American Sign Language - Fundamental Concepts

Overview

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 5% of the world's population suffers from disabling hearing loss. Among members of the community are those born with congenital deafness and others that, due to factors such as disease or aging, become deaf later in life. While the deaf community communicates in a myriad of ways, one of the most well-known communication systems in the United States and Canada is American Sign Language (ASL). 

ASL is used by those affected by hearing loss and those not. You may wish to learn ASL to become an interpreter, communicate better with family and friends or simply develop a greater appreciation of deaf culture. This straightforward and comprehensive course will give you an insight into the basics of ASL. Starting with the origin of sign languages, you will learn about their importance in the world today and their perception in society. Following this, you will discover more detail about ASL, its inception and use worldwide and the fundamentals of its grammar system.

This course will explore the iconicity of sign language, its development and some of the most common misconceptions. Familiarize yourself with the ASL alphabet and the differences between ASL sentence structure and the structure of spoken English. ASL relies not only on the hand gestures you may be familiar with but also on facial expressions and body language. Why wait? Start learning today and acquire a new skill.