I saw some people signing at the post office today.  They were quite animated in their interaction.  They looked like they were having a pretty damned interesting conversation.  I wish I knew what the hell they were talking about.  You know, if they taught everyone sign language beginning in elementary school, none of us would come home with hoarse voices after being at the bar all night (I hate music that's so loud you can't chat up the ladies without yelling.)  

I need to get my sign on.  Are there places you can learn sign without having to pay anything?                    

They're teaching sign language to my little boy in school.  I learned a bit from a friend who was deaf.  There are books too.  Signing INterpretors get paid big bucks in the court room.  Unfortunately the pay isn't too consistant.

Patty

Quoted: They're teaching sign language to my little boy in school.  I learned a bit from a friend who was deaf.  There are books too.  Signing INterpretors get paid big bucks in the court room.  Unfortunately the pay isn't too consistant. Patty

That's cool.  They should teach it.

It doesn't seem like it'd be that hard to learn.  I bet the average joe could have it down pat in 6 months.

I know how to say the following expressions in Sign Language:

"F you!"

"Stop riding my ass ya prick!"

"Nice turn jackass!"

"Go to hell you son of a bitch!"

"It's called a gas pedal you homo!"

The nice thing about sign language is that one signal can mean so many differnt things!

Not that kinda sign, ya road-rager!  

I took it for two semesters, then came the finger spelling.  My hands just couldn't keep up.

Quoted: I took it for two semesters, then came the finger spelling.  My hands just couldn't keep up.

I just don't want to pay for it.   My fingers and hands can hack it.   I've got excellent endurance.  I'm the envy of my two lesbian co-workers.  

You can learn the basics pretty fast. Being able to keep up with two deaf people you saw in the post office is another thing. You would have to use it every day to become really good at it.

One observation I've made. If you are a hearing person in a group of deaf people, you will feel like an outcast. They have their own community.

Quoted: You can learn the basics pretty fast. Being able to keep up with two deaf people you saw in the post office is another thing. You would have to use it every day to become really good at it. One observation I've made. If you are a hearing person in a group of deaf people, you will feel like an outcast. They have their own community.

I wonder how I could expose myself to that type of environment since I don't have any deaf friends.      

Do they have community deaf dances or whatnot that I could attend?   (Seriously)

Quoted: You can learn the basics pretty fast. Being able to keep up with two deaf people you saw in the post office is another thing. You would have to use it every day to become really good at it. One observation I've made. If you are a hearing person in a group of deaf people, you will feel like an outcast. They have their own community.

But fluent signers are often welcome members of that community, hearing or not.

I could imagine learning sign language.  The thing I can't imagine is reading braille.  I've tried running my fingers over braille and I can't tell one shape from another.

One of my classmates in college is blind and in a wheelchair.  She brings this thing around with a strange keyboard and an electronic braille pad.  Somehow she is able to input any kind of information with only about ten or fifteen buttons.  She usually hits several at the same time.  While the teacher is talking she is, I assume, accessing and writing notes.  I have no idea how it works, but it must work.  Looking at that thing baffles me.

I remember being at the EMP Museum grand opening concert in Seattle, and there was a lady on near the stage who was signing all of the lyrics.  Anyway, Kid Rock happened to be on stage and watching her sign out his lyrics...oh man, pretty funny.  Some lyrics dealt with genitals, the mouth, etc.

Quoted: Quoted: You can learn the basics pretty fast. Being able to keep up with two deaf people you saw in the post office is another thing. You would have to use it every day to become really good at it. One observation I've made. If you are a hearing person in a group of deaf people, you will feel like an outcast. They have their own community. I wonder how I could expose myself to that type of environment since I don't have any deaf friends.       Do they have community deaf dances or whatnot that I could attend?   (Seriously)

S_B:  First time that I have seen you post in awhile, so welcome back post-whore.  

With regard to ASL, I actually studied it for two-years in college.  Since I was a psychology major I was able to convince the department to allow me to take ASL to meet my foreign language requirement.  From the beginning, my instructor was a deaf woman who did would never speak in class so we were exposed to the actual application right away.

Armalite-Fan is correct that you can get the basics pretty fast.  Basic vocabulary and finger-spelling shouldn't be much of a problem.  There are ASL dictionaries and textbooks available at Amazon.com.  However, once you see two fluent signers in action unless you have serious exposure and practice in ASL parts will be a blur.

For me, one of the toughest areas of ASL was finger-spelling.  The concept itself is easy enough, each sign represents one letter and is often a rough representation of that letter.  The difficulty comes in practice where the native signer will finger-spell in a blur.  Much like reading the written word, fluent signers will recognize words by there shape.  

If you are serious about learning try finding some basic information from books and online resources, but then, you will need to take some courses in the language to develop your skills.

Armalite-Fan is also right about the deaf community.  I don't think that approaching in a social setting to find a tutor is the best idea.  I would look for online groups in your area or look for any groups that may be offered in you community.  Check with the post-secondary schools in your area if they have a Speech Pathology department for potential contacts.  Finally, if you happen to see an ASL interpreter at an event approach them with your questions.  Usually they are happy to talk with people about the topic.

SBG

This is a bit off topic but what the heck.  We used sign language with our oldest chile starting when he was about 7 or 8 months old.  Very cool seeing a baby signing.  He picked up the basics pretty fast: eat, drink and the most popular one of all: more.  Most kids don't have the physical ability to talk until they are well past one, so the sign language was a great way for him to tell us what he wanted.  Kept him from crying and screaming in frustration.   By the time he was two, he was doing 60+ signs.  He was making them up, and teaching them to us.  

There are a ton of American Sign Language sources on the web.  Here's one I have used: http://www.masterstech-home.com/ASLDict.html

Quoted: I wonder how I could expose myself to that type of environment since I don't have any deaf friends.       Do they have community deaf dances or whatnot that I could attend?   (Seriously)

You wouldn't be accepted.  (Adult) deaf people (from birth) are some of the most racists discriminatory people you'll ever meet.  Especially to folks who lost their hearing after birth.  Kind of like light-skinned blacks vs. dark-skinned blacks.

Oh, and there is nothing for free anymore but classes at a local community college are pretty inexpensive (+/- $60 plus the cost of the book).

This was like 20 years ago but when I was in real estate I had to use a TDD device to communicate with these 3 deaf sisters whose deceased father's condo I was trying to sell.  My opinion above is based on my experience with them.  There was almost a contempt for people who could hear.

I borrowed it from a United Way agency that dealt with the deaf.  I think they taught ASL for a small fee.  I almost took the ASL class because the deaf secretary I borrowed the TDD from was smokin' hot.