Currently, my language instructor and I are studying material from the book “Learn Sign Language in a Hurry” by Irene Duke. Reba and I have covered the alphabet, question words, describing family relationships, expressing emotions, colors, and dressing /clothing. We will soon learn the associated signs for sports, numbers, and telling time.
So far, I have absolutely loved my classroom time with Reba. After each session, I feel as though I have learned a significant amount of information towards both the language and culture of ALS. I cannot wait to practice signing the words I learn each day, thus I find myself thinking about the signs I do know and putting them into practice when I say the English correspondent. I find this technique to be helpful as I am constantly practicing signs and I am also learning how to quickly recall said signs. I further develop my ASL skills through the use of Quizlet. I have made a study set of all of the words and signs I do know and I will use the flashcards generated to quiz myself on speed and accuracy of signing the associated word. Although I find this technique helpful for identifying signs I do not know, it can feel meaningless and tedious to only sign individual words and not complete sentences. I also find it more beneficial to sign sentences as it practices the usage of connecting one sign to another and really enhances one’s ability to communicate.
Although my ultimate goal of ASL is to be able to use the language in a medical setting, I must learn the fundamentals of the language first, thus much of the vocabulary I have been learning is not medical-related, but rather, general conversation. I do hope to start learning medical terminology soon, but I understand that learning a language is a process and that it is crucial I have a strong understanding of the language’s base components.
One aspect of the course I am struggling with is the usage of an interpreter. During my Wednesday meeting, an interpreter will accompany Reba to our classroom sessions. The purpose of Kay, the interpreter, is to increase communication between Reba and I so I can ask her complex and thoughtful questions about the deaf community and ASL as a language. I understand the importance of such things, and so far, I have had really personal and eye-opening conversations. However, Reba and I only meet twice a week and one of those meeting times is not allocated to language practice. Learning about a culture is just as important as learning about a language, but I worry I will grow tired of asking cultural questions in the upcoming weeks. Also, I do not have many times I can practice signing and receive feedback, thus it is crucial for me to be able to practice as much as possible with Reba. I hope to use Italki.com more in the future to further increase my language proficiency; however, I have trouble finding teachers who’s scheduled work with my own. I think my best solution to this issue would be to book a weekly meeting with a teacher during the weekend.
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