American Sign Language (ASL) Lesson 08

American Sign Language (ASL) Lesson 08
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- Dr. Bill
:)

[@jim1550]

The formula of your teaching style should be documented forever. I am one of those"stubborn" students and this was super easy for me to learn.

[@sign-language]

Thanks for the nice comment Jon! As time goes on I continue to work on incremental improvements to my style of instruction (discourse-based second language learning with first language scaffolding to create comprehensible input). Here's a slightly revised version of "Lesson 1" kzbin.info/www/bejne/epKwm6VqdsuMd5I

[@monstergreen79]

Dr. Bill I am an English teacher in Mexico, my name is Juan José and just two months ago I started to work as a Language consultor (helper) in a CAED in English: Attention Center fos Disabled Students and I work here with 5 deaf girls, two of them are HH, and I'm teaching the language thanks to your videos and lessons! You are an angel from above and I'm learning a lot with you! God bless you and keep teaching please! I am learning also the Mexican Sign Language.

[@celineq1]

I became hard of hearing after a severe infection, I lost 30% of hearing to my right ear. This is an amazing way to better communicate with my family. My daughters have breezed through basic signs and we are have having fun learning another language. Thank you Dr Vicars. You are truly amazing.

[@saikk543]

🥺

[@toner37]

I like that you add a little bit of humor to your videos. Makes learning more enjoyable.

[@vriska1387]

Dr. Vicars, you are fun and a great teacher! I have learned so much and have fun learning at the same time!

[@musicalkid14852]

I started watching your videos, maybe 2 days ago. I've already learned so much! I've been able to understand what you and Katelyn sign, and I've been able to laugh along too!

[@rjstewart]

I find myself bursting out laughing more than once per video. It also makes me feel like I've accomplished something when I understand one of your side jokes! Thank you!

[@Lizzie0939able]

I love ASL signing, Bill you are fantastic!!!!

[@laurenthompson2067]

Oh my gosh! Bill Vicars I love you so much! :)

[@Lobito2k]

I love these videos!! Thank you very much for uploading them! I've learned so much. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take ASL during my time as an undergrad, but I've always wanted to learn to sign. These videos are a fantastic resource. I especially appreciate that you teach the sentence ordering/structure because this can be confusing to beginners. Thank you for all that you do! Best wishes from Chicago :)

[@VanessaGarcia-uk5es]

honestly ever since I saw switched at birth, it had me wanting to learn sign and being able to understand! I speak English and Spanish so learning sign language really is going to open opportunities for me. I loveeeee the way signing is. I just finished lesson 8 and because of you I can now at least present myself to deaf people. I work in a restaurant for now but every now and then deaf people go and I feel soo bad not being able to simply introduce myself but now ican! thank you sooo much and im really excited to finish all of your lessons bill! THANK YOUUUUUU. MYY MAIN GOAL EVENTUALLY IS TO BECOME A TRANSLATOR.

[@Ciaracade]

How did introducing yourself go?

[@StrengthResurgence]

It is amazing how much I find myself smiling and laughing in all of these videos. Thank you SO MUCH for your passion and all of the hard work you’ve put into your videos, Dr. Vicars. Learning this beautiful language has been an absolute joy and I find myself looking forward each day to working my way through these videos knowing I am going laugh and smile along the way. Greetings and blessings from Canada!

[@punjabdeafsociety4158]

Katelyn is very good in asking questions in dropping words ... Clap to her

[@AlohaYeshua]

I love this!! You're awesome!! I am learning so much that I am able to help teach my friend a client that has Autism and helping to also encourage his parents as well to implement ASL, because it's very important also beautiful to communicate with Special Needs😊

[@KirbytheRagdollCat]

Your class seems like fun and your videos are also funny. Thank you for the opportunity to be able to learn signing. I watch 1-2 a day of your videos.

[@nocilantro_gack]

I am learning ASL in school and am grateful for these videos... Dr. Vicars is awesome !

