Sign language is everywhere. You must have seen people sign through gestures and facial expressions, or you do them yourself without knowing. If you see people using sign language for communication, you will see it is lively and fun.
Sign language is not only for the deaf community. Get that thought off your head.
For the hearing population and much of the world, sign language is what deaf people do, just like Yoruba people speak Yoruba and French people speak French. However, sign language is a form of language. People learn it for communication purposes. There are many reasons for signing besides the inability to hear.
You can learn sign language as a second language to become bilingual. Learning sign language provides all the same benefits as learning a new language.
There are several sign languages globally. The fact remains that though two countries might speak the same language, their sign languages would be different. Even here in Nigeria, there are different types of Nigerian sign language. However, we adopt the American sign language (ASL) in Nigeria. It is the official language used by the schools for the deaf in Nigeria.
Sign language is an energetic undertaking that involves much of your expressions – not just hands and arms. Sign language is easy to learn. You will have the opportunity to communicate with the people around you who are hearing impaired or understand how to sign.
Sign language can become your secret language.
If you count yourself among the hearing population, you may never have thought about learning how to sign. In this article, you will learn the benefits of learning sign language, where to take courses in the language, and tips and resources so you can understand better and faster.
The Benefits You Can Get From Learning Sign Language
There are an estimated 300 sign languages around the world. They are all represented by graceful, expressive movements that anyone signing executes. These beautiful sign languages have universal benefits, like learning a new language.
You can start a career by learning sign language. How? You can become a sign language teacher or interpreter. Either one is a good source of income.
Go check out ASLN. The Association of Sign Language Interpreters of Nigeria (ASLN) is the Umbrella body of the sign language interpreters of Nigeria aimed at developing the profession of sign language interpreters within the country.
Did you also know that the ability to use sign language can be an attractive addition to your CV? If you didn't, now you know.
If you are around babies or have a baby, you must have noticed that your child learned how to communicate by crying. The baby's crying could mean hunger or a nappy change.
Parents can learn and teach their young children to sign as a form of communication, especially when they are at the age they cannot speak but are aware of their feelings but cannot communicate them properly. Parents can teach them basic signs for words like more, drink, sleep, food, etc.
Studies have shown that children who knew how to sign as babies generally perform better in school, suffer lower levels of stress, are more confident and can express themselves better.
Sign language can help you when spoken words are impossible, such as talking underwater, talking through glass, from a distance, at a loud music concert, and talking with your mouth full.
Like being bilingual, one reason to learn sign language is that it would make you versatile in communicating and find yourself multi-tasking like a pro.
Where To Find Sign Language Classes
The best way to learn sign language easily is by taking sign language classes. You may have tried to type how to learn sign language using the web and see different options. However, sign languages vary. You may have seen American sign language and British sign language everywhere.
You might think you could use a language learning app or website to learn sign language; there are you should avoid them.
- Will you learn the correct type of sign language?
- How will you know you are learning how to sign correctly?
- How can you develop the needed receptive skills?
And what about interpreting what someone else is signing? If you get no practice conversing in sign, you may never be able to hold a conversation with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing.
No one sign fits in sign language. You can decide to learn the sign language for any country like America, British, Chinese, Australia, French, and of course, Nigeria.
That is why we stand firm on taking a sign language class, where you can meet fellow signers and learn all of the vocabulary unique to your area – yes, sign language is regional, just like spoken dialect is.
You have to decide the type of sign language to learn. Is it the Nigerian sign language? If yes, is it the Yoruba or Hausa sign language? The idea is to understand that you need be specific with the type of sign language you want to learn first.
There are several ways to take classes for sign language in Nigeria. You can decide to hire the services of a private sign language tutor to teach you at home or online. Several empowerment groups give free or subsidized rates classes for people interested in learning sign language in Nigeria.
There are several sign language training centres all over Nigeria; you only need to search online for the ones closest to you.
Resources And Apps For Learning Sign Language
As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. If you do not practice whatever you are learning, you can never master the art of it. You could stand in front of a mirror holding conversations by yourself or use the resource available to anyone learning to sign.
The most effective resource for learning sign language is to take a sign language course or class. By taking a lesson with a sign language teacher, you will know several ways sign language can be efficient while using it.
Besides taking sign language classes, the very best resource to help you learn how to sign is the deaf community. You can learn how to sign in Nigeria by joining a deaf community near you, depending on the type of Nigerian sign language you want to understand.
The deaf and hard of hearing are your best help for learning sign language and are great people to be around. However, there are more resources for you.
You might want a sign language dictionary to download to your phone or watch some sign language videos to pick up on particular facial expressions that go with the signs or are associated uniquely with sign language. You may even want to find some fingerspelling exercises to practice.
To learn Nigerian sign language or American sign language (which Nigeria adopted some parts), you can use apps and resources like:
- Youtube
- Sign Language 101
- Start ASL
- ASL dictionary
All of these are online. However, ensure you are targeting the type of sign language you desire to understand.
Some Useful Tips For Learning Sign Language
Before we proceed, one of the tips to help your learning journey is to abandon the idea that sign language is for only the deaf community. We will advise you to educate yourself about deafness and the deaf community around you.
You can use it as often as possible by joining a social group for signing or enrolling as a volunteer in a deaf community or organization. The most important thing is putting yourself out there where you can practice your sign language skills to gain fluency.
You might spend some time with deaf students to see how their lessons are taught and learn about deaf education in general. Learning any new language by immersion is one of the best ways to learn fast and fluently.
Asides from learning with the deaf community around you, here are some other tips that will help your learning:
- Sign languages are different and not universal. Be specific with the one you desire to understand.
- Understand that sign language is not a word-for-word translation of your native language. Sign language is a form of communication that incorporates facial expressions, body movements and hand gestures.
- Use it regularly with the people around your environment.
- Select your tutor rightly. You can choose to learn with the deaf or a bilingual teacher. Contrary to the belief that if you want to learn a second language, you should learn from a native speaker of that language. If we say you should learn from only the deaf community, it may take longer to learn.
- Beware of the online resources you use. Do your research to ensure the videos are expressive and well-structured.
If you are interested in learning how to sign, you can start by checking out the various sign language teachers on Superprof Nigeria. Most of the tutors offer the first hour of their lesson free.
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