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Great...I will buy it when I am able. But for right now my next book will be Costello's Unabridged Dictionary.

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I liked their book Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture. I don't know what year it is...don't have it with me. Pretty good and easy to read.
 
deafbajagal said:
Thanks, Jillo, for clarifying what I was trying to explain. I wasn't trying to be a smartass - I was simply pointing out the viewpoint that could get our friend Aquablue in trouble in deaf community. ;). I used to get mad when someone would say something like, "So - where's YOUR interpreter?" or some kind of comment about "MY" interpreter - and I would shot out - "Actually, the interpreter is not for ME...I'm fluent in ASL, thank you very much. Since you're the one that's not fluent in ASL - well, I guess the interpreter is for YOU." I turn the table on them :). Of course it's not true...the interpreter is there for the both of us - one of us happen to use ASL (or Signed English - if I see that the interpreter's ASL skills are weak, so therefore s/he is not an interpreter but actually a transliterator) and the other person uses spoken English.

Hopefully everything's crystal clear now :).
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You're quite welcome. And I like the way your turned the tables. Makes a very powerful statement.
 
Etoile said:
Padden and Humphries are two of the top deaf culture authors out there, they make a great team. I think that would be a good book, but for someone in your situation I still think For Hearing People Only would be a good book.
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I agree. I would reccommend starting out with For Hearing People Only and then moving to texts like the Padden and Humphries book.
 
sign language disctionaries feel completely useless to me. maybe its a personal thing, but no matter how many of those things i looked at, i never remembered a single sign.

i dunno if you know about ASL pro, but thats a much better site than a disctionary.
 
Ariakkas said:
sign language disctionaries feel completely useless to me. maybe its a personal thing, but no matter how many of those things i looked at, i never remembered a single sign.

i dunno if you know about ASL pro, but thats a much better site than a disctionary.
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I never used a dictionary much, but one book I did find useful when first learning was The Sign Language Phrase Book by Lou Fant. Really useful for syntax and use of concept. The dictionaries all take too much of a sign=word rather than sign=concept approach for my tastes.
 
Ariakkas said:
sign language disctionaries feel completely useless to me. maybe its a personal thing, but no matter how many of those things i looked at, i never remembered a single sign.

i dunno if you know about ASL pro, but thats a much better site than a disctionary.
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I use (as I stated before...maybe on another thread) mnemonic techiques, sometimes two at the ame time, to ease my memory in recalling each sign movement. Try it! It's not only effective but really fun to do and apply.
 
jillio said:
I never used a dictionary much, but one book I did find useful when first learning was The Sign Language Phrase Book by Lou Fant. Really useful for syntax and use of concept. The dictionaries all take too much of a sign=word rather than sign=concept approach for my tastes.
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I also own that Lou Fant book. It's fine.
 
For Hearing People Only: Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Questions About the Deaf Community, Its Culture, and the "Deaf Reality" by Matthew S. Moore, Linda Levitan, and Harlan Lane

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I just request a copy, the only one left, from my local library via my computer. You know that I think I might of seen this book once before (years back). I might of thumb through it, maybe. I have to see it first in order to recall.
 
AquaBlue said:
I use (as I stated before...maybe on another thread) mnemonic techiques, sometimes two at the ame time, to ease my memory in recalling each sign movement. Try it! It's not only effective but really fun to do and apply.
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can you give an example ??
 
Well...hmm. That'll take some time to post Anij. I personally use a combo of techniques I learned back in the 1980's with modifications (some) a few years ago. Those mnemonic techniques (or devices as they used to be called) help "attach" the unknown subject (items, concepts, etc) to known material. These are the devices (systems) I use:

  • Order Method/Link System
  • Numeric System
  • Mnemonic Alphabet
  • Topical System

The Order System stacks an item (the unknown) atop the other in a stacking order. Let's say that you have a grocery list written down. You can use this method to memorize the items on the list. Let's say the first three items on the list are eggs, sugar, and milk. You first have to use the golden rule of mnemonics- exaggeration, absurdness, and imagination- creativity in other words. This is true for all mnemonic systems that follow. Being creative is key for all these systems to work- this is vital!

