How to show thanks with a gesture. Where to start learning sign language on your own

Our world is diverse. It cannot be said that there are people who are exactly alike, both externally and internally. Thus, another universe, which has its own properties, is also inhabited by those who are usually called deaf-mute people. Their perception of the environment is many times different from how a person who does not have such physical disabilities understands reality.

But it is important to note that the sign language of the deaf and dumb has the same versatility and colorfulness as that of a healthy person. The dictionary contains more than 2,000 gestures. And gesture signs are entire words, so showing and learning some of them will not be difficult.

Nonverbal sign language

Before getting into the dictionary of sign language, it would be appropriate to note that one of the misconceptions about it is that it depends on the verbal language that we use every day (sound and written) or that it supposedly originated from the latter, and even that the language of the deaf was founded by a hearing person. Moreover, it is generally accepted incorrectly that gestures of a silent language are accepted as fingerprinting of letters. That is, letters are depicted with hands. But that's not true.

In this language, dactylology is used to pronounce place names, specific terms and proper names. It is very easy to get acquainted with its basics since there is an established alphabet. And you will be able to easily communicate with a deaf-mute person by spelling out the word using gestures. Sign language for the deaf in Russian dactylology has 33 dactyl signs.

Sign language lessons

More detailed information about the language of the deaf and mute can be found in the book by G.L. Zaitseva. "Gesture speech" Let's take a more detailed look at the most common gestures.

If you are asking the question: “Do I, a healthy person, need to know such a language?”, the answer is simple - sometimes there is not a lot of knowledge, sometimes it is not in demand. But perhaps one day, thanks to them, you will be able to help, for example, a lost deaf-mute.

New for 2015 – release of a CD for teaching Russian sign language "Let's get acquainted!". These are specially designed videos for hearing people who want to learn about Deaf culture and language.

The course was developed by specialists Center for Education of the Deaf and Sign Language named after Zaitseva.

Brief information about the deaf and hard of hearing.
- 100 most used gestures
- Video clips about the rules of communication with the deaf.
- Common phrases/dialogues used in communication.

The release of the disc became possible thanks to the VOG project “Let’s Preserve and Recognize the Diversity of the Russian Sign Language”, financial support was partially provided by the Russkiy Mir Foundation.

Chapter THIS IS IMPORTANT contains gestures:
I
YOU
DEAF
HEARING
TRANSFER
HELP
LOVE
YES
NO
CAN
IT IS FORBIDDEN
HELLO
GOODBYE
THANK YOU

Chapter QUESTIONS contains gestures:
WHO?
WHAT?
WHERE?
WHERE?
FOR WHAT?
WHY?
WHERE?
WHICH?
WHOSE?
HOW?
WHEN?

Chapter WHO - WHAT contains gestures:
WOMAN
MAN
HUMAN
MOTHER
DAD
HUSBAND (WIFE)
FRIEND
DOCTOR
CAT
DOG
ADDRESS
PHONE (MOBILE)
INTERNET
CITY
BUS
CAR
METRO
TRAM
TROLLEYBUS
MINISTRUTKA
TAXI
AIRPLANE
TRAIN
AIRPORT
RAILWAY STATION
SHOP
MARKET
BANK
HOSPITAL
POLICE
SCHOOL
JOB

Chapter WHAT DO WE DO? contains gestures:
EAT
WAS
WAS NOT
WILL
WILL NOT BE
UNDERSTAND
DON'T UNDERSTAND
KNOW
DON'T KNOW
SPEAK
WRITE
WANT
DON'T WANT
REMEMBER
DO
REPLY
ASK

Chapter HOW – WHAT? contains gestures:
FINE
BADLY
FINE
HURT
SLOWLY
FAST
FEW
MANY
COLD
HOT
DANGEROUS
BEAUTIFUL
DELICIOUS
SMART
KIND
CALM

Chapter WHEN? contains gestures:
TODAY
YESTERDAY
TOMORROW
MORNING
DAY
EVENING
NIGHT
WEEK
MONTH
YEAR

Chapter DACTYLOLOGY contains symbols of letters of the Russian alphabet.

Chapter NUMERALS contains designations of numbers.

Chapter LET'S TALK
I love you.
What is your name?
How old are you?
Are you studying or working?
Where do you work?
I need a job.
I live in Russia.
Give me your address.
Send me an email.
I'll send you an SMS.
Let's go for a walk.
It is dangerous to ride a bicycle here.
Do you have a car?
I have a driver's license.
Do you want tea or coffee?
Be careful, the milk is hot.
I have a deaf son.
This is a good kindergarten for deaf children.
Do you have deaf teachers?
Parents of deaf children should know sign language.
My daughter is hard of hearing, she has a hearing aid, but she does not need a cochlear implant!
Good translators are needed everywhere.
I want to watch movies with subtitles.
There are many talented deaf artists and actors in Russia.
I need a translator.
Should you call a doctor?
Are you thirsty?
I love children.
Let's go play.