[@TheLaneDown]

Thank you so much for these videos bill!

[@nancyperezrealtor6294]

Great teaching. Thank you Prof. Vicars

[@issamoharrak8713]

I started learning ASL about a week ago and you were by far the best teacher i found, your teaching format is very fun and entertaining. I laugh and have fun and also learn something new. I am a young teen in another country who doesn't know anyone who is deaf so this may not be very useful now, but it will definitely help down the line. It is an amazing time to learn and improve during this quarantine and you have helped me improve myself and for that I sincerely thank you, Dr. Vicars. i will always look forward to taking your lessons and i hope you are in good health, stay safe everyone!

[@sign-language]

I appreciate the nice comments. Perhaps you might like to tell all your friends about the channel? That way you can have someone to sign with later on. Win / win!

[@issamoharrak8713]

It would be amazing to have someone to sign with. I’ll be sure to tell them about it so we can all have fun and learn together.

[@325markc]

this guy is the best!! He adds humor I love that!

[@sign-language]

Two Deaf guys walk into a bar. But that doesn't make any sense. The Deaf guys could see the bar and walk around it. Oh....right... Two Blind guys walk into a bar...

[@ak-xy6my]

@@sign-language HAHAHA. I love it! I'm going to try and tell it at my next staff ASL practice meeting. Hope my delivery is just as good in sign. With the current Covid lock down most of my co-workers and I have been learning ASL.

[@slantedglasses7242]

oh love your classes!

[@dbelleburr]

Thank you Bill Vicars for the videos :)

[@MSCLOVERCT]

I love your videos thamks so much.

[@jerrywoodlief8252]

Great lesson.

[@yusuphahmed6345]

thank you for the share sign language,

[@daniellecrow8139]

Man I really wish to take your class!!!

[@noemitoro4464]

you are so amazing! i would love to communicate with a person who is hearing impaired! i love a challenge because I think sign language is a difficult

[@edithtea9477]

Thank you Bill Vicars for all those videos! One question, I have a hard time figuring out what you said when she asked you if you wanted to go to Gallaudet. What did you say after " I finished"? What is the sign that you made with your finger over your forehead?

[@sign-language]

+Edith Tea Time constraints preclude me from re-watching the videos every time one of the tens of thousands of subscribers asks "what was the sign when..." -- but I'm fairly sure the sign I'm using to reply to her is "summer" -- since I attended a summer course offering at Gallaudet University.

[@dodgersullivan3720]

You're an amazing teacher, I'm hearing & I can't afford a formal in-person class right now but I feel like I could hold a basic conversation thanks to your lessons (if they're willing to bear with me & sign very slowly lol, I'm still working on that piece). Thank you for having these up.

[@crystalkirk-independentsce3027]

i love the videos. Can you tell me why in talking we say it one way and in Sign, you put the words in reverse order???

[@sign-language]

Crystal Kirk Independent Scentsy Consultant We tend to put "WH"-type questions (who, what, when, where, why, how, how-much) at the end because ASL uses facial grammar. "WH"-type questions are expressed with furrowed eyebrows (for non-rhetorical WH-type questions). By putting the "WH" concept at the end it minimizes the amount of eyebrow furrowing yet makes it clear that you are asking a WH-type question.

[@sign-language]

Hello ASL Heroes!!! If you’ve enjoyed these lessons or videos you are invited to help support ASL University. A 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 the ASL University website: Lifeprint.com. There's an easy way you can help out your humble (as well as kind, caring, generous, compassionate, helpful, friendly, fair, and hard-working) ASL teacher. Just click on the Paypal (donation) link below and you can be an "above and beyond" 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 my best to you all. :)

[@lf.594]

Hello there! thank you for you videos and instructions! Questions: when saying "which would you want, hamburger or pizza" would that be eyebrows up/down? What is the sentence was just "you want hamburger or pizza?" with a body-shift? Thanks :)

[@sign-language]

