When you meet a deaf person, you need to introduce yourself in a way that they can understand. This article will tell you how to say your name in American Sign Language, which is used in the United States and Canada. There is no single international sign language - deaf people in different countries are interpreted differently. For example, you can find a list of resources dedicated to Russian Sign Language.
Steps
Introduce yourself in American Sign Language
- Another greeting option is to wave your hand slightly at head level.
-
Make the "my" gesture. Place your hand on your chest as if you are pledging allegiance. Lightly pat your chest a couple of times.
Make the "name" gesture. Make a fist with your hand, extend your index and middle fingers - in the American fingerprint alphabet this is how the letter U is shown. Turn them edgewise so that the index finger is on top. Using the fingers of your dominant hand, lightly tap the fingers of your other hand twice. The fingers of both hands should form an X in front of you at this moment.
Show your name using the fingerprint alphabet. Use the American fingerprint alphabet to spell out your name. Keep your hand in front of you in a stable position. Show letters at a steady pace: smoothness is more important than speed.
- If you want to show both your first and last name, leave a short pause between them.
- If your name has two identical letters in a row, open and close your hand again to repeat the letter. If the letter is not easy to repeat (for example, the M in Emma), instead move your hand slightly to the side to reveal the second of the same letters without changing the position of your fingers.
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Learn to show everything together. Practice showing the entire phrase in a smooth motion: “Hi, my name _____” (“Hello, my name is _____”). The words must appear in this order.
Use body language to convey emotions. Body language and facial expressions are extremely important when communicating in American Sign Language. Just making gestures without changing your facial expression or posture is the same as speaking in a monotone and without any emotion, and it will be much more difficult for people to carry on a conversation with you.
- When you show your name, try to appear friendly. Smile slightly, open your eyes a little wider. By the time you make the “my” gesture, you should tilt your head a little as a sign of understanding. Look at the person you are addressing.
-
Add your sign name (optional). Sign names, which will be discussed below, are usually not required when meeting people. If you are introducing yourself formally, you usually only need to show your name in fingerprint letters. If necessary, you will use the sign name later, in more informal communication. However, if you are being introduced informally, such as a close friend introducing you to their friends, you can introduce yourself as follows: "Hi, my name (sign name), (spell name), (sign name)."
Make the "hi" gesture. Palm open, fingers together. Raise your hand to your head, pointing your thumb toward your temple, and move it slightly to the side, as if in a salute.
Get a sign name in American Sign Language
- You may come up with a gesture that is too complex or a gesture that violates the rules of the language (you don't want to be called, for example, Zzkskbub?).
- You may accidentally choose a gesture that means a rude or obscene word.
- Someone in the community already has the same sign name.
- Your sign name may coincide with the sign name of a famous person (what will your new American acquaintances think if you introduce yourself to them as Martin Luther King?).
- And most importantly, in the culture of the deaf community it is considered unacceptable for a hearing person to come up with a sign name for themselves.
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Create a name from your initial. Let's say you don't know anyone in the deaf community, but you're just curious about what signed names are like. Here is one common way to create such a name. Form one hand into the shape of the fingerprint letter that begins your name. Tap it a couple of times on some point on the body - usually on the forehead, cheek, chin, shoulder or chest. Another option is to move your hand between two adjacent points or move it back and forth in the "neutral space" in front of the chest, a short distance from it.
Use a descriptive gesture. Sign names of this type are usually associated with some noticeable physical characteristic. For example, you can run your hand over a scar on your face or twirl your finger down from your neck to show off your long hair. Beginners often choose such names instead of arbitrary ones, as they seem more interesting. However, such a name is even more difficult to come up with on your own. Sign languages use a visual grammar that is limited by the position of the fingers, the position of the hands in space, and their movements. If you haven't taken an American Deaf Language class or spoken it for a long time, the name you come up with may not look like a word at all.
Consider a hybrid signed name. This is the third and final type of sign name: a gesture indicating a physical characteristic in which the fingers are placed together to form the first letter of your name. This type is very popular among the deaf community, although some believe that it is a modern invention coming from hearing people and does not follow the tradition of sign naming. It is possible that a person from the Deaf community will give you a hybrid name. However, if you want to come up with such a name yourself, your attempt may be regarded as even more rude and impolite than if it were a name of a different kind.
