Learning sign language can be a rewarding and enriching experience. It can open up new opportunities for communication and understanding, whether it's with friends, family, or members of the deaf community. In this article, we will discuss the basics of sign language, including how to start learning and resources for further study. We will also explore the different types of sign language and start with some simple signs for beginners to get started on their journey to fluency.
What is sign language?
Whether you’ve heard of sign language or not, it’s an important part of modern communication and something we should all be aware of. But you might still have a few questions. What is it? What do we use it for? Or maybe even: how do I learn it? Not to worry, in this article, we’ll be exploring all those questions together, and you will have a good understanding of sign language by the end.
Sign language has existed for a very long time, with the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates saying as far back as the 5th century BCE, "If we hadn't a voice or a tongue, and wanted to express things to one another, wouldn't we try to make signs by moving our hands, head, and the rest of our body,”.
He puts it quite well, for sign language is essentially the use of one’s hands to represent words and is used primarily by communities who don’t have the ability to speak verbally. Even outside those communities, we all find ourselves in situations where our words can't make it to our audience. Divers for example are known to use hand signs to communicate with each other underwater where the travel of sound is impaired. Friends and loved ones of deaf or dumb people often find themselves learning sign language as well and rarely regret it as it opens up a whole new world of communication for them.
How long does it take to learn sign language?
Despite all the benefits of learning, it’s not unusual to have our doubts. One of the most common is to do with commitment, since learning new languages is known to be quite a difficult endeavour, especially for those who aren’t already bilingual. However, you might be surprised to find out, that while it takes on average a year of studying to speak English with relative fluency, or a comparable language, sign language (BSL or ASL) can be learnt in about half the time.
It’s difficult to put an exact number on how long it takes, because of course, this varies greatly from person to person. Some people for example have all day to learn and the eagerness to match, while others might be too busy with work or other activities to find much time to learn a new mode of communication. Regardless, most courses which are readily available to everyone aiming to get their users confident in sign language over the course of one academic year. The good news doesn’t end there either, since ASL and BSL correspond to English if you already speak English, then learning how to fingerspell is enough to get you communicating with sign language users and the alphabet can be learned in as little as a day for those with a good memory; with the added nuances of context and conversation, you can expect to be using fingerspelling conversationally in a few months with enough dedication.
While the fastest and most comprehensive way of learning sign language might be to attend a sign language course, it is most certainly not the only method. Some learners might prefer to study by watching online videos of which there are plenty, including full courses with numbered videos and playlists so you can keep track of where you are in your journey. If you’re a learner with a few funds to spare and a reason/drive to learn quickly, it might be a good idea to hire a personal tutor to teach you to sign language. A tutor will be able to provide personalised lessons and have a uniquely accurate understanding of the learner hiring them, meaning that the education is tailored and effective.
Tuition can be used independently or alongside a sign language course and the combination of the two is likely to be the quickest way to learn. It’s impossible to talk about learning methods in the modern day without mentioning mobile apps; there are plenty of them and they offer an easy and accessible way to learn a multitude of skills, including sign language from the comfort of one’s home, or even on the move or out and about. Apps also place the onus to learn on the user, but also place the learning schedule back into their hands. So if you think that you might need a flexible and easily accessible method that you can follow at your own pace, then apps might be the way to go.
Apps to learn sign language
Simply typing “sign language” into the app store on either IOS or Android is enough to display several applications aimed towards teaching sign language. On Android, the first five results (for ASL) are as follows:
- Sign Language ASL Pocket Sign (by MobiReactor)
- The ASL App (by Ink & Salt LLC)
- ASL American Sign Language (by 10mB)
- ASL Bloom - Sign Language (by SignLab)
- Ace ASL: Learn Fingerspelling (by SignAll Technologies Inc)
On IOS:
- ASL Sign Language Pocket Sign (by Trent Ewald)
- ASL American Sign Language (by Saeed Bashir)
- Lingvano: Sign Language - ASL (by Fischer Matthias)
- ASL Dictionary Sign Language (SoftwareStudios LLC)
- ASL Bloom - Sign Language (SignLab AS)
Being an Android user, I downloaded and tried out the first three apps from the Android list and gave them a try for an hour. Having used language learning apps from several different creators before, such as Duolingo and language transfer, I can comfortably say that there are distinct similarities and differences between these apps, respective to each other and the big names in the language app scene. Most noteworthy of these differences is the video lessons offered by the sign language apps; this feature adds a human element to the learning process and makes you feel more like you are on the receiving end of real tuition. As a result, it’s quite easy to keep going and continue learning compared to apps which lack this feature.