Chapter THIS IS NEEDED contains phrases in sign language:
I am deaf.
I am hard of hearing.
I can't hear.
I know some signs.
Do you know sign language? – I don’t know gestures very well, but I know dactylology.
Can I help you?
Do you need an interpreter?
Where do you live?
Where are you from?
Where is the bus stop?
The metro station is close.
I'm thirsty.
Where is the toilet?

This section provides rules for communicating with deaf people and simple dialogues in sign language.

RULES FOR COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING PEOPLE

Rules for communicating with people with hearing impairments:
- look the interlocutor in the face, do not turn away during the conversation.
- do not raise your voice, but clearly articulate.
- use the services of a sign language interpreter.
- transmit information in writing by any means.

The main ways to attract the attention of the deaf and hard of hearing:
- pat on the shoulder.
- hand waving.
- knock on the table.

The disc also contains the brochure “What would you like to know about the deaf”, published by the Central Board of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf? International Day of the Deaf. It briefly summarizes general information about deaf people and how to communicate with them. The brochure is written primarily in a question-and-answer format, making it very easy to read.

• 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 have memorized the entire sign language dictionary does not give you the right to translate, for example, in such a situation, if you saw 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 upon.
• Hearing people acquire knowledge of language 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 spoken words, which a hearing person takes for granted. Never assume that if a deaf-mute person does not write as well as he or she does, that means he or she is less intelligent than you. Know that when you communicate using sign language, you are also far from perfect.
• If you are learning a sign, don't assume that a deaf person should be ready to step away and start helping you learn the language and hone your skills at a moment's notice. If you want to meet a specific deaf person, be polite. Say hello if the situation allows it, but do not get involved in the person’s personal circumstances.
• There are a huge number of sign communication systems, such as 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, that is, by hearing people for the deaf and dumb. These are not natural languages ​​for meaningful and effective communication.
• Deaf and mute people value their personal space no less than hearing people. If you are learning signs, please do not stare at deaf families or groups of people in restaurants or other public places. Even if you look at the use of language with admiration, it is still very unnerving.
• Never invent signs yourself. ASL is a universally recognized language, not a mimicry game. If you don't know a symbol, show it spelled out and ask a deaf person to translate it for you. These gestures were invented by the deaf community, and it would be very strange if a hearing person started 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 - “to thicken” (two hands folded in the shape of the letter C at chest level are clenched into fists). Remember that many different characters can be the same as one English word, and vice versa.

The problem of communication between people with hearing impairments has been known to mankind for a long time. And this language also had its revolutions, ups and downs.

• In the 18th century there was Amslen. His weakness was that he was constantly changing. Acquired many “dialects”. People had difficulty understanding each other.
• By the middle of the last century, there was a need for an international language for the hearing impaired. He appeared. They called him a rude name. It includes hand gestures, body turns and facial expressions.

Language for the deaf and dumb and its types

It is important to distinguish the language of the hearing impaired from dactylology. The last one is the image of individual letters with hands. It is used for proper names, city names, and specific words not yet included in the unified language.

Where to go to learn the language of the deaf and mute?

From the previous section it is clear: on the one hand, there is a fantastic need for sign language interpreters, on the other hand, no one is particularly eager to get into this profession. Answering the question why takes too long and is not very pleasant, so let’s immediately move on to the practical part - where to turn? The options are as follows.

• Groups and communities of the hearing-impaired and deaf-mute. The rescue of drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves. Russian realities make many feel like Barons Munchausen. Of course, services of this kind are free.
• Educational institutions of both higher and middle levels. Available to social workers and linguists – free of charge.
• If suddenly the sufferers did not find free courses, then there are paid ones. They are provided by research and methodological centers, as well as special schools for the hearing impaired and the deaf.

When you don’t want to pay money (after all, this is not the most profitable investment), but there is a need for knowledge, then you should not despair. You need to turn to the great and mighty Internet, and it will tell you what to do.

How to learn deaf language on your own?

In general, real education is self-education. The world is fast and highly efficient, so there is often no time to get a systematic education when a person needs specific skills. Let's consider options for learning a language for the deaf and mute on your own.

• Websites. The Internet, as always, helps. A huge number of groups and communities that will help a person in theoretical and practical language acquisition.
• Phone applications. These are textbooks that do not take up much space and that can be opened at any time convenient for a person.
• Books. Despite technological progress and newfangled novelties, books are still popular among the population. What can I say, books and dogs are man’s best friends. But books are not made for lazy people. They need to be dealt with seriously and thoughtfully.
• Training video. Plus – visibility. The downside is that there is no mentor nearby to help if something goes wrong.

To understand whether a person speaks a language well or poorly requires practice. Therefore, as soon as the basics are mastered, you need to find a community where you can test yourself. And don't be afraid. If a person is hard of hearing, he will be welcome. If he has no hearing problems, then he will be doubly welcome, because there is a catastrophic shortage of sign language interpreters.

