asl ref

sign language ref blog

[wyntercraft-deactivated20190812]

Hi, I’m Wynter, I’m Deaf and fluent in ASL (American Sign Language). I get a lot of people telling me they want to learn to sign, but not knowing exactly where to start. So, I am here to provide that!

Let’s start off with some basics, though. ASL does NOT follow English grammar (Signed Exact English/SEE does, but it is not ASL), it only uses English words and a lot of the communication with singing is done via facial expression and body language. Basically, it goes in the order of time > topic > comment. For example, “ I am going to pet dogs next week” would be “next week dogs me pet”, but there are quite a few variants and every person who signs will have a different way of doing this. Sort of how people who speak English in different parts of America have an accent and different ways to sign things. The most important thing to note about ASL is that *American* Sign Language is not universal. Most languages have their own form of SL and a lot of the word signs/alphabets are not at all the same. Another note, learning SEE may seem easier at first, but it can actually make the transition to ASL grammar that much more difficult. An example of differing signs is BSL (British Sign Language) vs ASL. 

This is the BSL finger alphabet:

And this is the American one:

So while there is a small bit of crossover, it is very, very different! Don’t get me wrong, a lot of times signers will understand each other at least a little bit, but it does need to be noted that signs can differ by language, country, region, and sometimes person. 

Now, onto what you came for…

Alphabet:

ASL Alphabet 

ASL ABC’S (NON-CC VIDEO)

The ASL Alphabet

Deaf Culture:

*Note: if you are going to be attending Deaf events, please make sure you familiarise yourself with our culture!

American Deaf Culture

What is Deaf Culture? 

The Importance of Deaf Culture 

Deaf Culture vs Hearing Culture (NON-CC VIDEO)

Finger spelling:

American Sign Language Finger Spelling 

Sign Word List for Finger Spelling 

Learn ASL: The Finger Spelling Alphabet for Beginners (CC VIDEO)

ASL Finger Spelling Word Printer (gives you the finger spelling equivalent to what you type)!

Finger Spelling Practice

Sign Language Translator

Grammar: 

ASL Grammar 

The Basic Structure 

Learn ASL Grammar (CC VIDEO)

Learn:

*Note: The best way to learn is through Deaf people/other signers!

Lifeprint 

SignLanguage101 

The ASL App 

100 First Signs (Lifeprint)

Misc:

A Day Through a Deaf Person’s Eyes (CC VIDEO)

Deaftube 

What Questions Annoy Deaf People? (CC VIDEO)

Things Not to Say to a Deaf Person (CC VIDEO)

Why I Don’t Sound Deaf (CC VIDEO)

13 Things my Hearing Friends Should Know (CC VIDEO)

National Association of the Deaf

If you want a safe place to learn sign language (including ASL), I have created a Discord called Sign Language Learners! Come join and learn with other learners, Deaf/HoH people, and those curious kids who just want to know how the Deaf communicate.

[thecaffeinebookwarrior-deactiva]

Resources For Writing Deaf, Mute, or Blind Characters

Despite the fact that I am not deaf, mute, or blind myself, one of the most common questions I receive is how to portray characters with these disabilities in fiction.

As such, I’ve compiled the resources I’ve accumulated (from real life deaf, mute, or blind people) into a handy masterlist.

Deaf Characters:

Deaf characters masterpost

Deaf dialogue thread

Dialogue with signing characters (also applies to mute characters.)

A deaf author’s advice on deaf characters

Dialogue between deaf characters

Mute Characters

Life as a Mute

My Silent Summer:  Life as a Mute

What It’s Like Being Mute

21 People Reveal What It’s Really Like To Be Mute

I am a 20 year old Mute, ask me anything at all!

Blind Characters:

The 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Blind Characters.

@referenceforwriters masterpost of resources for writing/playing blind characters.

The youtube channel of the wonderful Tommy Edison, a man blind from birth with great insight into the depiction of blind people and their lives.

An Absolute Write thread on the depiction of blind characters, with lots of different viewpoints and some great tips.

And finally, this short, handy masterpost of resources for writing blind characters.

