" in my list? I literally saw a Deaf newscaster using it earlier that morning in a news cast. 2) The fingerspelled "fs-SO-[lex]" is "lexicalized" into a word/sign and comes in handy when you need something analogous to a flippant "therefore" ("and sooooo…"). I don't recall what sort of "inner meaning" I might have been signaling while showing the signed English version of "SO" in the video. It was probably something along the lines of an inner dialog such as: "Oh great -- I'm sure (some) folks are going to misunderstand what I'm doing here and think I'm advocating for these signs when that is NOT what I'm doing. I'm showing these signs because they exist in the Deaf Community and sooner or later a student or an interpreter is going to SEE such signs and ought to have them on file in the back of their brain." Heh. The fact is "academics" (as in college instructors) get paid for making things complex enough to fill up a semester teaching it. If there isn't a rule "academics" will come up with one (realistic or not) since they are being paid so highly (?) for their ability to teach the "theory" behind the practice (of signing). If there is no theory you can guarantee that a theory will be developed in short order because, well, that's how you get tenure and promotions. Additionally many academics feel an "intense" pressure to be leading edge because if you aren’t "leading" then, gee, you must be incompetent or something (cough, cough). Thus any little innovation (Hey, let's drop the "P" in the PEOPLE sign!) spreads like wildfire among academics - who teach students - who then go out into the real world and sign to non-academic Deaf -- who wonder "What the fetch is that student signing?" Since I recognize that my students are often going to go into other programs I tend to show them both ways in my in-person classes. First showing students the "non-initialized" versions of signs for concepts -- followed by a "you'll also see…." It is not the Deaf at the bowling alley that I'm worried about. I'm trying to protect my student from (to paraphrase your words and experience) "getting throat jumped" by their next semester ASL teacher. Students in "leading edge" programs end up learning to behave like the children of a dysfunctional family: Behave one way around mommy and a different way around daddy. Or in other words: Sign one way in ASL class and then sign a different way in the real world - or at least have a working knowledge of the wide variety of signs used by "real" Deaf (there's that "big D" again) in the "real world." Ha! Life is good. It is a happy problem to have - how best to teach hundreds of students a semester and get paid for doing it.

[@byram1]

Omg you’re back !!!

[@sign-language]

Shazam!

[@mythopoeic8236]

I think bill got a lot of this vocabulary from the daily moth :)

[@sign-language]

Bingo! I very much enjoy and appreciate the efforts of Alex Abenchuchan ("The Daily Moth") and other ASL newscasters. I used to wake up and "read the news." Now I wake up and "watch" the news. Much more enjoyable. Backstory: My assistant (Rach in the video) tends to watch Alex during her breaks and would frequently stop and ask me "What does that sign mean?" It became clear to me that students -- even advanced ones -- often lack the vocabulary to discuss current events. (It also became clear to me that much of that vocabulary is rather gory and negative -- like "stabbing" or "shooting.") I've yet to see an ASL textbook that teaches "firing squad" or "massacre." Not fun topics -- yet something students need to learn if they want to be able to discuss current events or watch "signed news" without having to rely on captions.

[@mythopoeic8236]

Bill Vicars : Haha!! You are definitely onto something, Sir; It was an interesting experience for me to be somewhat acquainted with signs. It was like you were pulling vocabulary right out of my subconscious storage. After magic mushroomed, I knew you had been watching the news :) funnily enough you mentioned the gory nature of news signs shortly after my epiphany. Just like with hearing culture, news can be a medium that gives people common issues and topics to talk about, so I think it smart that you equip students to understand common news terms.

[@saint333s]

I watch Daily Moth also. Very enjoyable. 👌💕💕💕

[@jrtwine]

I have also seen that version of PREVAIL to mean BEAT-YOU as in two people playing a game and one person wins over the other. E.g. GAME FINISHED (I) BEAT-YOU. But the sign is directed towards the loser in that case, instead of pointing to the side. One more thing, should the F-version of SCREWED UP also use the FA-UP mouthing with it?