How to master the language of the deaf and mute and understand your level of language proficiency?

Everyone receiving new education wants to know where they are in their skill development. There are three levels of deaf language proficiency.

• Understanding lexical norms and being able to maintain communication is the first step.
• A beginner sign language translator is the second stage.
• Advanced sign language translator - third level.

By studying a language on your own, you cannot understand your level. Only in specialized courses can a teacher assess a person’s abilities. It takes 3 months to master each level and from 45 to 50 hours of classes - an academic hour. After completing the courses, you can try to qualify as a sign language interpreter. To do this you need to pass a special commission. The opportunity is available to people of the second stage of education.

It all started again with the series. Although, to be completely precise, it comes from a beautiful interior. I was looking for series with interiors from Greg Grande, the same one who was the artist on .

This is how I came across the series “They were mixed up in the maternity hospital.”

It's about two girls who were mistakenly confused by doctors in the maternity hospital, and their families only found out about it when their daughters turned 16 years old. This is where the series begins, and then everything seems to be as usual: first love, conflicts with parents, arguments between the parents themselves, rivalry at school, breakups and reconciliations. Oh yes, all this in beautiful interiors.

The tricky part is that one of the main characters is deaf.

She became deaf when she was two years old and now wears hearing aids, goes to a school for the deaf and speaks sign language. And the plot is also strongly twisted around this.

I became seriously interested when I started watching interviews with actors and found out that some of the actors are actually deaf.

Actress Katie LeClair, who plays the main character, has Meniere's disease, the syndromes of which include hearing impairment and dizziness. The disease does not prevent her from working, but it helps to talk about this diagnosis in interviews and more people go to doctors to get checked.

While still at school, Katie learned sign language. Imagine, in the States you can easily choose sign language as a second language to study.

One of the episodes of the series was filmed entirely in sign language, not a single word is used in it. At the very beginning, the two main actresses appear and warn the audience that don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with your TV, but some scenes will be filmed in complete silence.

This is so cool! Talk about people with special needs not through short commercials or speeches trying to squeeze out a tear.

I watched the series and realized that disabled people are not only the people we imagine in wheelchairs.

Oh, this stereotype, firmly settled in the head thanks to the sign on car windows and on the asphalt of parking lots.

And so I ran into a deaf company at an intersection. I remembered that at the age of eight I myself suffered a serious otitis media with the risk of losing part of my hearing. The organizers of the event, who invited me as a speaker, asked me to speak louder, since there was a participant with a hearing aid in the hall.

It felt like the Universe was desperately hinting to me: “Would you like to learn sign language?”

I entered “sign language teaching” into the search and very quickly found it in St. Petersburg sign language school "Image". The school is located on the territory of the Herzen Pedagogical University, which means that at least twice a week I find myself in the very center of the city.

The university campus, which I need to completely cross - from the entrance with a strict security guard to building 20, our teacher Denis Aleksandrovich - “So, you’ll already learn these gestures at home yourself, now there’s no time to waste on this” (in fact, he’s very cool!) - all this brings me back to nostalgia for my student past.

Training twice a week for two months. This is an express course, the usual course lasts four months. The lesson lasts one and a half hours. What you need to learn something new and not get tired. And most importantly - no sports uniform in a bag, which I hate, no changing clothes and showering in open stalls. In general, one hundred thousand five hundred times better than sports.

There are many students in the group. One of my classmates born in 2000. Imagine! I thought they were still somewhere in kindergarten, but they are already in higher educational institutions. It's hard for me to believe this. But there are also adult students like me.

Most of my classmates ended up in class for the same reason as me. Interesting.

Only a few classes have passed, and I can already tell about myself, what my name is, what I do, how old I am and what year I was born. I can talk about the family and keep the conversation going: “Do you have a dog?” “No, I don’t have a dog, I have a cat.”

It's funny, but incredibly exciting.

Some interesting things about sign language

• Sign language is different in different countries, in our country it is Russian Sign Language (RSL). For some reason, this is terribly disappointing for everyone, they say, they could agree on one language and they would have super-power.
• Dactylology is a form of speech where each letter is expressed as a sign, but it is not a sign language. For example, you can edit a name or a foreign word for which there is no sign yet.
• Deaf people read lips, so it is important for them to see not only the hands that show gestures, but also the lips that pronounce words.
• Sign language has a different grammar and therefore uses a different word order. For example, a question word is always placed at the end of a sentence.
• Sign language is not a copy of a real language, but a full-fledged language with its own linguistic features, structure, and grammar. In sign language, the shape of the sign, its localization (the same gesture at the forehead and at the chest means different things), the nature of the movement and the non-manual component (facial expressions, turning the body, head) are important.

What I like most about my studies is that, perhaps for the first time, I am trying not to be an excellent student.

There is no need to write anything down in class - I took the notebook out of my bag after the first meeting. Yes, there is homework, but I don’t always do it. No grades or tests. I remember well what is taught in class and that’s enough for me.