How Do You Learn American Sign Language?
• Begin with the basics. It is a good idea to learn the alphabet first, since this will be useful for spelling out words that you do not otherwise know. Once you have mastered the alphabet try spelling words out. • Get a good sign dictionary. A Basic Course in American Sign Language by Humphries, Padden, and O’Rourke is one of the best books available. • Familiarize yourself with Deaf Culture. Understand that American Deaf Culture has unique and vibrant history as well as its own set of traditions, stories,and celebrities. • Take a class in Sign Language. Most big cities will have at least one Deaf organization that may offer sign classes, and many city colleges offer classes in sign. Online classes are also available, but it is suggested that one learns from a real-life classroom setting. Go out and meet Deaf people. Sign is a three-dimensional language and pictures of signs in lexicons are, of course, two-dimensional. The actual movements and fluid motions of Sign can be lost in the
