Teach Yourself American Sign Language - Basic Sign Language Studies Online

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Learn To Sign and Communicate Through ASL

American Sign Language (ASL) is an experience, and arguably the most beautiful language in the world. It is also the third most widely spoken language in the United States (after English and Spanish, respectively). If for no other reason than to be prepared and helpful in an emergency situation, everyone who is able should learn at least basic American Sign Language. There are also benefits like being able to go on to study and become an interpreter for a school, or a religious organization. All of this, however, starts with knowing ASL basics - sign language fingerspelling, alphabet, numbers, colors, common phrases, and terms related to emergency situations.

Reader Poll: Do You Agree That All Americans Should Learn Basic ASL? 

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Why I Began to Study Sign Language 

I am still a beginner with ASL, but I have a real passion for learning American Sign Language for many reasons. Besides it's absolute beauty, it is widely spoken throughout the United States where I live. Since I have become a mother, I have learned a lot about using sign to communicate with babies and small children, and it did make communicating with my son, who was slow to speak in complete sentences, easier and more fun. However, these reasons do not fuel my passion for the language.

As a minister, I see the need for more interpreters in churches. I speak French, and I remember how exciting and beautiful it was to be able to connect with a friend of mine from overseas between languages concerning the things of God. I see how sign language interpreters in churches are able to do that, and it absolutely makes my heart sing. To be able to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in sign is my heart's desire, and it is the driving force behind my self-study. When I get to a point where I need advanced study, I will begin taking courses; however, with so many resources available for home study in this day and age, it just makes more sense for me as a busy mother to do as much as I can when I can, on my own schedule.

I also seek to learn because I believe ASL should be taught in public schools for credit as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken language in the U.S., so there are lots of career opportunities available for hearing people who sign. Furthermore, it is just good to be as fluent as you can in as many languages as you can for the sake of world view if nothing else. It also makes you more helpful in an emergency situation if you can speak more than one language, including ASL.

American Sign Language on Wikipedia 

American Sign Language (or ASL, Ameslan) is the dominant sign language of the Deaf community in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico. Although the United Kingdom and the United States share English as a spoken and written language, British Sign Language (BSL) is quite different from ASL, and the two sign languages are not mutually intelligible.

ASL is also used (sometimes alongside indigenous sign languages) in the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Gabon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Mauritania, Kenya, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe. Like other sign languages, its grammar and syntax are distinct from any spoken language in its area of influence. While there has been no reliable survey of the number of people who use ASL as their primary language, estimates range from 500,000 to 2 million in the United States alone .

Who Should Learn ASL? 

Who do you think should feel compelled to learn American Sign Language if they are able? Vote for those who need it the most so that the list reflects the order of importance that people believe in!

Teachers and Child Care Providers

3 points

Emergeny Workers (Police, Fire, EMS)

1 point

Health Care Workers (Doctors, Nurses, Administration)

1 point

Ministers and Clergy

1 point

Everyday People

1 point

Customer Service Workers (Public Outlets)

0 points

Government Employees

0 points

People who have lost the ability to speed0 points

Sign Language Alphabet Chart 

sign language letter asign language letter bsign language letter csign language letter dsign language letter esign language letter fsign language letter gsign language letter hsign language letter isign language letter jsign language letter ksign language letter lsign language letter msign language letter nsign language letter osign language letter psign language letter qsign language letter rsign language letter ssign language letter tsign language letter usign language letter vsign language letter wsign language letter xsign language letter ysign language letter z

Basic ASL: First 100 Signs 

According to ASL University, the first 100 ASL signs parents and children learn are:

