Have a nice day in sign language. Sign language: training, lessons, courses

There are many languages ​​in the world today, but the sign language of the deaf and dumb has a special place. In the 18th century, a special deaf-and-dumb alphabet was invented for communication with each other, which subsequently transformed from many branches and interpretations into the international Gestuno language. He and his alphabet are based on hand gestures, facial expressions and various turns of the body. Let's take a closer look at this language.

Where can you learn gestuno

Zhestuno was not popular in Russia and there were only 3 sign language interpreters per 100 deaf and dumb in Russia, while in the West there are 30 such people. Amendments to the Disability Protection Act in 2012 helped develop sign language. In addition to obtaining official status, training began in the relevant institutions for the training and retraining of interested people. As a result, the percentage of those wishing to learn gestuno has increased dramatically..

There are many ways to learn gestuno. One of them is that training is carried out in special classes. Get necessary knowledge can be done in the following ways:

1. In deaf and dumb communities in your city, where free classes are provided for everyone. A few months will help to study the basic aspects of gestology and test the existing knowledge in a practical way.
2. Institutes and colleges often have in their educational programs sign language subject. Most often these are the specialties of linguistics and sociology. Those who are or plan to be students can get acquainted with gestuno for free.
3. If you could not find free courses, then there are professional paid courses that are held on the basis of institutes, medical centers and special schools for the deaf.

Having learned about the places where gestuno is taught, let's move on to the structure of teaching the language of the deaf and dumb.

The structure of learning the language of the deaf and dumb

There are 3 levels of gestuno mastering with the following skills:

• At level 1, for all beginners, the basics, the alphabet, the norms of vocabulary with practical exercises;
• Level 2 is suitable for those who already have basic skills and want to acquire the ability to translate from gesture to normal;
• And already the 3rd level allows you to improve your skills in linguistics and study translation in depth in a synchronous and sequential form.

Each level lasts 3 months or 50 academic hours. At the end of the course you will have a special certificate confirming your level. However, it should not be regarded as evidence of the qualifications of a sign interpreter, for which you need to pass a special commission. You can try to pass it after the second course.

How to learn a deaf and dumb language yourself

In addition to the methods listed above, there is an opportunity to study gestuno with the help of a self-instruction manual. The following resources will help here:

1. Websites to help learn gestuno, the most popular "City of Signs". A lot of useful information can be found on social networks, where specialized Gestuno groups are located. With their help, theory and practice are worked out together with like-minded people.
2. Especially for mobile devices, applications with alphabets and pictures in sign language are created. Just download the program and free time work with the necessary information.
3. Books are a great help in learning zhestuno, but only for those who are ready to put in extra effort in their studies and endure. After all, there will not be a teacher nearby who will give clues. This means that it will take more time to analyze the material.
4. A good option in this case is videos with teachers' speeches, but no one will correct you. The main advantage is that the material is diverse, understandable and clearly explained.

Each person independently chooses one way or another. But most people, due to lack of time, prefer to learn sign language on their own.

An example of a video lesson on learning sign language.

Starting self-study

There is one feature in the study of gestuno: I often confuse it with the image of individual letters with my hands. Dactylology is used for proper names, for example, cities, names of people, places, or for a word without a special gesture. This is important to consider when starting classes.

After choosing a specific option for self-study, you need to find information resources and choose the best ones for your level.

The first step is to learn the alphabet. Having gained confidence in the dactyl alphabet, you can switch to non-verbal sign language. Plan classes based on specific difficulty levels. Gradually you will improve your own skills in gesture.

The most effective option that allows you to learn a language is to communicate with a native speaker. Even self-study involves the search for an interlocutor. Thanks to this, you will be able to competently express your thoughts and begin to understand the thoughts of a person.

Gestuno is by no means the easiest language to learn. In addition, it is easy to confuse it with the dactyl alphabet. But after a certain time, you can achieve significant success. The main thing is not to forget about training and supplement theoretical knowledge with practice. Sign language is no more difficult than a foreign language. We wish you to gain strength and patience, because after that you will be able to get the desired result!

Video

You will find the first sign language lesson in this video.

Day of the sign language interpreter was established in January 2003 at the initiative of the Central Board of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf. The All-Russian Public Organization of the Disabled "All-Russian Society of the Deaf" (VOG) is the largest and oldest public organization of the hearing impaired in Russia, founded in 1926.

The purpose of the Day of the sign language interpreter is to draw public attention to the problems of the deaf. For comparison, if in Finland there are 300 sign language interpreters for every thousand deaf people, then in Russia there are only three. And over time, the number of sign language interpreters is only getting smaller. At the same time, the work of a sign language interpreter is invaluable in social terms for the deaf community, because he is needed in court, the police, the tax office, for social protection, at the doctor's office and so on.