Great question! It can go either way -- up or down! You can indeed approach it as two yes/no questions or one WH question. Your example: You want hamburger or pizza? (eyebrows up) Leaves some room for response error. The person might just respond "Yes!" (But maybe you don't want to give the person "both." ) If they have enough common sense they will answer with one or the other (hamburger or pizza) and not just reply "yes." The eyebrows being up are justified in that situation since you are basically (attempting) to ask two yes/no questions: Do you want hamburger, yes or no? (eyebrows up) Do you want pizza, yes or no? (eyebrows up) Or you can go with this version and do the eyebrows down: Hamburger or pizza -- you want which? (eyebrows down)

[@sign-language]

If you have questions about ASL sentence structure I encourage you to read the following article which references information in the Linguistics of American Sign Language book written by authors who taught the course at Gallaudet University. Seriously, before you go parroting whatever your ASL 1 teacher told you -- do some research. You may be amazed to learn that SVO is the most common sentence order in ASL sentences that have transitive verbs. See: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/subject-verb-object-asl-sentence-structure.htm Also see: "The myth of STORE I GO." www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/store-i-go-the-myth.htm Then read: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/induction-and-extrapolation.htm Then read: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/topic-comment.htm Also see: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/grammar.htm Enjoy!

[@Avatargirl05]

Mr. Vicars when signing would it be all too wrong to just sign as we "Hearing" folk speak vs the signing way? It is sometimes confusing as to how to set up a sentence. it takes a lot to try and figure that out.

[@wilson2010c]

I know I'm not Bill Vicars, however, to answer your question. To sign as "Hearing folk speak vs the signing way", as you put it would be consider as SEE (Signed Exact English) which differs greatly from (ASL) the way Bill Vicars teaches.

[@sign-language]

Lavette, A lot depends on your individual situation. If grandmother just wants to sign to her grandchildren who come visit once a month -- then "signing how you talk" isn't going to be a big deal. If you are going to become a professional interpreter or teacher -- then indeed it is important to learn how to set up a sentence to match your communication goals. At your convenience please take a look at: books.google.com/books?id=mfS3GlTLAUMC... There you will note that the basic sentence structure of ASL is actually Subject-Verb-Object. (Which happens to be how most "Hearing people" talk. Gee.) It is a myth (perpetuated by many well-meaning ASL instructors) that the basic sentence structure of ASL is Object-Subject-Verb. Sure, OSV exists in ASL and shows up quite often -- it just isn't the most basic sentence (nor most frequently used) structure in ASL. When you start interacting with Deaf signers in the Deaf community you will see that "real" Deaf people don't go around constantly signing in OSV. We use OSV for specific purposes but our most frequently used structure (when using transitive verbs) is SVO. If anyone wants to argue on this topic, simply point them to the "Linguistics of American Sign Language" textbook page 135 (3rd Ed.) where on item #3 of the chapter summary it states: "The most basic word order in ASL sentences with transitive verbs is Subject-Verb-Object." Linguistics of American Sign Language BOOKS.GOOGLE.COM

[@Avatargirl05]

Got it! Thanks a lot! I will work on it...

[@marisolreyes182]

Bill Vicars cvs

[@karroten]

If you were learning French or Italian, would you ask the same question? Would you assume that it's okay to change the grammar to be more like English? Food for thought... ASL has grammar just like any other language and memorizing a few simple rules can set you up for success. A quick google search of "time, topic, comment" should do the trick.

[@emilydarnell4808]

23:32 bookmark

[@glrai-zimmdar2848]

Congrats Dr Bill, I could learn a great deal from the initial first few lessons. But after 5th lesson onwards you are speeding up and Katelyn appears to be enjoying them. But, please you are introducing new words without close captions.

[@sign-language]

+GL Rai-Zimmdar I recommend prior to watching the lessons that you first go over to my website www.Lifeprint.com and study the individual vocabulary for the lesson. Then when you see me signing the vocabulary to my student on the youtube videos it will be easier to catch. Also, abandon the idea of having to catch "everything." Instead, think of yourself as a plant being watered. Plants don't catch all of the water that comes their way. Your goal here should be to soak up as much as you reasonably can and then move on.

