Heya!
This will be my last blog post regarding this group that me and other teachers have taught in the past 9 weeks. To be honest with everyone, I believe that only 5 missionaries out of 15 will not be fluent in sign language after their mission. It's sad to think about that, but I seriously hope that they'll prove me wrong. The reason why I believe that is because their first 9 weeks, they have shown a little motivation in learning the language and are not very acceptable of critiques from teachers. To become fluent and sign LIKE a native ASL signer, one must love the language and seek improvement everyday.
I have included two videos to help you recognize the difference between two group of signers. The first one shows a non-native signer signing a song. The second one is from Dack Virnig who's a talented ASL storyteller from Fremont, California.
You can see that he's signing, but to me, he's not clear and shows that he's not native. I can tell his love for ASL and that he'll be amazing in the near future. Now, here's Dack's story. He has many stories on his YouTube channel and you can check it out here.
I know you all can recognize the HUGE differences between those two videos. We all want our students to be able to sign like Dack Virnig and many other ASL storytellers someday. Native ASL signers have the conceptual approach in their head and it comes natively when they express their language. Non-native signers have to think of the conceptual approach they're going to make before signing. There are many ways to learn ASL, but my belief is the immersion method and being able to express yourself. What good is the language if you're not able to express yourself in that language? We all should strive to achieve that if we're learning another language, such as ASL.
It was great writing this blog and sharing my insights with everyone! I know a lot of you teach ASL, interpret and all that who have received formal training in the language and I respect all of you for what you do. I have not taken any classes regarding to ASL except one class at BYU, ASL 301 - Deaf Culture. I feel that if I have the desire to learn more about ASL, I'll be able to appreciate my own language much more.
Thanks everyone! So long!
Austin
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I liked that Dack Virnig video. I've never seen him before.
ReplyDeleteI hope your missionaries all become fluent after their missions. But missions do not guarantee you'll be fluent in a language. Good luck to all of them.
And you better keep up on your other blog now that this one is done.
Thanks for showing the comparison between those 2 people! You can tell that Dack is so passionate about what he is saying and about his story.
ReplyDeleteThanks Austin!
Austin, I have enjoyed the posts so much! In defense of Stephen Torrence though- I love that guy. He mainly interprets songs which is really different than story telling. I've watched countless hours on Youtube for my kids' music video project and he's one of the best in that genre. Party in the USA is a dumb song and doesn't make much sense in English as it is lol. I am going to have to watch more Dack, that guy is pretty cool. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen looking for an online American Sign Language learning program, you need one that will suit your needs. You need an online American Sign Language program that will be conducive to your learning style. Some of the main features to look for in an American Sign Language Program online include, grammar presented in a video format for ease of understanding, themed lessons with limited vocabulary learned in lesson. After learning the vocabulary in each lesson, you need retention exercises that will help solidify your new knowledge by offering practice. Additionally, with online American Sign Language programs, you need one that will offer fingerspelling practice. For the most part, fingerspelling in American Sign Language is the toughest aspect of the language to grasp. It takes an extensive amount of practice to be skilled in fingerspelling. The more you practice, the better you will become.
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