See how sign names change and multiply. If you study American Deaf Language and meet those who speak it fluently, you may notice that some people are called by several sign names instead of one. Typically, this occurs if a person receives signed names in several different communities. Over time, the sign name may change: the position of the fingers or the position of the hand in space changes to make the name easier to distinguish from a similar one, to make it faster to display, or to get rid of a reference to some feature that has become inconvenient or irrelevant to mention.
Start with the fingerprint alphabet. While you don't have a sign name, you can introduce yourself by spelling your usual name. To get started, learn the signs of the fingerprint alphabet using our website or videos on the Internet. It's easy to form your name from these signs: just show it letter by letter. Practice until you can do this at a normal pace, keeping your hand in front of you and without changing its position.
Find out what sign names are. A sign name is a word made up specifically for you. There are no special sign names in American Sign Language: there is no sign that means "Mary" or "Alexander", so each Mary or Alexander will have its own special sign name. Therefore, read about the meaning of sign names and the basis on which they are usually given.
If possible, have someone from the deaf community give you your sign name. When an adult, respected member of the community gives you a sign name, it means you have been accepted into the community. For a non-native speaker, this is a very important moment, and in many circles it comes only after many years of friendship. If this argument doesn't sound convincing enough to you, there are a number of reasons why you shouldn't invent a sign name yourself.
- Deaf children and youth love to make up sign names, but they often do it for fun rather than practicality. As a result, you may be called an unpleasant name or one that is difficult to show.
How a dictionary works and how to use it
A short sign dictionary will help you, dear reader, master the vocabulary of sign speech. This is a small dictionary with about 200 gestures. Why were these particular gestures selected? Such questions inevitably arise, especially when the volume of the dictionary is small. Our dictionary was created in this way. Since the dictionary is intended primarily for teachers of the deaf, teachers and educators from schools for the deaf participated in determining the composition of the dictionary. For several years, the author offered students of the Moscow State University of Philology, working in boarding schools for the deaf, a list of gestures - “candidates” for the dictionary. And he turned to them with a request: to leave on the list only the most necessary gestures for a teacher and educator, and cross out the rest. But you can add to the list if required. All gestures to which more than 50% of expert teachers objected were excluded from the initial list. Conversely, the dictionary included gestures suggested by experts if more than half of them thought it was appropriate.
The gestures included in the dictionary are mainly used in both Russian sign speech and calque sign speech. They are grouped by topic. Of course, the attribution of many gestures to one topic or another is largely arbitrary. The author here followed the tradition of compiling thematic dictionaries, and also sought to place in each group gestures that denote objects, actions, and signs, so that it would be more convenient to talk on a given topic. At the same time, gestures have continuous numbering. If you, the reader, need to remember, for example, how the gesture INTERFERE is performed, and you don’t know what thematic group it is in, you need to do this. At the end of the dictionary, all gestures (naturally, their verbal designations) are arranged in alphabetical order, and the ordinal index of the INTERFERE gesture will make it easy to find it in the dictionary.
The symbols in the pictures will help you more accurately understand and reproduce the structure of the gesture.
Wishing you success in learning the vocabulary of sign speech, the author expects from you, dear reader, suggestions for improving a short sign dictionary.
Legend
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
1. Hello 2. Goodbye
3. Thank you 4. Sorry (those)
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
5. Name 6. Profession
7. Specialty 8. Who
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
9. What 10. Where
11. When 12. Where
GREETINGS INTRODUCTION
13. Where 14. Why
15. Why 16. Whose
17. Man 18. Man
19. Woman 20. Child
21. Family 22. Father
23. Mother 24. Son
25. Daughter 26. Grandmother
27. Grandfather 28. Brother
29. Sister 30. Live
31. Work 32. Respect
33. Take care 34. Help
35. Interfere 36. Friendship
37. Young 38. Old
HOUSE APARTMENT
39. City 40. Village
41. Street 42. House
HOUSE APARTMENT
43. Apartment 44. Room
45. Window 46. Kitchen, cooking
HOUSE APARTMENT
47. Lavatory 48. Table
49. Chair 50. Wardrobe
HOUSE APARTMENT
51. Bed 52. TV
53. VCR 54. Do
HOUSE APARTMENT
