Signs2Go: Learning one sign language through another

[Jens Heßmann]

Thank you for the encouraging response, Emily, and quite right, Adam, as this was a European project, funded by EU money, there is no ASL. However, adding ASL or other sign languages as teaching languages, or indeed applying the framework to develop a learning tool for other sign languages than BSL, is something envisaged in the project. Basically, the project tried to enforce the idea that (a) individual sign languages can and should be taught as foreign languages for Deaf sign language users, and (b) the native sign language of the learner can play a useful role in the learning process, circumventing the need for any spoken or written language. So, we would love to see a Signs2Go 2.0, teaching DGS on the basis of ASL, or a Signs2Go 3.0, teaching ASL on the basis of any of the world's sign languages, etc. ... :-) 

Jens

Am 16.05.2011 um 02:57 schrieb Adam Frost:

> Oh, that makes sense now. 
> 
> Adam
> 
> On May 15, 2011, at 7:58 PM, "Don & Emily Walker" <donem1016 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
>> It does not have ASL.  Sorry I was not clear.  I am saying that even with ASL being my second language, there was enough learning transferable from ASL grammatical markers that I was able to pick up some BSL really quickly.  The same skills that assist with ASL, help with BSL.  While fingerspelling is really different in BSL, the closure skills used in ASL fingerspelling help with quickly being able to pick up words in BSL.
>> 
>> Does that make more sense?
>> 
>> So just as was said in the first post:  "The course is based on the expectation that Deaf people will want to use their first sign language to learn a second or foreign sign language."  I'm not Deaf and ASL is my second language but it helped me transfer learning to a 3rd language (or second signed langauge).
>> 
>> Emily Walker
>> Clover SC


> Von: "Adam Frost" <adam at FROSTVILLAGE.COM>
> Datum: 15. Mai 2011 23:46:56 MESZ
> An: SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACC.EDU
> Betreff: Re: Signs2Go: Learning one sign language through another
> Antwort an: "linguists interested in signed languages" <SLLING-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACC.EDU>
> 
> Umm... Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that Signs2Go, while has several sign languages, does not have ASL on it.
> 
> Adam
> 
> On May 15, 2011, at 5:10 PM, Don & Emily Walker wrote:
> 
>> 
>> 
>> Jens,
>> Thank you so much for sharing this information. It is a great site!  I looked through it today and while ASL is my second language, I was able to pick up the BSL alphabet in just a few minutes and could understand some of the conversation in the first video. What a great idea! 
>> 
>> Emily Walker
>> Clover SC
> 



> The Signs2Go online course is now available at www.signs2go.eu! This is a cost-free self-learning tool that makes learning British Sign Language through Norwegian, Italian, Dutch or German Sign Language possible.
> 
> The course is based on the expectation that Deaf people will want to use their first sign language to learn a second or foreign sign language. No spoken or written language is used in the course. It is all sign language!
> 
> The course was developed in an EU project from January 2009 until March 2011 (for information on the project, go to www.signs2go.eu and click on „i“ for „information“). The main work was done by Deaf sign language teachers Clark Denmark (UK), Unni Helland and Randi Margrete Høidahl (Norway), Tom Uittenbogert (Netherlands), Sabine Fries (Germany) and Luigi Lerose (Italy).
> 
> Each of the ten units of the course focusses on an episode from the BSL series Wicked (www.bslbt.co.uk/wicked). The units can be used in any order. BSL videos can be approached through BSL explanations or a choice of national sign languages. Each units contains extensive language exercises. Online-help is available in sign language.
> 
> Please, try out the course and give us your feedback on learning one sign language through another! Please fill in the online questionnaire at www.deafacademy.eu (available in English and German)!
> 
> We are also very much interested in adaptions of our course. So, if you have an idea of how to use the Signs2Go framework for your own teaching and learning purposes, do get in touch with us to discuss possible adaptations!
> 
> Go to www.signs2go.eu! Contact us at info at signs2go.eu!
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