[@teresaluciani7783]

Is the word "when" exclusive only to questions (i.e. When did last you eat?) or can I use "when" to indicate a specific point in time as a statement as well (i.e. I last ate when I was at Bob's house.)?

[@sign-language]

Sometimes we use HAPPEN or DURING instead of "WHEN." For example: DURING I BOB HOUSE I ATE. (While I was at Bob's house I ate.) I've noticed though that quite a few advanced signers do use WHEN to mean "during the time that" (rather than limiting the use to, "at what time?"). My wife, (Deaf) tends to use "WHEN" more liberally than I do. Another thing to realize is that often the sentence construction removes the need to sign WHEN. For example: I ATE BOB HOUSE. Since it is *highly* unlikely that you actually ate his house -- the sentence is thus interpreted as meaning "I ate at Bob's house." Another aspect of signing "when" is "WHEN-[rhet]" -- or the rhetorical use of WHEN via raising the eyebrows (instead of the typical lowered eyebrows for "WH-type" questions in ASL). You ask a question and then you answer your own question. For example: I MOST RECENT EAT WHEN-[rhet]? BOB HOUSE. You can also sign: I don't-KNOW WHEN. (With a neutral non-question facial expression). Thus you are using WHEN in a statement indicating that you do not know at what time something will occur. - Dr. Bill

[@teresaluciani7783]

Thank you so much!

[@letyisabelalvarez8890]

Bill!! I would love to be in one of your videos! haha it looks like so much fun! ^.\

[@sign-language]

Leticia, Come on over to Sacramento during the semester and I'll do a session with you. - Dr. Bill

[@letyisabelalvarez8890]

+Bill Vicars That would be amazing! Sure I'd be willing to drive up there! uhm is this like a asl building or school?

[@laurenholloman]

Dr. Vicars, there's a sign I've seen you do a few times, generally when talking about a lot of food. You tap your middle finger against your lower abdomen (32:27), I've been having trouble picking out what this is from context.

[@sign-language]

In that "particular" instance (after having "eaten" a lot) I pat my belly and then thump it like a ripe melon.

[@laurenholloman]

Ah, I thought it resembled testing ripeness! :D Thank you for being so responsive. :)

[@ikahernandez5606]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@ak-xy6my]

Dr. Vicars. I was learning sign from another course before discovering your videos series and that instructor said when signing with someone in the deaf community, they would like more fuller answers rather than just yes or no. Is this correct?

[@sign-language]

