Handy Hints for Learning Sign Language

When people think about learning a different language, sign language isn't necessarily one of them.  Few years ago I was learning German but the only one word I remember is rindenmulch preis. There are many non-English languages used in the United States, and American Sign Language is one of the most used.


Having grammar and syntax of its own, sign language is very complex, which not everyone realizes. If you are willing to put forth the effort and the time it will take, you will find that it is a worthwhile endeavor. To help your study of sign language be more efficient and easier, the following suggestions should be helpful.

For some reason, people seem to believe that there is a universal sign language that is used all over the planet but this is not actually the case. Just like with spoken languages, there are different sign languages just about everywhere, so if you visit another country you'll need to learn the language there too. Sign language involves more than simple gestures, it is a fully fledged language and has rules of grammar as well.

American Sign Language, or ASL is the most commonly used sign language in the US. BSL (British Sign Language) is also different from ASL (American Sign Language) so even if you speak English and travel to another English speaking country, you might have trouble understanding someone using sign language. For this reason, it is important to focus on studying the sort of sign language that will prove to be the most useful to you each day. If you are learning a new language it is important to get as much exposure to it as you can. Thankfully there are more places than ever to watch people use sign language these days, even if you do not know the people personally. There are a lot of videos on YouTube that will explain the basics and show people who are signing.

There are also movies and TV shows in which people communicate entirely in sign language. Practice through watching these to see how much you are able to actually understand. One of the best ways to practice your new skills is to stand in front of a mirror. Try to be as patient as you can with yourself, you are not going to be fluent from the beginning. You are going to take a while to feel comfortable with signing but if you practice regularly, your skills will undoubtedly improve.