* Family - mom-dad, boy-girl, marriage, brother-sister, grandpa-grandma, aunt-uncle, baby, single, divorced-separate
* Places - home, work, school, store, church, come-go, car/drive, in-out, with
* Time - day, night, week, month, year, will-(future), before-(in the past), today-(now), finish-("all done!")
* Temperature - hot, cold
* Food - pizza, milk, hamburger, hot dog, egg, apple, cheese, drink, spoon, fork, cup, cereal, water, candy, cookie, hungry
* Clothes - shirt, pants, socks, shoes, coat, underwear
* Health - wash, hurt, bathroom, brush teeth, sleep, nice/clean
* Feelings - happy, angry, sad, sorry, cry, like, good-bad, love
* Requests - please, excuse, thank you, help, who, what, when, where, why, how, stop
* Amounts - big, tall, full, more
* Colors - blue, green, yellow, red, brown, orange, gold & silver
* Money - dollars, cents, cost
* Animals - cat, dog, bird, horse, cow, sheep, pig, bug



Learn more about ASL University

Free ASL Videos: Color of Sign 

The following are videos introducing and demonstrating American Sign Language, or ASL. Presented as a courtesy by Color of Lanuage, a non-profit developer of sign language materials and resources.

Sign Language is a visual language...

Runtime: 1:14
18162 views
10 Comments:


Courteous communication in Deaf culture

Runtime: 1:07
37635 views
10 Comments:


ASL Sign Language Alphabet

Runtime: 0:30
105168 views
10 Comments:


ASL ABC Story!

Runtime: 1:06
80769 views
10 Comments:


ASL (american sign language) number story

Runtime: 0:36
70502 views
10 Comments:


Simple practice sentences in American Sign Language

Runtime: 1:05
143383 views
10 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

Free ASL Videos: Everyday ASL 

Everyday ASL Productions is a company founded by a team of Deaf ASL educators with varied experiences throughout both Deaf and hearing communities. This team understands the importance of promoting and educating American Sign Language (ASL) to ensure successful communication with others using the language.

ASL Music Video "Goodbye, My Friend"

Runtime: 3:21
32974 views
6 Comments:


Idiom in American Sign Language "PEACE OF MIND"

Runtime: 1:19
8489 views
4 Comments:


Idiom in American Sign Language "WHOA"

Runtime: 1:08
14827 views
1 Comments:


Idiom in American Sign Language "LOVE IT"

Runtime: 1:01
9657 views
3 Comments:


Idiom in American Sign Language "EXPAND ONE'S KNOWLEDGE"

Runtime: 1:12
4162 views
0 Comments:


Idiom in American Sign Language "RUN OUT OF SOMETHING"

Runtime: 1:30
3593 views
0 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

Free ASL Videos: Signing Time Kids 

Signing Time Kids is one of my son's favorite shows, and I have to admit that it is one of my favorites, too. Children learn through instruction and practice with reinforcing lessons and songs, but they also learn by rote. I have learned a lot of sign by simply watching Rachel (the instructor) sign as she communicates with the audience. The lessons are focused on keywords and phrases, but Rachel does not limit her signing to just the terms that she is teaching. You can learn various idioms, syntax, and action verbs as an adult by closely watching Rachel as she speaks and teaches.

So, I highly recommend this series for children from 1 to 92. My son infuses his regular speech with sign, with his favorite sign being the one for "friend".

Signing Time! "Nice to Meet You"

Runtime: 1:00
145898 views
10 Comments:


Signing Time - "Rachel's Broken Arm"

Runtime: 2:08
41101 views
10 Comments:


Signing Time - "My Things"

Runtime: 1:02
29777 views
3 Comments:


Signing Time! Counting

Runtime: 0:31
105356 views
10 Comments:


Signing Time! "Days of the Week"

Runtime: 1:08
110744 views
9 Comments:


Signing Time - "Helping Out Around the House"

Runtime: 0:54
50851 views
3 Comments:


Signing Time - "My House"

Runtime: 0:59
48000 views
4 Comments:


Signing Time! Volume 12: Time to Eat, "Cook"

Runtime: 0:38
88086 views
2 Comments:


Signing Time! Volume 11: My Neighborhood, "Office"

Runtime: 0:36
15799 views
0 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

American Sign Language Tutorials on DVD 

Advanced Beginner to Intermediate Learning Resource: ASL University 

ASL University is probably the hands-down best free online resource for learning ASL. They have detailed lesson plans, an American Sign Language Dictionary, and more. However, in my personal experience, I found this site to be more useful for someone who has a conceptual grasp of ASL, has learned some very basic signs (numbers, letters, some basic vocabulary), and is serious about learning the language. I truly believe that a student who uses visual learning aids like DVDs in conjunction with this site could learn to speak American Sign Language at an intermediate level totally through self-study.


