The language of American Sign Language (ASL) is widely used among people who cannot hear and those who wish to converse with them. ASL has many grammatical components to it, one of which is finger spelling. People use fingerspelling when there is no specific sign or for proper nouns. It is not as easy as you would think to finger spell. Many people finger spell incorrectly. Some will leave letters out, while others bounce their letters. This can make reading the spelling very difficult. Some people will finger spell too rapidly. If this happens to you ask them to repeat and to slow their spelling down.

Another very important component of American Sign Language is facial expression. You must show your feelings in the way of facial expressions. People who cannot hear are unable to hear the emotions in your voice. You must show them through facial expressions. Conversations tend to become boring and the meaning can get lost if you lack facial expression. Communicate with your facial expressions AND your signing skills. Think about this statement. “We had cake last night.” Can you demonstrate through facial features if the cake was good or bad?

Multiple meaning words are also important. These are concepts that are expressed within a signed message. Let’s use the word run as an example. Run has many concepts. Someone can run a company or someone can run a marathon. The uses of the word “run” are completely different. You do not want to mix these concepts up in American Sign Language or it will become confusing and unclear. Make sure your online program has a section on multiple meaning words.

Regional signs are developed in ASL. Regional signs are based on a specific location’s culture or events. A person who travels around the country may see many different signs. If you run into a sign you are not familiar with, have the person finger spell it. You can then show them how you sign for it where you live.

American Sign Language is an ever-changing language. The more you learn about it the better you will be able to communicate with it. Enjoy learning American Sign Language and enjoy communications with those who cannot hear.