Sign language dictionary online

Nowadays we have many sources to translate from sing language to verbal lenguage. One of the most useful methods is using a video-translator. We are going to show you how it works.

In a video-translator you can search a word, a sentence or even coloquial expressions. You also have to options to search a word. You can type it in the upper box or you can look for it in alphabetic order, which is a list you have got in the left side of the page.

Then, when you select the word you are looking for, it appears a video in which a person shows you how to perform it in sign language.

You have also the possibility of using a tool in which you can save the words that look for, so that if you forget how to perform a word you have search before, you just need to go to that tool.

The page also provides you the possibility of searching words in another lenguage, apart from English, such as French, Catalan and Spanish.

The web page is: http://www.sematos.eu/index.html

American Sign lenguage

The American Sign language was introduced by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc at the American School for the Deaf in 1817. It is greatly influenced by the French sign language and is very similar to it.

Certain norms, known as 'Good Form' are followed while using the sign language alphabets.
-The hands should remain in place and should not bounce in between letters. The hands can bounce to indicate the repetition of alphabets.
-Use of a brief gap between two terms should be made to signify the start and end of the terms.
-The hand used for signing the alphabets should be placed at shoulder height.
-While signing acronyms, the alphabets should be moved in a small circle so that they are not spelled as one word.
-Use of long fingernails and jewelry should be avoided.
-A consistent pace should be maintained.

The sign language alphabets are used commonly among the deaf community and people dealing with the deaf can also make effective use of this form of communication.

Sign language for kids

Did you know?

It is possible to teach sign language to babies and children between the age of 6 - 36 months. Irrespective of whether they are speech impaired or hearing impaired, sign language helps your child by increasing her/his vocabulary, spelling proficiency, self-image, and her/his ability to express emotions.
People are generally under the misapprehension that sign language is only used for, by, those who are hearing-impaired or speech impaired. Everyone of us, use signs instead of spoken or written words to communicate with our friends, colleagues and family members. Babies use their faces and hands, and of course voice, to communicate their needs. Teaching sign language to your 6-month old baby will establish a 2-way communication bridge between you and your child.

Learning a Sign Language

Sign language classes: The proper way to learn  sign language is to learn it from a trained teacher. A professional teacher can put you on the right track from day one. The teacher can also give you feedback and correct your technique in time.
In the United States, many colleges and universities are conducting classes where ASL is taught to interested candidates. A sign language class offers you an opportunity to interact with other participants of the class and teamwork could put all of you on the fast track. The summer program at Gallaudet University (Washington DC), conducted between mid-June and mid-August, is considered to be the best.

Online resources: There are many resources, such as visual sign language dictionary on the Internet, that offers you on-line help.
Applications for Sign language: There are number of applications that can be used with the help of computer or android based smartphones or hand-held devices such as iPhone/iPod touch. In fact, some applications are incorporating sign language mode in story books for children as can be seen from 'Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy'.The interpretation of words into sign language, was first noticed among a few hearing-impaired parents who were found teaching their children to spell the printed words, using their fingers (finger writing). Sign language aware children are better placed than the rest when they eventually go to the school for proper education. Hearing-impaired children who know how to express themselves using this language have better chances of adapting to changes in his or her lifestyle and being a productive part of the society.

Guidelines to learn sign language

Guidelines on Learning Sign Language

-Start With the Basics and Books
You need to start with the basics, like in any other verbal language. First, you need to learn how to spell the alphabets with using the fingers of your hands, as this would be necessary for expressing whole words and sentences. To get to know the basics of this gestural language, you can also refer to some good books that are available in the market. However, just reading these books will not make you a good user.

-Sign Language Training Courses
You will need to undergo a course or training. Earlier, this language was not widely known, as a result there were no or very less number of colleges and educational institutions who offered such courses. But nowadays, they are a fair amount of universities and training institutes that offer these courses.

You can easily find colleges in states such as Illinois, California, Florida, Massachusetts and more. Those thinking of learning sign language online should understand that though there are a wide range of online courses available, it is always better to learn in practical. Another good option is to watch news for the hearing impaired and movies of deaf characters.

-Gain Practical Experience
After you have got all the theoretical knowledge of the words and alphabets used in sign language, it is time to go live. But before using the language in general, it is better to practice it at home thoroughly. Go in public and try to communicate with deaf people or those with severe hearing loss. You can also approach an organization for the deaf and dumb and ask them if you can serve as a volunteer for any project that includes communicating with deaf people using sign language.

These tips will help you to learn sign language, but you have to keep in mind that it is not as easy as it looks. You need to have abundant determination and patience. Actual communication with deaf people will certainly better your sign language communication and interpretation skills.

Who invented sign language?

Cave man sign language

The earliest humans did not use words to communicate. They used sign languages that were absolutely different from the sign language used today. Even animals use sign language to communicate with each other. Similarly, body language was also used to communicate and pass on messages in the early humans. Thus, in some form or the other, communication was carried out by the early humans in form of a distinct sign language. However, it is impossible to point out who invented sign language in the early ages, because it has been carried forward through generations.

The wild wild west and sign language

The sign language arrived on the lands of America with the efforts of two men. 

 Laurent Clerk and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet opened the first American school for the deaf, after about 45 years of L'Epee's school in Paris. 

                                                 

The children who attended their school came from all over the country and thus they integrated many methods into the school's existing program. This helped in creation of the American Sign Language.
These early influences and contributions lead to the development of the sign language. The sign language has really helped the deaf to communicate with people around them. The credit as the inventor of sign language should be given to the early cavemen who used it even before words were created. Thus, one person cannot be pin-pointed for the invention of sign language. It was the contribution of many people which led to the creation of sign language.

Sign Language History

First, we are going to talk about how Sign Language was invented, and its history.
We, first of all, need to know what Sing Language is. Sign language combines manual language, body language, movements of hands and body and facial expressions to convey meaning, and so, to comunicate with other people.




In 1620, Juan Pablo Bonet, a Spanish priest known for his work education for the deaf, published a book called, 'Reduction of letters and art for teaching people to speak'. It brought about a way of using manual alphabet that would enable the deaf and dumb people to communicate.




Charles-Michel de L'Epee invented the sign language. He published an alphabet that was inspired from Bonet's work on sign language. The first school for the deaf and dumb was founded in 1755 in Paris by Abbe de L'Epee. The first permanent school for the deaf was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 1817.

Since the early years of the development of sign language, finger spellings and distinct finger positions to represent different letters of the alphabet have always been a part of sign language. The origin of the sign language can be traced back to the initial years of the Christian era. Signs are not always used to represent letters or single words. They are often used to represent ideas. They are rich and complex and should not be mistaken as mere visual representations of the words. Sign languages are based on phonemes, which are built into meaningful units of expression.

Several sign languages are in use today. Deaf communities from different parts of the world communicate differently, through their own versions of sign languages. American Sign Language, abbreviated as ASL, is predominant in the Deaf community of the United States, in parts of Canada and Mexico.

Welcoming.

Sign language blog.

Welcome to our blog, we will provide you any kind of information related with sign language, and all means of communication that people which are hearing impaired and speech impaired use. We hope you enjoy our blog and overall you learn a lot from it.