[@sign-language]

Thanks James -- great comments! People can (and do!) add the "FA!" mouth morpheme to the "SCREWED-UP" sign to turn it in to the ..."F___-UP" sign. Personally, I'm less inclined to add the "up" mouthing. But it is GOOD for readers and students to know about and get used to the variety they are going to see. An interesting (but less common) version is to sign the SCREWED-UP sign with the "FA!" mouth movement and then fingerspell the letters U and P. Or another version is to do the do the F___ sign and then spell UP using a huge movement. Again, thanks!

[@ohnuttz]

I also add signs to my ASL dictionary after watching your videos. Some haven't highlighted and other making notes of alternate ways to sign. Might have to get another dictionary cause this one is getting full up with notes & signs not listed. LOL 😁

[@Fred-h4p]

That was easy for me. I guess I am advanced now? I already know and use most of those signs. At which course do you consider most of your students to be at the advanced level?

[@sign-language]

Let's separate the term "advanced" into two different concepts: An "advanced" student is not the same thing as signing at an "advanced level." If you have completed ASL 3 (and studied hard) you are an advanced student. If you can watch "The Daily Moth" without captions and understand Alex just fine -- you are an advanced signer. When I talk about "advanced" signs or advanced students it is to give "beginners" a heads up that I'll be using various signs here and there without explaining them. For example, my assistant might use the PREFER / FAVORITE sign to ask if I have a preferred version. Since the video is for advanced students I don't feel the need to explain the PREFER / FAVORITE sign -- I expect the audience to already know it. Am I saying that you have to be an advanced student to use the video -- not at all. A complete beginner (who can read English) could use that video to learn over dozens of new concepts. Additionally, adding the "for advanced students" helps to reduce the requests from beginners for "captioning" -- and if they do ask, I can respond -- "the video isn't for you -- it is for advanced students who don't need captioning." ;-)

[@sign-language]

Fred, Related to your question and my response -- I see elsewhere in the comments on this video, Ana Kraus is asking about a very basic sign. (She has guessed accurately though -- so that is cool). She is not "ready" for this video. She should instead go watch lessons 1 through 60 in my videos section (then come back and watch this video). Feel free to go (gently) answer her question if you feel like it: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ana Kraus I'm learning ASL and I'm still a beginner. What does it mean when you open and close your fists like at 0:32. I've seen it many times is it another version of "sign" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[@Fred-h4p]

@@sign-language Thank you for breaking that down. I have completed all four of your courses 3 times. I kept going back to the beginning to try to get it all deeply implanted in my brain. So I really appreciate these advanced lessons because they challenge me, even if I already use some of the signs once in awhile. I just now finished watching the most recent episode of the Daily Moth for the first time. The first five minutes or so I was really struggling to keep up. I could catch the concept, but missed a lot of details, but after that I guess I got mentally warmed up and the rest of his segments made more sense as I was catching more details, but I obviously have a ways to go before I can say I am "fluent". I have one Deaf friend who I regularly chat with, and two weeks ago she invited me to a birthday party for one of her Deaf friends. Everyone there was signing. It was a lot of fun, but I wasn't able to follow all of them as well as I would had liked. I hope next time I will be further along and can converse with them easier. I am HoH and signing is becoming my preferred means of communication. I just need more opportunities to practice with others. As it is now, you and my friend are the two I understand the best as I had been watching both of you sign for about three years now. When I sign with someone I am not familiar with, I kind of have to adapt to their style. That is why it's important that us students of ASL mingle with experienced signers as often as we can.

[@Fred-h4p]

@@sign-language It would be my pleasure to answer that question, if I am not too late. I will look for it now.

[@sign-language]

Fred, I saw / approved your answer to Ana. What a great answer! Good job!

