| Whatever your reasons for wanting to learn sign | | | | ASL gestures are not static but include movement, |
| language are, starting off by using free sign language | | | | which is pretty much a pain to adapt from some |
| lessons is a great idea. Whether you want to be able | | | | illustration or photo in a book. |
| to communicate with a deaf co-worker, a member of | | | | Many people start off learning ASL by learning to |
| your family, become active in the deaf community or | | | | finger-spell. Finger-spelling uses the hands to form each |
| just want to learn something new, you need to start | | | | character of the alphabet and combine them into |
| with the essentials so you can master basic, everyday | | | | words and sentences. While this is a basic capability |
| situations. | | | | you need to learn, you can imagine that communicating |
| Learning sign language is, like any other language, best | | | | long sentences this way would quickly become |
| learned by acquiring the basics and then being | | | | tiresome and take very long. That's why ASL defines |
| exposed to real-life situations where you can then | | | | over 1,000 different signs that describe things like |
| employ what you have learned. But before you can | | | | colors, food and drinks or travel and can be employed |
| even think of jumping into a conversation with a deaf | | | | in a multitude of situations. |
| person, you need to firmly internalize the basics or | | | | Learning to "speak" using sign language is only one |
| you'll get lost quickly. A basic course to teach you the | | | | part of the equation though. For a real conversation to |
| essentials is perfect for that. | | | | take place you of course need to understand what |
| Learning American Sign Language (ASL) is best done | | | | the person you are talking to is saying. And this is |
| with video instructions. Printed gestures on paper, even | | | | often the more difficult part, as different people vary |
| photos, are a weak substitute for actually seeing a | | | | their gestures slightly and express the signs at |
| person engage in communication. People learn best by | | | | different speeds. You will need lots of practice to |
| imitating what they see others do, and that is the | | | | perfect your skills, but with some free sign language |
| perfect base for learning sign language too. Another | | | | lessons, you can learn ASL and actually have fun |
| reason for video being superior to print is that many | | | | doing it. |