55. Watch 56. Wash
57. Invite 58. Light
HOUSE APARTMENT
59. Cozy 60. New
61. Clean 62. Dirty
63. School 64. Class
65. Bedroom 66. Dining room
67. Director 68. Teacher
69. Educator 70. Teach
71. Study 72. Computer
73. Meeting 74. Deaf
75. Hearing Impaired 76. Dactylology
77. Sign language 78. Lead
79. Instruct 80. Execute
81. Praise 82. Scold
83. Punish 84. Check
85. Agree 86. Strict
87. Kind 88. Honest
89. Lesson 90. Headphones
91. Book 92. Notebook
93. Pencils 94. Telling
95.Speak 96.Hear
101. Know 102. Don’t know
103. Understand 104. Don’t understand
105. Repeat 106. Remember
107. Remember 108. Forget
109. Think 110. I can, I can
111. I can’t 112. Make a mistake
113. Good 114. Bad
115. Attentively 116. Correct
117. Ashamed 118. Angry, angry
119. Rude 120. Polite
121. Student
122. Diligent
ON A REST
123. Rest 124. Forest
125. River 126. Sea
ON A REST
127. Water 128. Sun
129. Moon 130. Rain
ON A REST
131. Snow 133. Day
132. Morning 134. Evening
ON A REST
135. Night 136. Summer
137. Autumn 138. Spring
ON A REST
139. Winter 140. Excursion, museum
141. Theater 142. Cinema
ON A REST
143. Stadium 144. Physical education
145. Competition 146. Participate
ON A REST
147. Win 148. Lose
149. Play 150. Walk
ON A REST
151. Dance 152. Want
153. Don't want 154. Love
ON A REST
155. Rejoice 156. Wait
157. Deceive 158. Cheerful
ON A REST
159. Agile 160. Strong
161. Weak 162. Easy
ON A REST
163. Difficult 164. Calm
165. White 166. Red
ON A REST
167. Black 168. Green
OUR COUNTRY
169. Homeland
170. State 171. Moscow
OUR COUNTRY
172. People 173. Revolution
174. Party 175. President
OUR COUNTRY
176. Struggle 177. Constitution
178. Elections, choose 179. Deputy
OUR COUNTRY
180. Chairman 181. Government
182. Translator 183. Glasnost
OUR COUNTRY
184. Democracy 185. War
186. World 187. Army
OUR COUNTRY
188. Disarmament
189. Treaty 190. Space
OUR COUNTRY
191. Protect 192. Politics
WHAT DO THESE GESTURES MEAN?
193, 194. Sign name (person's name in sign language)
195. Master of his craft 196. Master of his craft (option)
WHAT DO THESE GESTURES MEAN?
197. It doesn’t concern me 198. Make mistakes
199. Don’t catch me (at home, at work) 200. Amazing,
stunning
201. Same, identical 202. Calm down after
any disturbances
203. Exhausted 204. That's it
GESTURES OF SPOKEN SIGN LANGUAGE
205. Lose sight, forget 206. “Cats are scratching at the heart”
207. Don’t be afraid to say 208. Wait a little
something in the eyes
Index of gestures in alphabetical order
| army | do | ||
| grandmother | democracy | ||
| day | |||
| white | deputy | ||
| struggle | village | ||
| Brother | director | ||
| polite | Kind | ||
| agreement | |||
| right | rain | ||
| funny | house | ||
| spring | Goodbye | ||
| evening | daughter | ||
| video recorder | friendship | ||
| attentively | think | ||
| water | |||
| war | wait | ||
| teacher | woman | ||
| recall | sign language | ||
| elections, choose | live | ||
| fulfill | |||
| where is publicity deaf talk city state rude dirty walk dactylology grandpa | take care | ||
| forget | |||
| For what | |||
| protect | |||
| Hello | |||
| green | |||
| winter | |||
| angry, angry | |||
| know | |||
| play | |||
| excuse me (those) | |||
| Name |
| pencil | deceive | ||||
| apartment | window | ||||
| movie | autumn | ||||
| Class | rest | ||||
| book | father | ||||
| When | where | ||||
| room | make a mistake | ||||
| computer constitution space red bed who goes where kitchen, cook | |||||
| the consignment | |||||
| translator | |||||
| write | |||||
| Badly | |||||
| win | |||||
| repeat | |||||
| policy | |||||
| remember | |||||
| easily | to help | ||||
| forest | understand | ||||
| summer | entrust | ||||
| deft | Why | ||||
| moon | government | ||||
| be in love | chairman | ||||
| invite the president to check lose profession | |||||
| mother | |||||
| interfere | |||||
| world | |||||
| I can, I can | |||||
| young sea Moscow man wash | |||||
| work | |||||
| rejoice | |||||
| disarmament | |||||
| tell | |||||
| child revolution river draw Motherland scold | |||||
| punish | |||||
| people | |||||
| headphones | |||||
| dont know | |||||
| I can not | lead | ||||
| don't understand don't want a new night | |||||
| light | |||||
| family | |||||
| sister strong hearing impaired weak hear watch snow meeting agree sun competition bedroom thank you specialty calm stadium diligent old table dining room strict chair ashamed count son dance theater TV notebook difficult | restroom | ||||
| respect | |||||
| Street | |||||
| lesson | |||||
| morning | |||||
| participate | |||||
| teacher | |||||
| learn | |||||
| student | |||||
| study | |||||
| cosy | |||||
| physical education praise good to want | |||||
| whose man is black honest clean read that closet school excursion museum | |||||
Sign Language Interpreter Day was established in January 2003 on the initiative of the Central Board of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf. All-Russian public organization of disabled people “All-Russian Society of the Deaf” (VOG) is the largest and oldest public organization of people with hearing disabilities in Russia, formed back in 1926.
