American Sign Language
American Sign Language (ASL) is the chosen language, or mode of communication, of American Deaf People. Technology has made learning “ASL” easier, over the past decade, however nothing can replace learning ASL from native users, doing life together with them.
English sentence structure has infiltrated ASL and caused its visual comprehension to diminish. This blurring of the visually understood grammar and syntax of ASL is called a sign system, not a sign language. Using ASL signs to sign English words and sentences, is not American Sign Language. The two are vastly different in grammar and syntax.
American Sign Language (ASL) resources seem to abound with technologies’ advances. However, the best way to learn any language is to do so, daily, from those who are native language users…immersion. In the US, there is no place currently to experience a full ASL-Immersion experience (no English influence) since the written-read English has so infiltrated it.
Deaf children who learn ASL as their first language, from those who are fluent in ASL themselves, are most often considered native ASL users. Deaf children born to Deaf parents, tend to be the most native-like in their signed language. These babies are exposed from day-1 to ASL-fluent users. Less than 5% of Deaf children are born to Deaf parents, however. English influences have muddled the purely visual aspects of ASL which diminishes the comprehension gained through a visually understood language.
The resources shared here are not exhaustive, not endorsed and their level of being visually understood will vary, depending on the amount of English integrated.
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