r/asl • u/FairCelebration8379 • 2d ago

Help! Potential beginner

Hi. I'm a “beginner” in ASL, I guess. I don't go to public school, I'm in an online academy and I've chosen ASL as an elective. I've scrolled through this sub a bit, and I've seen people say that practicing in person is much recommended. Is it the only way to learn ASL? If I'm unable to find a group or something, should I just stop? I've also seen people say something about learning ASL rather than just Sign language, I think, and I'm not sure if that means I shouldn't learn ASL or something else. And about facial expressions, what if my face doesn't express emotion in the right way? For example, when I'm sad, my eyebrows don't upturn, only one goes up, so what if it looks like I'm confused instead of sad?

3 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

8

u/imjustanauthor Interpreting Student (Hearing) (Disabled) 2d ago

i learned asl 100% online for the first 3 years. by the end of those three years, i was about as good as someone who learned in person for 8ish months. but, i didnt have another choice, and if i could go back, id do it again. learning online is better than not learning at all.

3

u/Tigger-Rex Interpreter (Hearing) 2d ago

Learning ASL through a computer screen is not going to yield the best results. It can be very difficult to follow and reproduce the hand shapes strictly through a 2-dimensional format.

1

u/FairCelebration8379 1d ago

I understand.

3

u/Novel_Side_2072 Deaf 2d ago

Immersion is the best way to learn, yes, and you may be able to find some local events online (probably on Facebook). That doesn't necessarily mean you should stop trying.

I'm not entirely sure I understand the second point. There's various sign languages, not only ASL, and you should learn whatever is used in your area.

People get very worried about facial expression...I think this is where real world practice becomes very beneficial because personally I struggle to apply expression to a vocab list. It does, however, come very naturally in conversation.

1

u/FairCelebration8379 1d ago

Okay, I was worried that ASL wouldn't be enough to learn. I highly doubt I'll leave anywhere outside my state or country. I do want the in person experience, I'm just unsure if it's likely because I'd have to ask my parents to take me, and I don't think they'll care about it as much as I do, but I'm also too nervous to go out on my own.

2

u/Tbackandforth 2d ago

It really varies. Some people are great at learning online. Some need the face to face interaction. But immersion is usually the best for any language.

Facial expressions aren't about looking sad when you sign SAD, it involves grammatical markers such as lowering the eyebrows for wh- questions and many other grammar rules.