Suppose I just typed one word (yes or no) in reply to your question? Would you feel satisfied? In this situation (you asking me a complex, culturally laden question) you probably want more than a yes or no answer. You probably want an "explanation" or exploration of the topic including examples and comparisons. I know this is true because another instructor told you something of which you question the veracity (whether it is right or wrong). If I give you a yes or no answer without backing it up -- you will feel unsatisfied in "this" situation. However, in some other situation where the facts are cut and dried if I were to expound on my answer beyond yes or no you might consider it a waste of your time and be annoyed by anything beyond a yes or no answer. For example, "Do you want ketchup?" If you ask me that in a busy situation where you are trying to prepare several meals for a table-full of individuals and I start waxing eloquent about my thoughts regarding ketchup and why I might want ketchup or not -- you will likely become annoyed. It is very much the same in the Deaf community. Sometimes we want a yes or a no. Sometimes we want an expanded answer. However the real issue here is that "an answer" should match the needs of the person asking the question. The more context in the situation -- the shorter the answer can be. The less context in the situation the longer the answer must be. If the person asking the question has a greater awareness of context the person answering the question should use more brevity (shortness) in their answer. Thus the issue here is that traditionally, for a very long time, Hearing people have had more access to context than Deaf people. For example, many Hearing people would drive to work listening to the news or talking on their phone (while driving) to share or gain information. Many Hearing people strike up a conversation with the person in front of or behind them in a grocery (or some other place) store line -- just because they can -- thus gaining more information and context about the world around them. Such "additional context" is hard fought for, hard won, and much valued in the Deaf Community. We have to work harder as Deaf people to obtain context. So the issue isn't that Deaf people don't like yes or no answers. The issue is that Deaf people habitually / instinctively crave context and connection that Hearing people often take for granted. In summary: When a yes or no question is asked in a high-context situation in the Deaf Community then a yes or no answer is fine. If a yes or no question is asked in a low context situation (as is often the case) in the Deaf Community then the person responding would do well to provide context for their yes or no answer. If however you start providing context for an answer in an already context-saturated situation you are going to look like an idiot. Thus the more aware you are of what your conversation partner (or audience) knows or doesn't know -- the more successful you will be in choosing the depth and breadth of your responses. Of course this applies to all cultures. It just so happens that in the Deaf culture you will more often need or want to add context than perhaps in some other culture. I will also suggest that now with the penetration of smart phones, social media, and other forms of connection in the Deaf world we are experiencing an evolution in that sense of "connection" and context. More often now (than in the past) I will start to "expand" on some answer and my wife (who is also Deaf) will "wave off" my expansion and inform me that she already knows about the topic. Our conversations are still fun and interesting -- just with much less expansion needed than in the past -- simply because we have been empowered by this incredible electronic network of news and information (in other words "context") -- thus in a large measure satisfying our thirst for context.

[@katiemills9841]

Bill Vicars, I am new to ASL and don't understand the sentence structure of sentences of it. I can understand perfectly when I see the sentences on the screen but when I try to respond to a question or statement I get confused about how to structure my sentences.

[@vanishedinthinair889]

If you start from the first video, you'll get used to it. Pause and sign at your own pace when you need to.

[@adinugroho8285]

seems like sign for FUN is similar to SIT, but done from near nose. Am I wrong or they use different handshapes?

[@hotdog2841]

I know I'm late, but I figured I'd chime in. In FUN, you keep the H-handshape flat, but in SIT, you droop the fingers over the fingers, like legs dangling from a chair.

[@WriteSign]

Hi there! I've been going through these, trying to learn to sign to the two deaf people I know (though I and my dad may be among them soon if he doesn't stop turning he volume up on everything) and I can't find ASL 2. There is 1, 3, & 4 but I can't find 2, lessons 20 through 30. Where can I see them?

[@sign-language]

+Allura Zynx Most of the Level 2 videos have already been posted. Just do a search for: "American Sign Language - ASL Lesson 17 Bill Vicars" and you can probably find them. I'll work on getting a playlist together.

[@WriteSign]

+Bill Vicars Thank you! Love you by the way. Your vids are awesome and you are so funny! It is great fun to learn with you and your students.

[@Ciaracade]

+Bill Vicars I have 2 on my playlist🤗

[@danieldanielsouza796]

look it asl sign very asl i favorite asl wow i seem you sign i understand some sign i not know try asl learn fututre deaf world communicate best right?

[@elaiej]

'fun' looks like 'f' in the british/australian 2 handed alphabet, is it a sign of cross-cultural exchange and initialized signs, or just coincidence?

[@letyisabelalvarez8890]

+WillowLovesReborns uhm no they are completely different, but they look similiar.

[@ilovecrybabydepp]

hi. i was wondering, is it ok to sign sentences not backwards? sometimes i get a little confused, probably because im still pretty new to learning asl. so far im getting all the words. but im just having a little trouble with the making it a sentence part. i will probably get the hang of it soon but i was just wondering if it was ok like that. love your videos by the way! learning so much! :) ~Camille

[@sign-language]

+Camz D. See: lifeprint.com/linguistics/topicalization.htm for more information. We tend to put "WH"-type questions (who, what, when, where, why, how, how-much) at the end because ASL uses facial grammar. "WH"-type questions are expressed with furrowed eyebrows (for non-rhetorical WH-type questions). By putting the "WH" concept at the end it minimizes the amount of eyebrow furrowing yet makes it clear that you are asking a WH-type question.