Usually, sign language interpreters are children of deaf parents who grew up in a “deaf” environment. You can get an education in this specialty in the training centers of St. Petersburg and Moscow.

The language that sign language interpreters “speak” from the screen or with their clients is sign language, and several million people around the world communicate in it. In some countries, it has long been officially recognized and is used to adapt news programs and various programs for people with hearing problems.

By the way, on October 24, the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the first reading adopted a bill raising the status of Russian Sign Language. Thanks to amendments to the laws "On Education" and "On the Social Protection of Disabled Persons in the Russian Federation", Russian Sign Language is now defined as the language of communication in the presence of hearing or speech impairments, including in the areas of oral use state language RF.

The special significance of this draft law is that the official recognition of the status of the Russian sign language will create the necessary conditions in educational institutions for the deaf to receive education using sign language, build a system of training and retraining of teachers on the basis of secondary and higher professional educational institutions, according to the website VOGinfo.ru.

How to communicate with a person in the language of the deaf?

sign language

First, one of the major misconceptions about sign languages ​​is that they are dependent on or derived from spoken languages ​​(sound and written) and that these languages ​​were invented by hearers. This is not true. Secondly, dactyling of letters is often taken for sign languages ​​- that is, when the letters are “depicted” by hands.

The difference between dactylology and sign language, which the deaf communicate with each other, is that dactylology is used mainly for pronouncing proper names, place names or specific terms, that is, each word is “showed” by hand spelling. At the same time, sign signs represent whole words, and in total there are more than 2000 gestures in the dictionary of the deaf. Show some of them will not be difficult.

For example:

You can learn more about sign language from a well-known book. G. L. Zaitseva“Gesture speech. Dactylology".

It is easier to get acquainted with the basics of dactylology - there is a well-established alphabet, and by spelling the word with gestures, you can communicate with a deaf person. There are 33 dactyl signs in Russian dactylology, each of which corresponds to the outline of the corresponding letter.

Russian dactyl alphabet from the site deafnet.ru:

Note that a deaf or hard of hearing person is likely to understand exactly what you want to say to him without sign language, because for the most part they read lips very well.

When you meet a deaf person, you need to introduce yourself in such a way that he understands you. This article will tell you how to say your name in American Sign Language, which is used in the United States and Canada. One international language gestures do not exist - the deaf of different countries are explained differently. For example, you can find a list of resources dedicated to Russian sign language.

Steps

Introduce yourself in American Sign Language

Make the gesture "hi" ("hello"). The palm is open, fingers together. Raise your hand to your head, pointing your thumb to your temple, and slightly move it to the side, as if saluting.

• Another way of greeting is to wave your hand slightly at head level.

1. Make a "my" gesture. Place your hand on your chest as if you were taking an oath of allegiance. Lightly pat your chest a couple of times.

   Make the "name" gesture. Clench your hand into a fist, extend your index and middle fingers - in the American dactyl alphabet, this is how the letter U is shown. Turn them edgewise so that the index finger is on top. With the fingers of your dominant hand, lightly tap the top of the fingers of your other hand twice. The fingers of both hands should at this moment form the letter X in front of you.

   Show your name with dactyl alphabet. Use the American Fingerprint Alphabet to spell your name. Keep your hand in front of you in a stable position. Show letters at a steady pace: fluidity is more important than speed.

   • If you want to show both the first and last names, pause briefly between them.
   • If your name has two identical letters in a row, "open" and "close" your hand again to repeat the letter. If the letter is not easy to repeat (for example, the M in the name "Emma"), instead move your hand slightly to the side to show the second of the same letters without changing the position of the fingers.

2. Learn to show everything together. Practice flowing the whole phrase: "Hi, my name _____" ("Hi, my name is _____"). The words must go in that order.

   Use body language to convey emotions. Body language and facial expressions are extremely important when you communicate with American Sign Language. Simply gesturing without changing facial expressions or posture is like talking in a monotone and without the slightest emotion, and it will be much more difficult for people to carry on a conversation with you.

   • When you show your name, try to look friendly. Smile a little, open your eyes a little wider. By the time you make the "my" gesture, your head should be tilted slightly in understanding. Look at the person you are talking to.

3. Add your sign name (optional). Sign names, which will be discussed below, are usually not required when meeting. If you are formally introducing yourself, you usually only need to show your name in the dactyl alphabet. If necessary, you will call the sign name later, in more informal communication. However, if you are being introduced informally, such as a close friend introducing you to their friends, you can introduce yourself like this: "Hi, my name (sign name), (spell name), (sign name)."

