Welcome back to all of my devoted followers! I hope everyone had a spooky, socially-distanced, safe Halloween and are ready for the upcoming chilly turkey season! Reba and I have continued to learn American Sign Language using zoom, and things are going very smoothly. Reba has recently gotten much better about her usage of technology, from what source or how I am unsure. Regardless, I am extremely thankful as now I do not have any difficulty seeing her hands when she sings, she is in proper lighting, and the communication as a whole is much easier. Our lessons are going extremely well. For the past few sessions, we have been tackling the task of numbers. Although I understand the numbers 1-1,000,000,000, the usage of number signs differs when referring to numbers in different contexts. What I mean by this is that the sign for 10 minutes is different than just the sign for ten and sign for a minute. There is a slight alteration between the two signs and meanings and because the alteration is so subtle, it is often hard to remember and keep track of the proper sign usage. Other forms of time are also difficult including precise measurement of time, hours, minutes, months, days, weeks, and seconds. Additionally, numbers in the context of money are also difficult as the sign of money needs to be incorporated into such contexts. It is a bit discouraging to have difficulty with something that seems so simple in my own language but then is so difficult in another language. I understand that the languages are different, but numbers and math are usually considered universal and as such, it is frustrating to have problems learning about something that seems so “simple” but “essential” in a different language.
We do not have much time left in the semester, and as I look back to August, I think about all I have accomplished. My vocabulary has definitely expanded to include words that are much more sophisticated and my ability to read others when they sign has increased drastically. My signing is much better than before, as expected, but I still wish to become faster and more accurate with my signing skills. I feel confident enough in my abilities to be able to converse at a basic level of sign and offer my opinion in the simplest of terms across many subjects. I still would like to learn more medical terminology, but I have an additional semester with Reba and I still want to emphasize my understandings of the basics and foundation. It is crazy to think about how close to graduation I am as it feels like I just started university yesterday. It also makes me think about how will I continue my ASL journey in the future. Honestly, I don’t know. It will depend on where I am and what I am doing, but I would like to continue doing classes of some sort. That I know.
Comments
Hey Elijah, I love your enthusiasm in this post. I also hope that you had a safe Halloween. I think it is really cool that you are learning ASL, which I feel is a very valuable language to learn. I understand you when you say that learning numbers are difficult. In Korean, there are two sets of numbers, and depending on the context you use one over the other, so it can get confusing at times.
Hi Elijah! Thanks for talking about the complexity of counting in Indonesia. When learning new languages, I always have trouble remembering numbers beyond the basic 1-10. You're right that there are so many contexts to consider, and I can't imagine the added layer of complexity of communicating quantities through signs.
I'm glad that your language partner improved her technology- lighting and connection issues while trying to learn sign language over the internet sounds like an unnecessary challenge! Do you know why there is an alteration of the sign for 10 minutes, instead of explicitly signing '10' and 'minutes'? If it got more simple I would understand that, but it sounds more complicated and I wonder why it was made that way. It's definitely crazy that we're graduating so soon- I hope that you're able to find some way to incorporate ASL into your future!
Same Elijah, about feeling frustrated with things that seem easy in your native language but may seem more complex in another. For me, learning two number systems in Korean seemed strange and difficult since English only has one. Good luck on your ASL journey! It is quite a rare skill.