Characters Who Are Blind in One Eye

4 Ways Life Looks Shockingly Different With One Eye

Learning to Live With One Eye

Adapting to the Loss of an Eye

Adapting to Eye Loss and Monocular Vision

Monocular Depth Perception

Deaf-Blind Characters

What Is It Like To Be Deafblind?

Going Deaf and Blind in a City of Noise and Lights

Deaf and Blind by 30

Sarita is Blind, Deaf, and Employed (video)

Born Deaf and Blind, This Eritrean American Graduated Harvard Law School (video)

A Day of a Deaf Blind Person

Lesser Known Things About Being Deafblind

How the Deaf-Blind Communicate

Early Interactions With Children Who Are Deaf-Blind

Raising a DeafBlind Baby

If you have any more resources to add, let me know!  I’ll be adding to this post as I find more resources.

I hope this helps, and happy writing!  <3

[thecaffeinebookwarrior-deactiva]

Updated with more resources, specifically for characters who are blind in one eye.

[learningonesignatatime]

Do you feel alright?

[learningonesignatatime]

I’ll be right back

[concerningwolves]

Writing Deaf Characters | Speech is Speech

Before I get going, I’m 75% deaf, as some of you know, semi-reliant on hearing aids and lip reading. My first languages were Makaton sign and then BSL. I now use spoken English.

There are a lot of issues I find with how deaf people are represented in books, when represented at all. I would love to see more deaf and hard of hearing characters in the books I read- without having to read books specifically about deaf/HoH people- but when I find them, they’re grossly undercharacterized or stereotyped. Authors write them in a way that sets signing language characters apart from speaking characters as if they are inferior, and this makes my blood boil.

Some technicalties

I’ll keep this brief.

You may have heard that “deaf” is a slur and you should use “hearing impaired”. Don’t. I’ve never met a deaf or hard of hearing person who believed that. Use deaf for people who are deaf, and Hard of Hearing (HoH) for people who lack hearing. These can be interchangeable depending on the person. This is why sensitivity readers are a useful part of the beta process.

Sign language is incredibly varied. It developes in the same way as spoken language. Fun fact: in BSL there are at least half a dozen ways to say bullshit, my favourite of which is laying your arms across one another with one hand making a bull’s head sign and the other hand going flat, like a cowpat. It’s beautifully crude, and the face makes the exclamation mark. Wonderful.

There are different sign languages. Knowing more than one would make a character multi or bi-lingual, even if they are non-speaking.

Makaton is basic sign language used by children, and it mirrors the very simple language used by toddlers.

Yes, we swear and talk shit about people around us in sign language sometimes, and no, it isn’t disrespectful to have signing characters do this. Just remember that we also say nice things, and random things, and talk about fandoms and TV shows and what we’re having for dinner, too.

Each signed language is different from another. ASL and BSL? Nothing alike. Just google the two different signs for horse.

Remember that sign language is a language, equal to the spoken word

Therefore, treat it as such. Use quotation speech marks and dialogue tags. You only need to explicitly state that this character uses signed language once, and then let your modifiers and description do the rest.  It isn’t a form of “sub-speech" or “making hand actions”- sign language is a language all on its own: it has its own grammar rules, syntactical structures, punctuation, patterns, idioms and colloquialisms. For example, “what is your name?” becomes “Your name what?” with the facial expression forming punctuation in the same way that spoken English uses alterations of prosodic tone (inflections). There is even pidgin sign; a language phenomenon usually associated with spoken language.

In the same way that you would describe a spoken-English character’s tone of voice, you would describe a signed-English speaker’s facial expressions and the way that they sign- keeping in mind that these things are our language’s equivalent of verbal inflection.

So please, none of that use of “special speech marks” or italicised speech for sign. If your viewpoint character doesn’t understand signed speech, then you take the same approach that would be used for any other language they don’t understand, like French or Thai. E.g “He said something in rapid sign language, face wrinkling in obvious disgust.” is a good way of conveying this. The proof that you’ve done this well is in whether or not you can switch “sign language” for French or something else, and it would read the same.

Don’t be afraid to describe how things are said, either. Sign language is such a beautiful and expressive way of talking, and to see a writer do it justice would be truly fabulous. Putting this into practise:

“Oh, I love maths!” She said, fingers sharp and wide with sarcasm. She raised her eyebrows.