[@ilovecrybabydepp]

Bill Vicars oh i see. thank you very much for answering my question Dr. Bill. :)

[@kaitlyng3026]

Camz D. Hey you might not be here still but there is another type of sign language called pse that you don't sign "backwards" in. It's easier to process it and it uses the same exact signs

[@noemitoro4464]

But I love it

[@katalinadickson1009]

Did you make a video with a better resolution as you did with the others?

[@sign-language]

For an alternate Lesson 8, see: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jp-Td2qofKZgacU That is on the master ASLU playlist. See item 2 below. ------------------------------- 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 or more specifically: kzbin.infoplaylists?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 KZbin.com/billvicars * Click the “subscribe” button at KZbin.com/billvicars (if you haven't done so yet) * Click the “Share” link and share the videos. * Buy some ASL University “official” clothing or ASLU gear: teespring.com/stores/aslu * 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

[@GiantPetRat]

At the risk of sounding even more clueless than I already am, what is that one sign Bill does when his fingertips touch his cheek? Is it "remember"? He does it at about 0:18.

[@sign-language]

The casual form of "Ya know?" can be done on the cheek.

[@GiantPetRat]

@@sign-language Thank you!

[@emmarose4999]

When trying to say “You need to do laundry” would you sign “you need washing machine clothes” or “you need what-do washing machine clothes” or maybe something else???

[@sign-language]

"YOU NEED WASHING-MACHINE CLOTHES." -- is a fine way to sign that sentence. Over-use of rhetorical questions is a rookie mistake -- often made by people who want to "look like" they know what they are doing but don't actually spend much time in the Deaf Community or communicating in ASL. Sure, once in a while you can use a rhetorical for emphasis or audience engagement -- but to over-use rhetorical questions is just as annoying (or sometimes laughable) in ASL as it is in any other language. Please read this page: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/subject-verb-object-asl-sentence-structure.htm

[@emmarose4999]

Thank you so much!

[@CaseyMarkov]

for WHAT-KIND I saw someone sign it like you would year with the upper hand doing a quick circle above the lower hand but this one was both hands were like a K and the person did the small circle above the hand and then put the upper hand down on the lower hand. Would this be right? I feel (even though I am not deaf) this would be easier to sign than the normal way.

[@sign-language]

Casey, Good eye. Your analysis is on the right track. You've noticed an evolved articulation of the sign for WHAT-KIND in which the movement is reduced. That is a perfect example of the difference between a citation version and a casual version. Recognize them both. Do the citation version for a while and then as your skills improve via actual real world conversation let those various reductions become an organic part of your signing (not something you try to produce but rather just a natural evolution of your own signing).

[@CaseyMarkov]

@@sign-language I actually started to use it once I saw it because it was easier and a little faster at signing with it. Will you be making a video playlist with abbreviated/evolved articulation of signs in the future?

[@sign-language]

That is a good idea. A whole lesson focusing on signs that have evolved and that are commonly done differently from how they appear in most textbooks. Due to a long project list I can't predict when I'll get to that but it is a wonderful idea that I hope to get to in the not too distant future. Thanks.

[@CaseyMarkov]

@@sign-language I am happy to help Dr V! it is the least I can do since you are teaching all of us this very useful skill

[@mandyv8524]

Around 14:05 they sign people and then holding index fingers parallel to floor, move them up and down.. What does it mean? Tia

[@sign-language]

We were just having a good time playing around practicing hand-eye coordination. The point of that few seconds of activity was to let her experience how hard it is (for many people) to move the hands in an opposite rotating pattern at the same time. The movement itself wasn't a sign.

[@mandyv8524]

@@sign-language thank you very much for the quick reply and for the videos!