[@alisharo58]

FOOLISH is pretty close to that sign for "don't care for", right? if anyone knows what I mean.

[@sign-language]

Indeed, there is a lot of overlap in certain signs -- and small differences in facial expressions, handshapes, locations, and movements can create big differences in meaning.

[@Luna-ft8yh]

I am not advanced but I understood the beginning :3

[@codyballengee2225]

Are you deaf? In my personal opinion the only way to be an “expert” in ASL is if you’re deaf and use sign as your primary language. Sometimes it makes me mad when some people think just because they learned in school means the know everything about the language and culture etc.

[@sign-language]

Question: Dr. Bill, are you Deaf? Answer: I was born hard-of-hearing and as time goes on I become more and more physically Deaf. I live in the Deaf World. I married a Deaf woman, work in the field of Deaf-Studies, hang out with people who can sign, use close-captioning (or subtitles) when I watch videos, seek out open captioned movies, watch the news in ASL, attended Gallaudet (briefly, but loved it -- lived in Benson Hall), only attend churches that use sign language, have a daughter who attended the Utah School for the Deaf preschool program, have a text-only (no-voice minutes) phone, and devote my time to developing ASL-related resources for others. Question: Are you a member of the "Deaf Community?" Answer: Almost all of my close friends and associates are either Deaf or strongly tied to the Deaf Community. For my entire adult life I've lived in the Deaf World: serving in Deaf organizations, setting up Deaf events, working with other Deaf, teaching ASL, etc.) Dated Deaf ladies or ladies that could sign. I met my wife (Belinda -- who is Deaf too) at a Deaf church. Our youngest child, Sarah (our fourth) was born with a substantial hearing loss due to having Aperts (a rare syndrome) attended the Utah State School for the Deaf pre-school program. Question: Are you certified? Answer: I hold a doctorate in Deaf Education / Deaf Studies from an accredited university (Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas). I also hold a masters in Deaf Education from Lamar university. I am (or was -- depending on if I have renewed or not) certified by the American Sign Language Teachers Association. I was a member of ASLTA back when they were still S.I.G.N. (Sign Instructors Guidance Network). As far as I know, I was the first person from Utah to become ASLTA certified. (I'm now in California.) Question: Where did you learn ASL? Answer: Growing up in a small town I started learning ASL from a Deaf woman, (Kathy Hadfield of Brigham City, Utah. She later married Mark Erwin -- so she is now Kathy Erwin.) As I grew older I lived with Deaf roommates, and hung out with other Deaf people, read every ASL book I could lay my hands on, and took as many formal classes as I could find -- eventually leading to a doctorate degree in Deaf Education / Deaf Studies. Here are a few of the experiences that influenced me: * Worked as a volunteer at the the Indiana School for the Deaf (as a teacher's assistant in Laura Gaalema's third grade class) * Worked as a volunteer for GLAD Orange County Outreach in California * Worked as a volunteer the (former) Indiana Branch Office (anybody remember that one?) of the National Association of the Deaf * Lived on-campus at Gallaudet University during a summer internship program. * Took night classes at the Oregon School for the Deaf (Salem). * Participated in a couple hundred hours worth of "American Judicial System" - related ASL training at a summer program at California State University Northridge * Attended many, many workshops * Researched ASL Linguistics, ASL acquisition, and Computer Assisted Language Learning during my doctoral studies Lamar University * Directed/participated in 15 years of "immersion excursions" to exciting places with Deaf co-hosts * Directing an interpreter-training program for Davis County school district during which I interviewed, hired, and worked closely with many (over 30) Deaf guest-speakers and/or trainers * And lately I spend much of my time discussing the nuances of ASL with my d/Deaf colleagues at work. For more information, see: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/is-dr-bill-deaf.htm

[@suzannehedderly1331]