“I’m sorry.” He replied and made his face small, but could not keep the grin forming. She was starting to laugh, too.

This is part one of two, for the sake of readability and keeping the information simple as I can. Part two- writing the deaf characters themselves- is coming up over the weekend. See you then and best luck with your writing until that point :D

This is part of my weekly advice theme. Each week I look at what you’ve asked me to help with, and write a post or series of posts for it. Next week: settings and character development (including heroes, anti-heroes, villains, and every other kind of character).

[naamahdarling]

Thank you, this is wonderful and helpful.

[deafaq]

Some great thoughts on writing deaf characters talking!

[alylx]

[zeeewa-deactivated20150627]

deaf iranian girl who wears rather large, beautiful rings to punch the people who disrespect her

[theatramentous]

@triavil

[nonbinary-support]

a story abt representation.

i am a deaf iranian muslim womxn and i have NEVER seen art that is even CLOSE to resembling me.

today, my pal tagged me in this photo, and i fucking cried. i have NEVER seen art even close to my identity and so seeing art that describes me to a T made me cry so hard.

this is why we need representation of different identities. so people like me know we arent alone

-mod tabby

[learningonesignatatime]

I have run out of medicine.

[learningonesignatatime]

Lunch

[learningonesignatatime]

Knife

[learningonesignatatime]

Fork

[micdotcom]

This is what it’s like to experience music when you’re hard of hearing

Many deaf and hard-of-hearing people enjoy music just as much as hearing people. Oftentimes it’s through the unique ASL skills of someone like Amber Galloway Gallego (above). Though getting interpreters at venues can be an uphill battle, Gallego offers an all too valuable service for people who have been marginalized. But ASL is only one part of how people who are hard of hearing take in music.

[deaf-studies]

AMBER is such an inspiring human.

[leepacey]

The 2011 Korean film “Silenced” is based on actual events that took place at Gwangju Inhwa School for the hearing-impaired, where deaf children were the victims of repeated physical and sexual assaults by faculty members over a period of five years in the early 2000s.

A newly appointed teacher at the school alerted human rights groups in 2005, and was subsequently fired from his job. This teacher was the first to come forward about the abuse he’d witnessed, as the school specifically sought out poorer teachers who would be completely dependent on the school for their financial security and therefore less likely to turn against the administration. 

Nine children eventually came forward, but more victims were believed to have concealed additional crimes in fear of repercussions or because of trauma. Children who were orphans or who had disabled parents were targeted specifically, and children who tried to come forward were sent back to school and disciplined by the faculty.

During the trial, the perpetrators received support from the local community, especially from the police and churches in the community. Of the six perpetrators, four received prison sentences, while the other two were freed immediately because the statute of limitations for their crimes had expired. Among those jailed, two were released after less than a year in jail. Four of the six teachers were reinstated in the school.

The film sparked public outrage after its 2011 release, which eventually resulted in a reopening of investigations into the incidents. The school was shut down, and several of the teachers pleaded guilty to sexual molestation charges, including the former principal, who was sentenced to twelve years in prison. The demand for legislative reform eventually reached its way to the National Assembly of South Korea, where a bill (named after the film) was unanimously passed in October 2011 to abolish the statute of limitations for all sex crimes against minors and the disabled.

The film’s ending scene is a protest that occurred following the suicide of a thirteen-year-old victim after the trial in 2005. As the crowd of human rights advocates and deaf people face brutality from the riot police, the fired teacher who initially came forward (who, along with a human rights activist, helped the victims through the trial process) repeats the name of the victim who’d committed suicide, saying “he cannot hear or speak.”

[netflix-and-stu-dying]

time line:history of the deaf community

1000 BC -Hebrew law provides that the Deaf have limited rights to property and marriage.

355 BC-Aristotle says “Those who are born deaf all become senseless and incapable of reason.”

360 BC-Socrates mentions the use of signs by the deaf Plato’s Cratylus. Socrates discusses innate intelligence, and claims that Deaf people are incapable of language and ideas.