The purpose of Sign Language Interpreter Day is to draw public attention to the problems of the deaf. For comparison, if in Finland there are 300 sign language interpreters for every thousand deaf people, then in Russia there are only three. And over time, the number of sign language interpreters is only becoming smaller. At the same time, the work of a sign language interpreter is socially invaluable for the deaf community, because he is needed in court, police, tax inspectorate, for social protection, at a doctor's appointment and so on.
Typically, sign language interpreters are children of deaf parents who grew up in a “deaf” environment. You can get an education in this specialty at training centers in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
The language that sign language interpreters “speak” on screen or with their clients is sign language, and several million people around the world communicate in it. In some countries, it has long been officially recognized and is used to adapt news programs and various programs for people with hearing problems.
By the way, on October 24, the State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted in the first reading a bill raising the status of Russian sign language. Thanks to amendments to the laws “On Education” and “On Social Protection of Disabled People in the Russian Federation,” Russian sign language is now defined as the language of communication in the presence of hearing or speech impairments, including in the areas of oral use of the state language of the Russian Federation.
The special significance of this bill is that the official recognition of the status of the Russian sign language will make it possible to create the necessary conditions in educational institutions for the hearing impaired to receive education using sign language, to build a system of training and retraining of teachers on the basis of secondary and higher vocational educational institutions, according to the website VOGinfo.ru.
How to communicate with a person in the language of the deaf?
Sign language
First, one of the major misconceptions about sign languages is the idea that they depend on or are derived from verbal languages (audio and written) and that these languages were invented by hearing people. This is wrong. Secondly, fingerprinting of letters is often mistaken for sign languages - that is, when letters are “depicted” with hands.
The difference between dactylology and sign language, which is used by deaf people to communicate with each other, is that dactylology is used mainly to pronounce proper names, geographical names or specific terms, that is, each word is “showed” by letters by hand. At the same time, sign signs represent entire words, and in total there are more than 2000 gestures in the dictionary of the deaf. Showing some of them will not be difficult.
For example:
You can study sign language in more detail using the famous book G. L. Zaitseva“Sign speech. Dactylology".
It’s easier to get acquainted with the basics of dactylology - there is an established alphabet, and by spelling the word with signs, you can communicate with a deaf person. In Russian dactylology there are 33 dactyl signs, each of which corresponds to the outline of the corresponding letter.
Russian dactylic alphabet from the website deafnet.ru:
Note that a deaf or hard of hearing person will most likely understand what exactly you want to tell him without sign language, because for the most part they read lips very well.
There are many languages in the world, but sign language occupies a special place among them. In order to communicate with deaf and dumb people, the first sign language, called Amslen, was developed in the 18th century. Subsequently, closer to the 20th century, it had many branches and interpretations. In the middle of the 20th century, to standardize the language of the deaf and dumb, an international sign language was developed - Zhestuno, which is still relevant. It is mainly based on gestures that the speaker shows with his hands, with the help of facial expressions and through various turns of the body.
In our country, Zhestuno is not popular. If in European countries there are 300 sign language interpreters per hundred deaf-mute people, then we have only 3. In 2012, amendments were introduced to the bill “On Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities” regarding sign language. The language received official status, special educational institutions were created for the training and retraining of interested people, teachers, and people with disabilities. This had a positive effect on the percentage of people willing to learn Gestuno.
- Local deaf communities provide special free classes that anyone can sign up for. In a few months you will learn the basic aspects of Gestuno and, of course, try out the acquired knowledge in practice.