[@jacqulynanderson4556]

cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

[@ajpressley9792]

Hey I love the videos but I have a lingering question, Can you sign with English grammar

[@sign-language]

+June Pressley Since ASL is a visual language the grammar of English and other spoken languages doesn't work as well as the grammar of ASL. In ASL we do tend to put "wh" type signs (who, what, when, where, why, & how) at the end of question sentences. To understand why we do this it helps to realize that it feels strange and/or uncomfortable to hold a WH facial expression (furrowed eyebrows) for the duration of a medium length or longer sentence (a few signs or more). So we tend to move the WH question to the end. The facial expressions we use in ASL to form questions are the equivalent of how Hearing people raise the tone of their voice at the end of questions. Here is the thing to understand though, when Hearing people ask very short questions, they raise the tone of their voice throughout the whole question. Hearing people do this because the meaning of a very short question utterance is actually made more clear by using the raised tone of voice throughout the whole sentence (since the duration is so short). Try it yourself. Say "Are you GOING?" and only emphasize the last word. Then voice it again and emphasize all three words: "ARE YOU GOING?" You will probably think that it feels "weird" to try to say "Are you" (normal voice) and then switch over to "GOING?" (high tone) for just the last word. To a Hearing person it feels "better" to just say all three words in high tone since the sentence is so short. It is more smooth and less jarring to use one tone for a short sentence than to try to cram two different tones into a three word question. Just as common (for Hearing people) is to say "You going?" -- with a rise in the voice taking place of the word "are." Which is to say, Hearing people often do not "say" the word "are" but rather indicate "are" by raising the voice. The same thing applies to signed conversations using short three-concept questions. Very short questions can use the WH question at the beginning of the sentence since it becomes more smooth and "economical" to form one facial expression for a three-sign sentence using a non-topicalized sentence structure than it is to form two different facial expressions for a 3-sign sentence using a topicalized sentence structure. Many ASL teachers (even the really "good ones" that teach at prestigious universities) and who sign "really well" have pre-conceived notions and/or biases that prevent them from wrapping their minds around this principle. Now, consider how advanced signers really ask where someone is from. We don't even use the sign "WHERE." HA! We often just sign "YOU FROM?" while using furrowed eyebrows! The "where" concept is expressed by the furrowed eyebrows and thus doesn't need a separate sign. I like to write that as: "YOU where-FROM?" I lowercase the word "where" in the gloss as my way of indicating that it is "included" in the concept but doesn't use a separate sign. Also, we could even drop the sign YOU from that question if it is obvious to whom we are asking the question. If we are meeting three new people we might tend to add "YOU" or "YOU-plural/sweep" to the sentence to clarify exactly to whom we are asking the question. - Dr. Bill

[@ajpressley9792]

Thank you so so much I know a few people wondering the same thing keep up the fantastic work! Bill Vicars

[@yottoo.5037]

+Bill Vicars Hello, Mr. Vicars! Thank you so much for this thorough explanation. It helps a lot! Your videos are a godsend. I use them to study ASL on a daily basis. I can't thank you enough for making your classes available online. I would like to get involved with the Deaf community; however, I'm not a very good signer (yet). I only started learning ASL a few months ago, but I am in the process of advancing. Do you think Deaf people would be annoyed interacting with someone like me who they would routinely need to correct, or struggle to understand my inevitable errors, etc? I would love to immerse myself in their culture, learn their beautiful language, and know their community better. But I'm afraid I would get on their nerves since I'm only a beginner. How do you think they would perceive someone like me?

[@sign-language]

+Yotto O. See: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/negotiatingaconversation.htm If you attend ASL socials and hang out and interact casually you can simply watch the face of your conversation partner to see if they are getting annoyed with you. If they keep looking away (for someone else to talk to) and/or slightly moving away from you -- get a clue and go find someone else to talk with. Some will be friendly to beginners -- some won't. Eventually your skills will improve.