Out of the apps I tried, I ended up agreeing with the Android userbase, favouring the highest-rated app (Sign Language ASL Pocket Sign). I found it very easy to jump straight into the learning process and pick up new words in ASL. From my first lesson, I was able to understand a few basic sentences and the app provided useful tips along with each question which was helpful for building connections in my mind between the signs I was seeing and their meaning. In the sign for “soup” for example, the signer makes a bowl shape with one hand and a spooning motion with the other, the app didn’t hesitate to explain what each shape and motion in the gesture represented. While “Sign Language ASL Pocket Sign” was my favourite of the three I tried, I think it was largely down to personal preference and I would actually recommend “The ASL App”, to anyone looking for a more traditional learning experience that begins right at the fundamentals instead of dropping you in at the deep end. It was also quite nifty for anyone learning on the go with limited mobile data, as it gives you the option of downloading only the lessons you need ahead of time. Of course, everyone is different; so experiment with the different options and figure out what works best for you as a learner.
Different types of sign language
There are two main distinctions in types of sign language. Some sign languages match up with the regional language, SE (Signed English) for example signs every word in a sentence, translating literally from English to signs, whereas in ASL, concepts are distinct and have their own signs, making it more of its own language than a simple translation. Some sign languages take this to the extreme and are completely separate from the local languages having their own unique words and concepts to represent the world.
Thus far, we’ve looked at mainly options for English speakers and only a singular type of sign language (ASL). You might be surprised to find out that there are well over a hundred different sign languages since it’s actually a common misconception that sign language is universal, rather, most distinct languages have their own accompanying sign languages. A few examples include FSL (French Sign Language), CSL/ZGS (Chinese Sign Language or Zhōngguó Shǒuyǔ) and some which are loosely or unrelated to their local languages such as Libras (Brazilian Sign Language), which are distinct enough from other languages spoken in Brazil that it is sometimes classified as a “Language Isolate”.
It’s no surprise therefore that there isn’t a universal sign language, and there is in fact great enough diversity that an American signer might not understand a British signer. There is however an intermediary sign system called IS (International Sign) which isn’t a full language, but rather an auxiliary system used to fill the gaps or differences between different sign languages, both regionally and internationally.
It is also worth noting that while sign language is different everywhere, it does have one distinct advantage over spoken language, which is the visual element. Since sign language is derived from visual representations or “mimes” of real-world actions or objects, many spoken nouns find themselves represented by similar gestures and shapes across cultures; whether you’re from France or India, a bowl is still a bowl and a tree is still a tree after all. If we look at it this way, sign language can break down cultural barriers and remind us that we’re all human, whether we look a certain way or whether or not we can speak.
Simple sign language for beginners
It’s time to consolidate everything we’ve learned with a simple guide on how to get started on your sign language along with some basics to show just how easy it is to make a start.
- Think about your means… How much time do you have to learn each day? Do you want to invest money into your learning journey? What environment do you want to learn in?
- Choose a method that best suits you… Think about the methods we’ve seen so far. Will a full academic course, private tuition, self-tuition or using a mobile app etc. be best for you?
- Immerse yourself… Regardless of which method you choose, spend some time every day learning something new in sign language and building a habit. If you can make a habit out of your learning, you’ll see progress in no time!
- Level up your learning… If you’re keen, it could be a great idea to join a club, visit a deaf café, or even just conversate with sign language users once in a while to add some real-world stimulus to your learning.
- Keep it up… As with all learning, the key to success isn’t natural talent or dumb luck, it’s persistence and commitment. Once you’ve followed all the steps make sure to be diligent since discipline will get you much further than motivation.
With that said, we’ll end off with some basics and a vital phrase that you can try for yourself (video for reference):
Greetings, Introducing Yourself and Small Talk in American Sign Language
[Hello]
This is the sign for Hello in ASL, very much like a salute, the hand is brought to the temple and an open palm is displayed in line with the face.
[Goodbye]
In goodbye, we see a more traditional wave goodbye, the hand is brought to eye level and the fingers are folded to the base of the palm twice.
After we greet someone for the first time, it's nice to introduce ourselves, saying “My name is ____” in sign language is fortunately very straightforward!
[My]
My is simply said by placing our open hand on our chest.
[Name]
To say name, we hold out our middle and index fingers together with one hand and strike them twice with the index and middle fingers of our other hand.
In ASL we don’t actually need to sign “is” so we can go straight to signing our name by fingerspelling it.
[ASL Fingerspelling Chart or Diagram]
Try it yourself, make the shapes corresponding to the letters in your name in order, but be careful as there are some special rules for double letters. To sign a double letter, you make its shape and then move your hand horizontally across in a motion called a “slide”. There’s also an exception for Z which is signed by making the motion with two fingers instead of one.
If you gave that a try and found it easy, good news! You’ve taken your first step towards learning sign language. Good luck if you decide to keep going but nevertheless, I hope you’ve left with a better understanding of sign language.
Read more about the sign language jobs or other related content in additional articles here on the Superprof blog.
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