What you do is tell a very brief, very creative tale joining all items together. So let’s say that the eggs are rotten and smelly and that they are all over sugar canes out in the field. It is a big heap of stink. Now see a big fat cow eating the digusting heap. This is the trick…tag one item to the other with a story. The more creative, the better the recall. That’s the Order System. This method is also known as the Link System.


The Numeric System does pretty much the same thing as the above system but with one twist. You apply a tactile object to numbers. In other words numbers become objects so if you think of the number you would automatically see an object (called a peg) representing that number. Clear? So for example the number one looks like (now we are using our highly creative energy) a pen. So the object pen becomes the number one and vice versa. You will be unable to think of one without thinking of the other.

So why do we call those objects pegs? Because we will hang (mentally) the unknown material on these pegs (or hooks) thus filing them into our memory securely. Again to “hook up” the unknown material to our pegs, we need to construct another brief and very creative tale. So let’s say we have to memorize a long list of items (like the presidents of the United States) for example. Those individuals would have to be associated with the pegs. The first three presidents are Washington (White House building in DC), Adams (a river dam) and Jefferson (the penthouse of the sitcom- just think of a penthouse atop a building). These are the pegs for numbers 1 thru 3.

  1. pen
  2. swan
  3. lips

We would do something like this:

  • Pens are raining down blackening the DC area including the White House (#1).
  • Swans are pecking a group of beavers building a wooden dam (#2).
  • The penthouse walls are full of lipstick stains from top to bottom.

Got it??


The Mnemonic Alphabet is exactly the same as the Numeric System but instead of using numbers we use the letters of the alphabet. We first need a permanent theme. So let’s make an Animal theme for our letters. So we find animals that start with the same letter in the alphabet. We also create a story to aid in recall for this system. This is the first three in the system:

A .Ape
B. Bee
C. Cat

The previous method (Numeric System) explains this current method well enough to go any further. I hope you are understanding all this…it’s really a great tool to learn.

As for the Topical System will see a different method all together. This is system is most similar to the Order Method/Link System. We do as directed in those rules here but we use locations (places) as our pegs. You have imagine (and imagination is very important with all these devices) yourself walking about through each location. Each location (each peg) is associated with the unknown material you must/want to learn. So let’s say that our first location is the mailbox[/I in front of our home. The second place is the driveway so imaging walking from the mailbox to the driveway. Our third location is the front porch of the house. So again, mentally walk from the driveway to the front porch. Now let’s go back to the grocery list as our items.

First place: mailbox
Second place: driveway
Third place: front porch

So now, our memory (or mnemonic) story that joins everything together is this: We are standing before the mailbox and once we open it to get the mail, a large, white chicken comes out and lands on your head…laying an egg. You try to balance the egg on your head as you walk onto the driveway but you find that it begin to snow sugar cubes…it knocks the egg to the floor. Now as you walk into your front porch you notice something new- a pool! You take a closer look and find it full, not with water, but with milk and cows are swimming in it.

The story has to be totally nuts…you have to use your imagination so be super creative and you will remember it all.

That’s it! I hope I was clear. Take care.
 
Here's a real-life usage of mnemonics. In this case I employed both the Order Method/Link System and the Mnemonic Alphabet. This is a list of words as they appear in my ASL dictionary. With these techniques I can review all the tangible signs anywhere I go (exercising, having lunch or whenever)...they remain in my memory because I associated them to each other and anchored them with animal pegs. Like a mental filing system (organized for when I need to access them). Remember you have to be wildly creative with tons of imagination for this to stick to your brain. Here is my C sign list story. :afro:


