E-mail your questions, or help provide information for other questions posted here.
If you are looking for the sign for a particular English word, please check these links first:
Michigan State University ASL Browser
HandSpeak, the Deaf World Web ASL Dictionary OnLine
Randy Stine's Animated ASL Dictionary and Deaf Culture Links
When I have seen signing on TV or in movies, the words are in the same order as English. Why do you have such different word order?
ASL is not the only visual language in America. It is the language that has developed from Deaf people communicating with each other, and it is the only sign language that is truly a natural language. But there are several other sign languages in use. It is common for ASL signs to be presented in English word order, especially in educational settings, to bridge the jump from ASL to written English. This Manually Coded English also employs a number of variants of ASL signs that use handshapes with the first letter of the English word to convey the exact English word that is meant, and to a large extent, these words are becoming part of ASL, too. For instance, the ASL word for "box" can be signed with "R" handshapes to mean "room" and "O" handshapes to mean "office," even though the same sign could mean all of those in ASL. English songs are typically signed in English word order, too.
If you sign in English word order, most Deaf people will understand you. But there are limitations on how much you can say while trying to make a word-for-word translation of a foriegn language, as anyone who has seen the output from computer translation programs can understand. As long as people are dealing with you in a language that is not native to them, they will not be completely at ease communicating with you.
If I learn ASL, will I be able to communicate with Deaf people in other countries, too?
Sorry, ASL is just used in the US and Canada. It is derived from Old French Sign Language, so you may be able to make yourself understood in France, especially if you know some French (as the handshapes will reflect the spelling of French words, not English). The French sign language alphabet is almost, but not exactly, the same as ASL's. British and Australian sign languages and alphabets are entirely different from ASL, even though all of those countries speak English.
Even within the US and Canada there are significant regional variations in ASL. ASL has only been studied as a language since the 1960's, so there are still limitations on what is known about how it is structured and how it varies from region to region.
Where can I take a class in American Sign Language?
Many colleges now offer it, especially community colleges and the night school divisions of universities. Schools for the Deaf usually offer ASL classes for family members of students and other interested members of the community. Churches that serve the Deaf often offer classes in ASL, too. Check the Web often, and use a variety of search engines, as even AltaVista.com indexes less than half the sites out there.
Where can I study to become a professional interpreter?
The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf maintains a list of training programs at http://www.rid.org/itp.html
I have AOL. Why are the movies so tiny?
You got me. Try minimizing your AOL browser (little minus sign in the upper right hand corner) once you are logged on. Then launch Netscape or Internet Explorer to use the open modem connection with the more powerful browser.
Also, if you have a Windows computer, you may be displaying your movies in Windows Media Player, even though they are Quicktime movies. That format allows less room for the picture, so you might see if you can get Quicktime to be your default video program to see the full-sized picture.
©2000 Eileen K. Carpenter, MD