This course is a first year American Sign Language (ASL) course for those who would like a strong foundation in learning to communicate with American Sign Language. Students will learn and practice fingerspelling and identify and sign words used in everyday life, including the following: the special structure of sentences in ASL; asking questions, the role of expression (non manual markers) in communication; the foundations of ASL’s history; Deaf culture; words, phrases, and sentences; classifiers, mouth morphemes, and quantifiers; and identifying and signing words used in everyday life, with practice conversations.
This course is a first year American Sign Language (ASL) course for those who would like a strong foundation in learning to communicate with American Sign Language. Students will learn and practice fingerspelling and identify and sign words used in everyday life, including the following: the special structure of sentences in ASL; asking questions, the role of expression (non manual markers) in communication; the foundations of ASL’s history; Deaf culture; words, phrases, and sentences; classifiers, mouth morphemes, and quantifiers; and identifying and signing words used in everyday life, with practice conversations.
Class 1: Fingerspelling and Greetings
Class 2: The Family and Deaf History
Class 3: Around the House and Deaf Culture
Class 4: Numbers and Time
Class 5: Questions
Class 6: Building Vocabulary: Nouns
Class 7: Building Vocabulary: Verbs
Class 8: Conversations
Course Materials: Everything is provided free online, by the instructor.
Homework: Weekly practice of the signs and conversations covered in the course and watching online videos of signing (one to three hours), and occasional quizzes with the system and “live” in class.