   Get a sign name in American Sign Language

   1. Start with the dactyl alphabet. As long as you don't have a sign name, you can introduce yourself by spelling your regular name. To get started, learn the signs of the dactyl alphabet using our website or videos on the Internet. Putting your name together from these signs is easy: just show it letter by letter. Practice until you can do it at a normal pace, keeping your hand in front of you and not changing its position.

      Learn what sign names are. A sign name is a word that was made especially for you. There are no special names in American Sign Language: there is no sign that would mean "Mary" or "Alexander", so each Mary or Alexander will have its own special sign name. Therefore, read about the meaning of sign names and how they are usually given.

      Have a sign name given to you by someone in the deaf community, if possible. When an adult, respected member of the community gives you a sign name, it means that you are accepted into their ranks. For a person who is not a native speaker, this is a very important moment, and in many circles it comes only after many years of friendship. If this argument doesn't sound convincing enough to you, there are a number of reasons why you shouldn't invent a sign name for yourself.

      • You can come up with a gesture that is too complicated or a gesture that violates the rules of the language (you don’t want to be called, for example, Zzxskbub?).
      • You may randomly select a gesture that means a rude or indecent word.
      • Someone in the community already has the same sign name.
      • Your sign name may be the same as your sign name famous person(What will your new American acquaintances think if you introduce yourself to them as Martin Luther King?).
      • And most importantly, in the culture of the deaf community, it is considered unacceptable for a hearing person to come up with a sign name for himself.

   2. Create a name from your initial. Let's say you don't know anyone in the deaf community, but you're just curious about what sign names are like. Here is one common way to create such a name. Fold one hand in the shape of the dactyl alphabet letter that begins your name. Tap it a couple of times on a point on your body—usually your forehead, cheek, chin, shoulder, or chest. Another option is to move the hand between two adjacent points or move it back and forth in the "neutral space" in front of the chest, at a short distance from it.

      Use a descriptive gesture. Gesture names of this type are usually associated with some noticeable physical characteristic. For example, you can run your hand over a scar on your face or twirl your finger down from your neck to show off your long hair. Beginners often choose such names instead of arbitrary ones, as they seem more interesting. However, such a name is even more difficult to come up with on your own. Signed languages ​​use visual grammar, the possibilities of which are limited by the position of the fingers, the position of the hands in space and their movements. If you have not taken American Deaf Language courses or have not communicated in it long time, the name you come up with may not look like a word at all.

      Think of a hybrid sign name. This is the third and final type of gesture names: a gesture indicating a physical characteristic in which the fingers are folded into the first letter of your name. This type is very popular in deaf community circles, although some believe that this is a modern invention that comes from hearing people and does not correspond to the tradition of naming signs. It is possible that a person from the deaf community will give you a hybrid name. However, if you choose to come up with such a name yourself, your attempt may be regarded as even more rude and impolite than if it was a name of a different kind.

• Silent language interpreters are state-certified professionals who have gone through years of training to become highly skilled sign language interpreters. In most countries, there are certain rules about who can be a sign language interpreter in the fields of law, medicine, education, sociology and psychology. The fact that you memorized the entire sign language dictionary does not give you the right to translate, for example, in such a situation, if you see an accident on the road and a deaf-mute person wants to say something to the police. Every law enforcement officer knows that when a deaf person is involved in an incident, a professional and certified sign language interpreter must be called.
• Hearing people acquire language skills through a pair of eyes and a pair of ears from an early age. Remember that many of your deaf and mute friends have never heard cues, which is a matter of course for a hearing person. Never assume that if a deaf-and-dumb person does not write so well, then this means that he or she is less intelligent than you. Know that when you communicate in sign language, you are also far from perfect.
• If you are studying a sign, do not assume that a deaf person should be ready to take a break from business and at any time begin to help you learn the language and hone your skills. If you want to meet a specific deaf person, be polite. Say hello if the situation allows it, but don't meddle in the person's personal circumstances.
• There are a huge number of systems for sign communication, for example, Sign Supported Speech (SSS), Seeing Essential English (SEE) and Signing Exact English (SEE2). They were created by people outside the culture in which they are used, i.e. by hearing people for the deaf and dumb. Is not natural languages for meaningful and effective communication.
• Deaf-mutes value their personal space as much as hearing people. If you are teaching signing, please do not stare at deaf-mute families or groups of people in restaurants or other public places. Even if you look with admiration at the use of language, it is still very unnerving.
• Never make up your own signs. American Language of the Deaf and Dumb is a universally recognized language, not a game of facial expressions. If you don't know a symbol, spell it out and have the deaf person translate it for you. These gestures were invented by the deaf and dumb community, and it would be very strange if a hearing person starts creating gestures.
• No dictionary in any language is exhaustive. For example, one of the links gives you only one translation of the word "abbreviate", a sign for shortening. And this common sign has another translation - “thicken” (two hands folded in the form of the letter C at chest level are clenched into fists). Remember that many different characters can match one English word, and vice versa.