- Educational sites – institutes and colleges – often include the subject “sign language” in their programs. This applies to a greater extent to social and linguistic specialties. So if you are still a student or planning to become one, then you have the opportunity to get acquainted with this subject for free.
- In the event that you cannot find free courses, there are specialized paid classes at research institutes, methodological centers, and specialized schools for the deaf and mute.
Structure of teaching the language of the deaf and mute
Let's take a closer look at what these special courses are and what you will receive upon completion of the training.
Note that there are 3 levels of Gestuno mastery, which include the following skills:
- Level 1 is a basic course for beginners, which covers basic lexical norms and practices live communication.
- Level 2 is a course for those who are already familiar with the basics. It is designed for initial acquaintance with translation skills from Gestuno.
- Level 3 – includes the improvement of linguistic skills and in-depth training in simultaneous and consecutive interpretation.
Training at levels lasts 3 months and consists of 44–50 academic hours. At the end of the course you will receive a special certificate indicating your level. But do not equate this piece of paper with the certificate of a sign language interpreter. To obtain such a crust you will need to pass a special commission. You can try your hand at this after level 2.
How to learn a deaf-mute language yourself
In addition to the methods listed above, you can learn deaf-mute gestures yourself using the following resources:
- On the Internet you will find websites that will help you learn the language of the deaf. The most popular of them is the “City of Gestures”. You will also find a lot of useful information on social networks, in specialized groups on Zhestuno. In them you will work out both the theoretical part and the practical component with like-minded people.
- Since progress does not stand still, special applications have been created for mobile devices, which are alphabet books and textbooks on sign language. Download the program to your phone and study or review the information you need in your free time.
- Books are a universal option for gaining knowledge in this area. However, this method is only suitable for those who are patient and willing to put extra effort into learning. This is due to the fact that there will be no teacher nearby who can clearly explain everything to you, and, therefore, you will need more time to understand the material.
- Video lessons are a way to learn sign language, close to special courses, but with the caveat that no one will correct you if you make mistakes. The main advantage of videos is their variety and clear, visual explanation of the material.
Where to start learning sign language on your own
Before we figure out where to start, let’s note this feature:
Gesture is confused with letter fingering, that is, drawing individual letters with your hands. Dactylology differs from the gestures of the deaf and dumb in that it is used to say proper names: cities, names of people, geographical names, etc., or to say a word for which a special gesture has not yet been invented. So keep this in mind when you start studying.
So, having chosen one of the options for self-study, find information resources and choose those that will be understandable and interesting.
- To become fluent in sign language, you must first learn the alphabet. Once you feel confident in your fingerprint skills, move on to learning nonverbal sign language. Build your lesson plan based on the difficulty levels described above. So, gradually you will be able to learn the language perfectly.
Don't forget that the most effective and fastest way to learn a language is to communicate in it. So, even if you study alone, you still need to find someone to talk to. This way you can learn to express thoughts correctly and understand what a like-minded person is thinking about.
Learning Gestuno on your own is difficult, but after a while you will achieve visible results. The main thing is not to abandon learning and reinforce theoretical knowledge with practice. Sign language is no more difficult than a foreign language, so gain strength and patience and you will soon get the desired result.
How to communicate with a person in the language of the deaf?
Sign language
First, one of the major misconceptions about sign languages is the idea that they depend on or are derived from verbal languages (audio and written) and that these languages were invented by hearing people. This is wrong. Secondly, fingerprinting of letters is often mistaken for sign languages - that is, when letters are “depicted” with hands.
The difference between dactylology and sign language, which is used by deaf people to communicate with each other, is that dactylology is used mainly to pronounce proper names, geographical names or specific terms, that is, each word is “showed” by letters by hand. At the same time, gesture signs represent entire words and in total there are more than 2000 gestures in the dictionary of the deaf and dumb. Showing some of them will not be difficult.
For example:
You can study sign language in more detail using the famous book by G. L. Zaitseva “Sign speech. Dactylology".
It’s easier to get acquainted with the basics of dactylology - there is an established alphabet, and by spelling the word with gestures, you can communicate with a deaf person. In Russian dactylology there are 33 dactyl signs, each of which corresponds to the outline of the corresponding letter.
Russian dactylic alphabet from the website deafnet.ru:
Photo by: deafnet.ru Note that a deaf or hard of hearing person will most likely understand what exactly you want to tell him without sign language, because for the most part they read lips very well.
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