Bill Vicars I appreciate that not only do you take the time to answer a question completely, but you understand that people are truly interested and really want a reply. Most KZbinrs want the clicks but don’t spend time interacting with their subscribers. So...thanks! I love reading all the informative comments. I learn as much from your comments as the videos. Got a kick out of the “magic mushroom” sign. Not because of the “magic” part, but I study and photograph fungi for fun and because I’m nerdy like that. 🤓 (What is the sign for nerd??) I’m sure there are no signs for the taxonomic binomial names...but good FS practice I should try!! Like “Lacrymaria lacrimabunda” and “Bondarzewia berkeleyi.” 😄

[@markhenrickson1019]

@@sign-language Dr. Bill. I loved this video. It was very helpful. I'm glad you are doing these advanced videos. Do you still lead "immersion excursions"? I would love to do one of those. I feel like I can only learn so much in the classroom (I recently finished ASL5 at American River and will enter the IPP this FALL) I recently participated in a Deaf Bocce tournament. That was a great immersion experience. A few months ago my wife and I sat near you at a pancake breakfast. (We felt like we were sitting next to a movie star). My wife kept batting her eyes at you, but we didn't say "hello" because you were busy talking with others. Do you have ideas for more immersion experiences in this area? Are you still organizing events? -Mark.

[@sign-language]

The sign for NERD is based on the idea of pushing up one's glasses. It has evolved a bit and tends to use a bit of a small wiggle of a "U" hand at the top of the nose. See: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqTNdYavrqaXirM If you were to spend a lot of time discussing mushrooms in sign language I guarantee you that relatively quickly you and your signing partners would develop lexicalized fingerspelling versions and various other protologisms (baby emerging signs) to save time and effort. For example, instead of spelling out "Bondarzewia Berkeleyi" you would start using "BB" or maybe show a "B" using the movement of a "Z" -- or maybe even start using the sign for Berkeley, California: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z16ll3uupN91ns0 Of course, only people in your group would have a clue what you are talking about -- but that is the way emerging language works.

[@sign-language]

Hello Mark! I remember that pancake breakfast! Belinda (Bee) and I were there with a couple of interns -- Aly and Christina. At one point I spelled a word and Aly started craning her neck to try to see the fingerspelling from a better angle. Obviously she was hoping I would turn my wrist to show the front of my hand to her. Since I’m obnoxious (heh) I instead turned my hand further away from Aly (completely backwards to her) and spelled the word again -- thus forcing her to read the word from behind. She couldn’t get it at first but I kept it up (spelling the word again and again - while only showing the back of my hand). Eventually she “got it.” Then I explained to her that if she is going to thrive in the Deaf world it will be good for her to learn how to read fingerspelling from “every” angle because often the person doing the spelling is standing to our side or we might even be reading it from behind - (for example: while sitting in the back seat of a car). I then gave her a name sign: “AL” spelled palm backward. You asked regarding immersions. As of this posting I'm actually one-week into a three-week “immersion” that meets Monday through Thursday from 1pm to 4pm. The focus is on “technology-related signing.” It is pretty exclusive though, since it is at my “studio” -- I only had room for eight participants. I’m open to doing one of my immersion excursion trips sometime later this summer or in next year or so -- maybe a Disneyland trip or some such. Generally, if three or more people are willing to commit $495 (and pack into a couple of hotel rooms like sardines) - I’m willing to put together a three day immersion excursion and then open it up to however many participants the van will hold. - Dr. Bill

[@bluebrookesongbird1]

The sign for "outstanding" looks like another sign I learned that means "time slipping away/gone" (or something to that effect.)

[@sign-language]

Perhaps this version of "deplete." See: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYvIiXmaodKDbcU It can be inflected (done) with a fluttering movement (to indicate that "slipping away" concept).

[@keithamos6992]

Thank you for your videos Mr. Vicars ! I have been learning ASL for a little over a month. In my city we have a bar where hearing and deaf interact every Thursday ( I'm hearing ). I still have a lot to learn, but I am happy that I am able to communicate with others and have made new friends as well.