[@ruezz1777]

and can u mix the sentence words or its wrong to mix them

[@sign-language]

Mixing is fine. Go here and read all fifteen sections: www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/grammar.htm

[@shadenphoenix]

are the lessons (and sometimes the people) the same even though some are 8-9 years old, and some are 1-3 years old? this one is quite low quality and my screen is just blurry. i cant make out the majority of the signs. tried looking for another 'lesson 8' thats more recent, but i cant seem to get a straight search result on youtube. :/

[@sign-language]

The lessons are pretty much the same regardless of the student assistant. Sure there are occasional minor differences but in general they are similar. Here's a Lesson 08 at a bit higher resolution: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jp-Td2qofKZgacU Also, consider using the official ASLU Master Playlist. See item 2 below. ============================ 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 or more specifically: kzbin.infoplaylists?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 KZbin.com/billvicars * Click the “subscribe” button at KZbin.com/billvicars (if you haven't done so yet) * Click the “Share” link and share the videos. * ASL University “official” clothing or ASLU gear: teespring.com/stores/aslu * 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).

[@shadenphoenix]

Awesome, thank you bill. You do great work. I love your humor. You're lightning-fast signs are hard to follow for me, even sometimes at .25 speed, but i enjoy your classes. Would be awesome to meet you in person one day. Thanks for replying.

[@WillowLovesReborns]

The sign for "pig" and "dirty" are the same? Or am I messing that up?

[@kyleandrews123]

the sign for pig and dirty are very similar buth with pig you open your hand under your neck to show the fat around a pigs neck

[@tiebeowa2721]

I got a little confused here as the sign for chocolate, computer and church look similar to me. It may be the angle of the camera. :)

[@sign-language]

On a desktop computer (or full-size browser) try this link to look up each of those signs: www.lifeprint.com/search.htm Or visit Lifeprint.com and you can find them in the dictionary there. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 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: * For donation options, see: www.Lifeprint.com/donate.htm * Click the “thumb up” (like) icon on videos at KZbin.com/billvicars * Click the “subscribe” button at KZbin.com/billvicars (if you haven't done so yet) * Click the “Share” link and share the videos.

[@loriritter1554]

Is daily with the thumb up or down?

[@sign-language]

The exact position of the thumb is going to vary a bit from signer to signer. My suggestion is to just do an "A" with a sort of loose thumb without trying to stick it up nor press it down. It is, in general, an "A" or "10" hand but a small gap between the thumb tip and the hand isn't going to be noticed by most signers. However if someone were to purposefully stick the thumb way up while signing "daily" -- that would look strange.

[@loriritter1554]

@@sign-language Thank you

[@gabriellafrantz7486]

An asl signer can easily understand a pse signer and vice-versa?

[@marlecia5439]

gabriella frantz Yep!

[@kyleandrews123]

yes its just with pse its more like signed english

[@gabriellafrantz7486]

thanks

[@1lightdweller]

Pants, or dress. What about a kilt???

[@BrittneyChristina]

I think you can do the same sign, just say "kilt" while signing. Somtimes Bill doesn't talk while signing, but if he uses a sign with many meanings, he'll say it while signing.

[@ruezz1777]

what is that sign 2:49

[@sign-language]

The sign at: 2:49 is one of the versions of "here." See: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJWkfZWdgraKo80 However, keep in mind that ASL also has other ways of indicating the concept of "here." "Here" can often be incorporated into other signs. See: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZnId6eQbqqNnbc kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6WkhGl-m82Bq7M kzbin.info/www/bejne/npisnoaah6-qq8k

[@Chris-xc1vd]

You dudes are sweet!!!!!!

[@watchmeeatfatbellydancer5864]

Is dirty the same sign as 🐖

[@Westile]

I like how the video quality takes a complete dive after just 1 video lmao

[@sign-language]

Clue: Try the official ASLU playlist instead. Most of the videos on that list are 720p or higher. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJKUknSOpbulaNk For example, here is a higher resolution of the Lesson 8 video than the one on which you commented: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jp-Td2qofKZgacU