77 AD-Pliny the Elder publishes his Natural History. He mentions Quintus Pedius, the son of a Roman Consul. Quintus was a very talented artist who happened to be Deaf. In order to be an artist, he had to first receive permission from Caesar Augustus.  

354-430 AD-St Augustine believed that faith comes by hearing and that deafness is a hindrance to faith. However, he believed that Deaf people can learn and thus are able to receive faith and salvation. Augustine refers to bodily movements, signs, and gestures, and believed that these modes were capable of transmitting thought and belief. He implies that it is equal to spoken language.

1521-Rudolf Agricola, a Dutch humanist, believed that the Deaf could communicate via writing. He advocated the theory that the ability of speech was seperate from the ability of thought.

1501-1576-Girolamo Cardano was the first physician to recognize the ability of the Deaf to reason and the first to challenge Aristotle’s belief that hearing was a requirement for understanding.

1591-Alberti, a German physician, published the first book of any kind specifically regarding deafness: Discourse on Deafness and Speechlessness. He stated that hearing and speech were separate functions. Alberti believed that Deaf people were rational, capable of thought, even though they lacked speech. He showed that the Deaf can read lips, understand speech, and read, without the ability to hear.

1614-1684-John Bulwer was a British physician who studied gestures and published Philocopus, also known as the Deaf and Dumbe Man’s Friend in 1648 and Chirologia, also known as the Naturall Language of the Hand in 1644. These were the first English books on deaf education and language.

1620-Earliest records of Deaf Education occurs in Spain. Melchor de Yebra and Juan Pablo de Bonet are prominent during this era. De Yebra was familiar with the hand alphabet used by monks sworn to vows of silence. He published those handshapes and publicized its use for religious purposes among deaf people to promote understanding of spiritual matters. Bonet supported oralism but used fingerspelling to teach speech and literacy. He used this methodology so the deaf could be integrated with hearing society.

1680-George Dalgarno, a Scottish Tutor, taught students to lipread, speak, and fingerspell. He published conclusions about the education of the deaf in Didascalocophus, also known as the Deaf and Dumb Man’s Tutor which supported the use of fingerspelling and gestures in the education of Deaf people.

1755-Samuel Heinicke establishes the first oral school for the deaf in Germany.  

1760-Abbe Charles Michel de l'Epee (1712-1789) establishes the Royal Institution of Deaf and Mutes in Paris. L'Epee supported the school at his own expense until his death. After his death, the government began to support the school. His successor was the Abbe Roch Concurrou (Curcurran) Sicard (1742-1822). It was Sicard who brought Laurent Clerc and Jean Massieu to London where they met Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet.

1760-Thomas Braidwood founded the first British Academy for the deaf.

1776-Abbe de l’Eppee publishes “Instruction of deaf and dumb by means of methodical signs.

1812-Braidwood School is founded in the United States by John Braidwood.

1817 -American School for the Deaf is founded by Mason Cogswell, Thomas H. Gallaudet, and Laurent Clerc.

1818-The New York Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb is founded.

1831-Dr. Samuel Howe is the first director for the first school for the blind in the United States which later became known as the Perkins School for the Blind.

1846-American Annals of the Deaf begins publication in Hartford at American School for the Deaf.

1856-Amos Kendall donates 2 acres of land and a house to found a school for the deaf, dumb, and the blind.

1865-The Empire State Association of the Deaf is formed. It is the first state association of the Deaf.

1873-George Wallis publishes his book; “Language of Touch – a narrative illustrating the instruction of the Blind and Deaf Mute” based on a deaf blind woman called Mary Bradley.

1875-The Deaf Mutes’ Journal is established. It continues operation as a popular newspaper of the Deaf until 1951. DMJ is renamed the New York Journal in the 1930s.

1876-Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone. He also uses his influence to implement the practice of oralism, thus restricting communication for deaf people.

1880-The National Association of the Deaf is established in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1880-International Congress of Educators of the Deaf meets for the Milan Conference. James Denison is the only deaf person there out of 16 attendees. The conference overwhelmingly supports oralism.  