Cab: a hungry CAT snatches the butterfly from the air before a cab runs him over.
Cabbage: the cab driver is eating a large cabbage as he drives on.
Cabinet: atop the cab is a cabinet; it’s bouncing on the roof making noise.
Cafeteria: the taxi stops at a very busy cafeteria near the highway.
Cage: outside the front door is a monkey in a small cage.
Cake: he walks in, sits, and orders a slice of chocolate cake and milk.
Calculator: sitting next to the cab driver is an accountant with his calculator.
Calendar: the accountant is making notes in his calendar- cabbie grimaces.
Camcorder: behind the accountant is tourists- one of them holding a camcorder.
Camera: behind that group are Japanese spectators: each one with a camera.
Camper: the Japanese groups exits and drives off in a camper.
Candle: inside the mobile trailer they light a candle and it all burns down.
Candy: a kid watches the scene as he eats his candy.
Cannabis: behind the kid is long hair freak smoking cannabis in plain sight.
Cap: he is wearing a cap to large for his head- so big it covered his eyes.
Captain: captain Gilligan comes up behind the smoking freak and asks for a drag.
Car: a cop car pulls up, with lights flashing, and arrest the two drug addicts.
Card: the cop then plays cards with the candy boy on the hood of the cop car.
Cart: at that a bag lady pushing a cart collides into them.
Carton: the cop reaches into his patrol car and gets a carton of eggs.
Cartoon: he throws the eggs at the Might Mouse cartoon flying overhead.
Cash Register. Might Mouse retaliate by throwing down a heavy cash register?
Cat: instead of hitting the cop, he strikes a cat that is walking nearby.
Catsup: the cat lying dead is not gushing blood like thick catsup.
Cattle: a large gang of cattle rush in and start eating the dead cat!
Celery: after the cattle finished, they return to the celery fields.
Cemetery: they continued passed the fields and entered a spooky cemetery.
Cent: each had to pay a cent in order to enter the graveyard.
Cereal: atop each tombstone was a bowl of soggy cereal.
Certificate: one spilled over and a worker wiped it up with his school certificate.
Chain: he then chained up each cow in the herd to a tombstone.
Chalkboard: he then ran to school and wrote his name on the chalkboard.
Champagne: the teacher didn’t notice- he was drunk from drinking champagne.
Chapel: viewing this the worker ran to the chapel to fetch the pastor.
Checkers: he found the pastor playing checkers with a parishioner.
Cheek: the pastor refused to go so the worker pulled him by his cheek.
Cheese: arriving at the classroom the teacher was atop a big block of cheese.
Cherry: the pupils are in an above ground pool throwing cherries at the teacher.
Chest: the cherries are hitting the teacher on the chest; he’s wearing a breast shield.
Chewing Gum: a country wearing overalls walks in and blows a gum bubble.
Chicken: under his arm is a chicken that peaks at the gum bubble.
Chief: then an Indian chief comes up from under the pool water and says HOW.
Child: a child in the pool sits on the chief’s shoulder as the India climbs out of the pool.
Chimpananzee: Chita the Chimpananzee holds the chiefs hand & walks along with them.
Chocolate: the chiefs offers Chita a chocolate bar he could leave and the chimp takes it.
Choir: The monkey rushes into the music room and starts to conduct the choir.
Cigarette: the monkey falls at the church bells rings; the bellman drops his cigarette.
City: because of that the building burns down and city fire chief arrives.
Cleaners: he is carrying his dry cleaners clean clothes over his shoulder.
Clock: entering the ruins all that was not burned was a big grandfather clock.
Closet: the firefighters turn their head to see the bellman exit a burnt closet.
Clothes: the bellman runs toward the city fire chief and steals his clean clothes.
Cloud: as the thief runs down the street a small dark cloud follows him overhead.
Clown: a clown, with floppy shoes, tackles the running robbers and subdues him.
Coach: a coach, watching the entire thing, signs the clown to join the team.
Coat: the team wins the championship and the clown is awarded a mink coat.
Coffee: he enters the locker room victorious and has a large cup of coffee.
Coin: then the tough clown picks up coin and bends it with his front teeth.
Coca-Cola: suddenly his teammates shower him with Coca-Cola.
Collar: the stud clown just pulls up his mink collar and smiles at his team.
College: after the party, a college recruit tells the clowns he’s won a scholarship.
Comb: the recruit then gives him both a business card and a plastic comb.
Committee: the nervous clown enters the college and finds a committee waiting.
Computer: the committee tells him they need him to fill-out a form on the computer.
Congress: once he finishing the form it is sent to Congress for evaluation.
Contact Lens: a Congressman looks over the form, squints, and his contacts fall off.
Cookie: after inserting them back, he starts eating a chocolate cookie.
Corner: then, suddenly, he stands and bolts around the corner of the room.
Corridor: he races down the corridor and exits the building in haste.
Cosmetics: he enters a department store and hustles towards cosmetics.
Couch: the hipper man, after collecting some lipsticks, rests on a nearby couch.
Cough: a store employee approaches the Congressman and begins to cough.
Court: the store manager decides to take the crazed man to court.
Cousin: the Congressman takes his cousin as a character witness.
Cracker: the judge arrives late and sits on his throne eating a cracker.
Crayon: alarmed, the judge signs his name with a crayon declaring death penalty.
Credit Card: on skid row the Congressman waves his credit cards at the guard.
Cross: the guard turns away and a priest enters the cell room with a cross.
Cry: placing the cross over the prisoner the priest is shocked to see him cry.
Cup: the priest gives the crying man a hot cup of cocoa.
Curtain: the sunlight through the cell window blinds them so the curtain is drawn.
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On top of that I use a flash card program that also aids me in learning. But that is just your typical, daily drills...no magic mnemonic devices to be found with flash cards.