Visit ASL University at www.lifeprint.com today!

Books For ASL Self-Study 

Learning American Sign Language: Levels I & II--Beginning & Intermediate (2nd Edition)

Amazon Price: $40.39 (as of 11/10/2009) Buy Now

American Sign Language The Easy Way

Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 11/10/2009) Buy Now

Signing Illustrated (Revised Edition): The Complete Learning Guide

Amazon Price: $11.02 (as of 11/10/2009) Buy Now

Barron's Dictionary of American Sign Language

Amazon Price: $21.89 (as of 11/10/2009) Buy Now

What's Your Sign for Pizza?: An Introduction to Variation in American Sign Language

Amazon Price: $49.95 (as of 11/10/2009) Buy Now

More Sign Language Lenses On Squidoo 

Get Inspired - Beautiful Stories, Songs, and More in ASL 


Our Deepest Fear

Runtime: 2:49
31516 views
10 Comments:


Real Love song (ASL)

Runtime: 2:45
86182 views
10 Comments:


Christian Sign Language ASL - Shekinah Glory

Runtime: 5:17
13492 views
10 Comments:


ASL Vlog

Runtime: 1:13
101 views
0 Comments:


Funny ASL Story

Runtime: 4:41
12777 views
10 Comments:


ASL Story To the rescue

Runtime: 3:32
350 views
0 Comments:


Christmas Carols in ASL - American Sign Language Songs - ASL Music Video

Runtime: 2:12
118934 views
0 Comments:


Deaf ASL American Sign Language Song Melinda Doolittle Home

Runtime: 3:31
9131 views
10 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

Sign Language News 

Media dis&dat: Utah needs more ASL interpreters for video relay ...
"It's changed our lives," said MJ Bienvenu, an expert on American Sign Language (ASL) and a professor at Gallaudet University. With the video technology firmly in place around the country, now it's time to "improve the quality of sign ...
ASL and the Importance of Having a Strong First Language Base
ASL and English are languages that have a good bit of differences between them. ASL sign language is a visual language, expressed through signs, gestures, and expressions. It does have written forms, as in SignWriting and Stokoe ...
American Sign Language Club Asks Department to 'Talk to the Hand ...
Dutton said his motive to start the club revolved around his desire to share his passion and knowledge of American Sign Language, or ASL. The club provides tutorials at every meeting, allowing students to either learn ASL for the first ...
R.I.P. Dorthy - Page 2 - Myopenforum
To begin with, the claim that the Non Human Primates(NHP's) had learned "American Sign Language"(ASL), stems from a lack of understanding about ASL. Most hearing people have had little contact with ASL and tend to assume that "sign ...

Speak Out: Your Thoughts On Learning Sign Language 

What Are You Passionate About? What Are You an Expert On?
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Lensmaster

Trice wrote

American Sign Language came straight from God to show us that there are so many ways to communicate. My father is fluent and I plan to be. Do you know any good classes in Greenville, Sc or a way I can look up good classes

Reply Posted October 07, 2009

5starbaby-com wrote...

What a beautiful lens. Thanks for all the great info.

ReplyPosted July 08, 2009

Lensmaster

Mia wrote

I am a certified teacher who has chosen to teach ASL in my community. This site has become a great resource for me in my small town. ASL is so beautiful, I want to teach it to everyone who desires to learn! Thank you!

Reply Posted May 09, 2009

Lensmaster

Christy Edwards wrote

I love your lens! I have loved sign language since I was four and am learning more and more each day! I hope to one day be an interpreter. I have taught my kids and they love it. Keep up the good work! You should take a look at my Baby Sign Language lens! ;o)

Have a fantastic day!

Reply Posted March 05, 2009

view all 10 comments

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by icjackson

I.C. Jackson is a minister, business writer, blogger, green enthusiast, professional online networker, and entrepreneur.

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