The American Sign Language (ASL) is an intricately designed and important tool for the hearing impaired and the hard-hearing individuals living in the US, Mexico, and Canada.More than a disability, the hearing challenge has contributed to these deaf individuals coming together to form what is popularly known as the deaf community, brimming with their own culture and language. The sense of belonging to a group invariably builds self-esteem, productivity, and overall well-being resulting in a healthier society.Having a crucial inability is definitely a difficult ordeal and no one can ever understand these pains more than a deaf person. Whether an individual has grown to lose their hearing capacities or someone who is born deaf, the language barrier is a predominant factor. Before the different sign languages had come into practice, the popular conception was to pity the plight of the deaf people, considering that they were unfit for any intellectual contribution.However, with the old French Sign Language coming into being in the 16th century, deaf individuals started expressing ideas, providing a major gusto necessary for the working of a healthy society. Similarly, Braidwood’s Academy for Dead and Dumb was established in 1760 to promote British Sign Language. Although in 1800 deaf educators had put a ban on sign language, concluding that oral education was more effective than manual signs. Fortunately, the ban was soon lifted and deaf students resumed the conventional mode of practice. Today, many people learn sign language for it is a valuable skill. Research suggests early language learning is more functional and develops well over time owing to a child’s early acquisition of language.Learning ASL might seem like a daunting task, but with patience and willingness, the language can be easily mastered. There are a plethora of ways to use sign language that can fetch you rewarding results. Like a spoken language, ASL has its own diction, word pronunciation, methods of word formation, syntax, and word order. Though ASL is fundamentally based on gestures, there lies a significant difference between the two. Factors like facial expressions, body movements, tilting heads are primal to ASL - an amalgamation of which produces such an effective language. For instance, while speaking in English, we may stress on certain syllables and modulate our pitch in the case of a question, sign language users express the same using their arched eyebrows and wide-open eyes.Finger-spelling is another significant feature of sign languages that clearly visualizes certain words and proper names. Numbering in ASL includes the use of fingers on one hand, the back of your hand facing the receiver. For example, if number one is to be communicated, the index finger is held upright with the other folded fingers facing the ASL user.American Sign Language Development HistoryThe existence of American sign language roots back to the brief history of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet taking inspiration from the French Sign Language. The sign language has polished itself over the years to form a holistic, natural language that is also easier for ASL users.Having failed to teach a deaf girl by the English word conventions, Gallaudet sought a different method. In 1817, he returned from France and established the American School for the Deaf in Connecticut.ASL usage today is in reality an amalgamation of the French sign language, local sign languages, body language, and facial expressions, and intermixing of which produces a new language completely different from the other sign languages.Even though the fundamental features are French, ASL varies from the French and British sign language. There is no Universal Sign Language and the difference lies behind the cultural background, societal norms in addressing gender, age, and other factors that govern different countries.ASL ranks in third place amongst the most popular spoken languages in the US. Almost a million people communicate in sign language and many are enthusiastic to partake in courses to acquire ASL.Uses Of American Sign LanguageASL has numerous uses in both personal and professional spheres. Baseball players affect ASL usage and increase the strength of ASL users. Learning sign language aids in battling diseases related to memory loss.Apart from being a boon for deaf students, research suggests that sign language contributes greatly to a child’s development and polishes their spoken English, spelling English words, and motor skills. Since sign languages require brain-muscle coordination, ASL users perform better in subsequent years.ASL is a great professional tool that can leverage your position in different countries. With more deaf children being educated and exposed to the tools to sharpen themselves, sign language comes in handy for social workers, psychologists, educators, and managerial positions.Major sports, including baseball, use sign language. The deaf baseball player William ‘Dummy’ Hoy played for Chicago White Sox and established communication with his coach using sign language. Soon the practice of using signs and facial expressions was adopted by an array of players who saw the benefits of maintaining solid communication amidst a noisy stadium.Sign language is considered a foreign language. Studies show that acquiring sign language potentially increases the size of the brain, leading to a significant delay or avoidance of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.How to learn American sign language?Learning ASL requires patience and consistency. For deaf children, an early admittance is highly beneficial for children who are capable of learning new languages faster. Mastering ASL would require one to follow the grammatical nuances and rules for effective communication.Hearing parents choose ASL for their deaf children at early stages who acquire their first language through lip reading and facial expressions, gradually moving towards hand signs. A deaf child will thus be introduced to the fundamentals of ASL and naturally imbibe facial expressions and body language.Since ASL is a visual language, proper usage of signs could suffice. Facial expressions and body movements are not mandated to be included, but an omission of these components could send a wrong message. Since the language is closely built using the regional practices and culture, ASL varies and is spoken differently from one person to another. Thus it is advisable to adhere to the popular use of bodily movements for flawless communication.If one does not know how to sign a particular word, finger lettering must always be the resort. Inventing new signs would mean violating grammatical norms of ASL and could also potentially confuse the receiver and even come up as offensive.ASL has its unique grammatical and syntactical rules that are to be acquired from trained professionals. Gallaudet University offers free ASL learning courses for the deaf, however, many independent organizations also offer free courses. ASL is acquired differently from other spoken languages and will require a lot of time and patience for your body and mind to operate in accordance with each other. Slow and repetitive learning is the most effective way to acquire ASL.Commonly Used Idioms In American Sign LanguageIdioms are figurative tools used in all spoken languages. In ASL, idioms are expressed with the use of hand signs and facial temperament. ASL users are in some way akin to English speakers. For instance, the hand signs attempt at forming full phrases to define a metaphorical likeness. However, they also differ majorly in the choice of words and their implications.The most common idiom in ASL is ‘Train-Gone/ Train-Go-Sorry’ which directly translates to ‘You have missed the boat’. Extend both your index fingers under the chin level. The left index finger and thumb should point to the right, keeping the remaining fingers closed up. Now put the right hand on the left one, fixating the right thumb on the left index finger while the right index points upwards. Keeping the left hand in its existing position, shift the right hand away in a pinching technique using the right thumb and index fingers. The same expression can also be formulated with the idiom ‘Cigarette-gone’. Almost all hand movements stay the same except the right small and index finger rest on the left hand.‘Mind Frozen’ means ‘Hard to think’. It is a simpler expression holding the right index finger to the temple, while the left hand is loosely spread open and facing downwards. The movement of both hands is to be directed downwards as the fingers assume a claw-like position.‘Cow It’ roughly means ‘I don’t care for (something)’ or ‘slowpoke.’ To mean ‘cow’, hold the right little finger upwards, the thumb spread out sideways, while the other fingers remain closed. Fixate the thumb to your temple and move your hand so that the little finger oscillates between facing your front and up, making a small inclination with your head. Now, to direct ‘It’, close your palm and point with your index, forming a grimace on your face.
The American Sign Language (ASL) is an intricately designed and important tool for the hearing impaired and the hard-hearing individuals living in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