There are many languages ​​in the world, but sign language occupies a special place among them. In order to communicate with deaf and dumb people, in the 18th century, the first sign language was developed, called Amslen. Subsequently, closer to the 20th century, it had many branches and interpretations. In the middle of the 20th century, an international sign speech, Gestuno, was developed to standardize the language of the deaf and dumb, which is still relevant. It is mainly based on the gestures that the speaker shows with his hands, with the help of facial expressions and due to various turns of the body.

In our country, Gestuno is not popular. If in Europe there are 300 sign language interpreters per hundred deaf and dumb people, then we have only 3. In 2012, amendments were made to the draft law “On Social Protection of the Disabled” regarding sign language. The language received official status, special educational institutions for the training and retraining of interested people, teachers, disabled people. This had a positive effect on the percentage of those wishing to teach Zhestuno.

• Local deaf communities provide special free classes that anyone can sign up for. In a few months, you will learn the basic aspects of Gestuno and, of course, try out the acquired knowledge in practice.
• Educational sites - institutes and colleges, often include the subject of "sign language" in their programs. To a greater extent, this applies to social and linguistic specialties. So if you are still a student or planning to become one, then you have the opportunity to get acquainted with this subject for free.
• In the event that you cannot find free courses, there are specialized paid classes based on research institutes, methodological centers, specialized schools for the deaf and dumb.

The structure of learning the language of the deaf and dumb

Let's take a closer look at what these special courses are and what you will receive at the end of the training.

Note that there are 3 levels of mastering Gestuno, which include the following skills:

• Level 1 - a basic course for beginners, which analyzes the basic lexical norms and practice live communication.
• Level 2 is a course for those who are already familiar with the base. It is designed for an initial acquaintance with the skills of translation from Gestuno.
• Level 3 - includes the improvement of linguistic skills and in-depth training in simultaneous and consecutive translation.

Training at the levels lasts 3 months and consists of 44-50 academic hours. At the end of the course, you will receive a special certificate, which will indicate your level. But do not equate this piece of paper with the testimony of a sign language interpreter. To obtain such a crust, you will need to go through a special commission. You can try your hand at this after level 2.

How to learn a deaf and dumb language yourself

In addition to the methods listed above, you can learn deaf and dumb gestures yourself using the following resources:

• On the Internet, you will find websites that will help you learn the language of the deaf. The most popular of them is the "City of gestures". You will also find a lot of useful information in social networks, in specialized groups according to Zhestuno. In them you will work out both the theoretical part and the practical component with like-minded people.
• Since progress does not stand still, special applications have been created for mobile devices, which are alphabets and sign language textbooks. Download the program to your phone and learn or repeat the information you need in your free time.
• Books are a universal option for gaining knowledge in this area. However, this method is only suitable for those who are patient and willing to invest extra effort into learning. This is due to the fact that there will be no teacher nearby who can clearly explain everything to you, and, therefore, you will need more time to analyze the material.
• Video lessons are a way to learn sign language close to special courses, but with the caveat that no one will correct you in case of mistakes. The main advantage of videos is the variety and clear, visual explanation of the material.

How to start learning sign language on your own

Before we figure out where to start, we note the following feature:

Gestuno is confused with the dactyling of letters, i.e., the image of individual letters with hands. Dactylology differs from the gestures of the deaf and dumb in that it is used to say proper names: cities, names of people, geographical names etc., or to say a word for which no special gesture has yet been invented. So keep that in mind when you get started.

So, having chosen one of the options for self-study, find information resources and choose those that are understandable and interesting.

• To become fluent in sign language, you must first learn the alphabet. Once you feel confident in your handwriting skills, move on to learning non-verbal sign language. Build your lesson plan based on the difficulty levels described above. So, gradually you will be able to learn the language perfectly.

Do not forget that the most effective and quick way to learn a language is to communicate in it. So, even if you are studying alone, you still need to find yourself an interlocutor. So you can learn how to express thoughts correctly and understand what a like-minded person is thinking.

Learning Gestuno on your own is difficult, but after a while you will achieve visible results. The main thing is not to abandon training and reinforce theoretical knowledge with practice. Sign language is not more difficult than a foreign language, so gain strength, patience and soon get the desired result.