What I Learned In Asl Class

ASL is an intriguing language that everyone should learn. ASL is a mixture of English but it is different at the same time. The signs are graceful and yet sometimes harsh. Visuals are important and so are signing correctly. I joined ASL class because I was curious. The class was interesting and I learned many things.
I had learned many things taking this class. I learned that some signs are similar and can be easily confuse for different meaning if sign incorrectly. For example, three signs I learned in class that are similar are TASTE, TYPE, and FAVORITE. I also learned that facial expressions are important because they help differentiate between asking a question or a yes/no answer. I learned that deaf people sign very quickly and communicating is a bit hard but it is doable. Last but not least, I learned that English is different from ASL. For example, English use the verbs “is” and “are” while ASL do not. Another example is ASL sentences are shorter than English sentences and there are classifiers that describe the shape of an object to make the sentence shorter. I learned many things in ASL class that are different from a regular English class.

I had many personal experiences that I encounter with ASL.

The first time I learn about ASL was when I joined an afterschool club back in 6th grade. The teacher taught us the ASL alphabet and I was intrigued with ASL. The second time I encounter ASL was the show “Signing Time!” I learned a few signs, such as GOOD MORNING and colors. The third time was my sister’s school, Mark Twain School. The teachers taught my sister the signs YES, NO, and STOP. Last but not least, I encountered ASL at Target. I saw an Asian couple signed but was unsure if it was ASL or a different version. The husband was frustrated and his signs were harsh and quick while his wife was trying to understand what he was

signing.
The quote I chose from A Loss for Words is “I acted as interpreter and guide for my parents the entire time I was growing up.” (Walker, page 2) I choose this quote because I sometimes felt that I am on the same boat as the author. When my family came to the US in 2007, we did not understand much and trying to learn as much as possible. As I learned English, I helped my parents translate some things when they did not understand. I helped them communicate and translate from Vietnamese to English and back to Vietnamese. Sometimes I forget a few words and had to describe it to get the correct term. It is hard because I have to revert from English to Vietnamese and there are many words that there are no translation for them.
An issue I chose from A Loss for Words is the conflicting outside world. The author and her family have a small bubble space that closed off when they sign. However, when they sign in the outside world, they receive stares, rude comments about being deaf, or not treated equally as a normal person. For example, in Chapter 7 pages 86-87, the author’s mother was treated unequally and got stares when she signed with her. I feel the same way when I speak Vietnamese to my parents, I receive stares from strangers. The author and I are similar and yet different because we sign or speak different languages and yet the outside world judge us and scrutinize our every movements we made.