1883-Bell reads Memoir upon the Formation of a Deaf Variety of the Human Race at the American Academy of Sciences in New Haven, CT and to the Conference of Principals of American Schools for the Deaf in 1884. Bell is concerned about intermarriage amongst the deaf and states that they shouldn’t marry because this would isolate the deaf from hearing society and encourage births of deaf children. This sparked debate for prohibition of marriage amongst the deaf.

1886-William Dummy Hoy begins his 15 year career in professional baseball. He is widely attributed to for developing the hand count for umpires in baseball.

1887-Alexander G. Bell establishes the Volta Bureau.  

1890-British Deaf Association is founded.

1893-Agatha Tiegel Hanson is the first woman to graduate with a four year degree, a Bachelor of Arts.

1894-The National Deaf Mute College was renamed to Gallaudet College in honor of Thomas H. Gallaudet.

1901-The first electric hearing aid (radio aid) is developed.

1912-Juliette Gordon Low, a late deafened woman founded the Girl Scouts of America in Savannah, Georgia.

1914-Edwin Nies is the first deaf person to earn a Doctor of Dental Sciences. He earns the degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

1921-Earl C. Hanson patents the first vacuum-tube hearing aid.

1924-The International Committee of Silent Sports (CISS) iss founded on August 16 by E. Rubens Alcais of France and Antoine Dresse of Belgium following the first International Games for the Deaf which were held in Pershing Stadium in Paris.

1928-Nellie Zabel Willhite, believed to be the first deaf pilot in the world, soloed.

1945-The American Athletic Association of the Deaf is established in Akron, Ohio.

1950-Behind the ear hearing aid becomes available.

1954-Andrew Foster is the first African American graduate of Gallaudet College. He went on to found 31 schools and 2 centers for the Deaf in Africa.

1960-Stokoe publishes his findings about sign language as a legit language. His publication did not attract much attention until it is republished in 1965 with Casterline and Croneberg as Dictionary of ASL on Linguistic Principles.

1960-The Junior National Association of the Deaf is established for deaf youths.

1964-Robert Weitbrecht, a deaf inventor, invents the acoustic coupler which is similar to the American textphone. The coupler allows people to use typewriters to send messages over the telephone.

1965-The establishment of a National Technical Institute for the Deaf. NTID, a federally funded institution located on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology, is the first technological college for deaf students in the world.

1976-The first Deaf women’s conference is held in Washington, DC at Gallaudet College.

1977-The Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf is established. The Alliance is for Deaf Gays and Lesbians.

1979-The American Association of Deaf and Blind, Inc forms.

1984-The Cochlear implant pioneers.

1988-On March 7, Deaf President Now! protestors barricaded the school. The protestors sought to overturn a March 6 decision of the Board of Trustees to appoint Elisabeth Ann Zinser as president of Gallaudet University. The protestors demanded a Deaf president, the resignation of Jane B. Spilman as chair of the Board of Trustees, a majority of Deaf people on the Board, and no reprisals against students who participated in the protest. The protest included a march to the Capitol. On March 10, Zinser resigned and Spilman’s resignation followed on the 13th. Phil Bravin took over as chair of the Board and I. King Jordan was appointed the president of Gallaudet.

1997-The World Federation for the Deaf and Blind is founded.

2003-The British Government recognizes British Sign Language as a bona-fide language

i’m doing a project that includes deaf history so i thought…hey why not post about it?

i hope you enjoy it and reblog!!happy easter!

credit to http://ead.ee/foreign_deaf_history

[learningonesignatatime]

Siblings

[prettydudesweb]

“Obviously this date isn’t going anywhere.”

“The First Straw” Episode 1x06

[signinggifs]

{Image description: Set of gifs from “The First Straw” of a dialogue between two men. One of them is sitting in a booth in a black leather jacket as his date presumably went to the restroom, and is talking with the other person in a blue button-down with a yellow bow tie. 1 (spoken): “Wait, I don’t drink but thank you” 2 (signed): “I’m Deaf.” 1: (signs): “I don’t drink, but thank you.” 2: “Maybe you should start drinking.” 1: “He brought notecards.” 2: “I saw. Name’s Chance” 1: “Zero” 2: “Tonight isn’t a full waste.” 1: “What do you mean?” 2: “You met me.”]

[learningonesignatatime]

Can you read lips?