You know that when I was back in college I used the mnemonic methods all the time, everyday practically. And because of that I nearly aced all of my mid-term and finals. It may seem like a lot of work, and it is initially, but after a while these techniques become second nature like signing (I can only guess). :)
 
This one looks like a good (I haven't read though). Use Your Perfect Memory by Tony Buzan is superb. It is for the novice but it was written more for the experienced. It's top-notch tough. Also Jack Lannom (back when he taught his memory secrets) was my first teacher on the subject. He no longer teaches memory devices for he is on another business endeavor. Too bad.
 
OK ... that seems like a ton of work ... but also - I can see how that might allow you to memorize 1000-2000 signs or something ... but how does that help you naturally , organically learn the language and linguistic structure ?

I'm glad that this has worked for you ... it just seems so "artificial"
 
Anij said:
OK ... that seems like a ton of work ... but also - I can see how that might allow you to memorize 1000-2000 signs or something ... but how does that help you naturally , organically learn the language and linguistic structure ?

I'm glad that this has worked for you ... it just seems so "artificial"
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In the very beginning, when you start applying these methods, it is a pain in the neck. But as time moves ahead and you are still trying to incorporate the methods into your normal learning routine, it will become more natural. Then later down the road it will be automatic. You will not have to think about it too much.

It is only artificial at first. Trust me on that one. I've been using these methods since the 80s.
:)
 
In the last three weeks I have learned (memorized) a little over 200 signs using mnemonic devices. That helps me as far as time…less time to learn more time applying my new skills with other deaf people.

Now it only helps when learning the substance of the language. The rest (I would think) is just gaining experience thus becoming natural in your manual expressions.
 
I will turn away from this most interesting off topic memory discussion and return to our topic at hand: Terps. But if you want to post/read more memory information, I created a new thread for such discussions. Click here to access it. :)

Now back to Terps.
 
Hooray!!!

After searching and searching for information on Deaf gathering and my local Deaf culture online, I think I have found something: Deaf Services Bureau. I just sent them an email expressing my desire, as an ASL student, to interact with the local Deaf community and if the bureau can help me out. Now the wait for the reply. Yes!
 
I also learned, viewing the AD archives, that the Miami has the largest concentration of Deaf people in the entire state. I feel more relaxed because I am certain now that I will locate a gathering near me in a short time. :)

Oh boy I need to practice my ASL phrases...where's my Lou Fant book?? :)
 
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