Tips on Learning Sign Language at Home (With Apps)

I have been trying to learn sign language with some friends of mine. It is not always easy to find the right tools, especially if you don't have time to take up courses. Then, my friend sent me a link to this article, and I was really happy with all the information that I found there.

Best Sign Language Apps

Check out this article for great sign language apps, but keep reading on for the tips I came up with during my hunt for learning sign language.

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Sign Language For Beginners

The best time to learn any language is as a child, so if you have a child that you want to learn sign language, then you should look for materials or apps designed specifically for children. For example, you can apps like ASL or Care Bears that help children learn and give them hundreds of different phrases and signs to learn. To note, basic visual learning is the best method for children or beginners to learn sign language. This way, a beginner or child can learn simple phrases in sign language like "hello" or "how are you." Apps can help both adult beginners and children alike learn sign language basics. For one, you can find apps that feature experienced teachers such as Marlee Matlin. When learning sign language, it’s important to be able to watch the teacher's movements slowly so the student can see the details. In addition to apps, the beginner student can also watch short GIFs over different words or phrases to memorize and get comfortable doing the action. Also, illustrations or simple drawings can help you learn how to sign using common numbers, learn the alphabet, or even simple words. Apps can feature multiple views of signs so you grasp the movement and even allow you to take quizzes to track your progress.

Learning with ASL Dictionaries

Moreover, you can use sign language dictionaries (which come available in pdf form as well) for a general referencing point. Ultimately, these dictionaries are filled with words and phrases to sign but are helpful in learning sign language. Also, a great feature of these dictionaries is if you click on the phrase or word, a video clip can pop up and you can get a visual of a teacher signing the words. Although they offer quick and simple references on words or phrases, unfortunately, they cannot help in the sentence structure or grammar department. But, ASL courses can quiz you on your knowledge after watching those educational videos. Other online resources can give you videos and other information even when you're offline. So, between educational videos and dictionaries, you can learn anywhere you go and at your own speed so you can improve your signing knowledge and skillset.

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Now to Understand Complex Interactions Signing

Not only can sign language apps help you learn the basics, but they can also help you understand more complex interactions. Now, you should be able to master basic interactions in sign language and graduate to more complicated conversations, and with different resources for learning, it should be easy to do. For example, the ASL browser consists of videos of two people speaking in sign language. They interact with each other and have a pre-determined conversation which they sign in order to help you learn. Additionally, these videos can be played at differing speeds so you can slow it down when needed or speed it up when you feel confident about certain words. With certain resources, you can save particular videos to a favorites section so that you can easily refer to them later. Lastly, not only can you learn sign language in English, but there are resources for learning other languages as well.

Conclusion

You can use a variety of apps and online resources to learn the basics of sign language. Moreover, you can improve your basic skills and graduate to more complex signing with apps. So, whether you want to learn English or another language in sign language, learn the basics, or become fluent in sign language, apps like the ones in the article mentioned about, can help you achieve your signing goals.