Today I am going to check on your alphabet. This is to see what you know and what letters you are struggling with. As I come around to each student please sign your first and last name. If you are waiting you should work on the “fingerseek” or work on your alphabet skills. Today should be a silent day! Voices need to be off. Feel free to write notes if you have questions.

* In Deaf culture, not maintaining eye contact during a conversation is rude. * As you work in this class we all need to develop or improve the habit of looking people in the eye when they are signing. * Your eyes are your ears!

* Sign space refers to the area in which most signs are mad in normal conversation. * Signing outside the sign space is uncomfortable on your hands, wrists, and shoulders.

* You sign with the hand that feels most comfortable and natural for you. * This tends to be the hand that you write with. * That hand is called your dominant hand. * This is the hand that is used most often to sign * The other is called your non-dominant hand. * Switching hands in conversation is a common error that should be avoided.

* What happens when you speak in a monotone voice, devoid of inflection or expression? * The same results happen when you sign without using facial expressions. * The auditory information, such as tone of voice, emotion, and intent must be mad visual in ASL. * Facial expressions not only convey emotion and meaning, but ASL grammar as well.

* The point of facial expression is to clearly convey grammar and meaning. * Sometimes we as hearing people think it is “good enough” but it falls short of what ASL requires. * If you do not match each sign with a specific facial expression, instead you will match your face to the overall meaning of what you are signing. Example: I am tired. vs I am exhausted.

* Some facial expressions are used more often than others. * Two major facial expressions we will go over are the two Question Faces. The Question-Maker Facial Expression This expression should be used when asking general questions. Example: Are you learning ASL? How are you doing today? The WH-Face Facial Expression This expression should be used when using the signs who, what, when where, and which. Example: Where are you going? Why are you late?

* Signing clearly is the same as speaking clearly. * Sloppy, uncertain signing is exactly like mumbling. * In the example below we have three different signs but they all have the same movement and handshape, just different location. Summer UglyDry

* This concept is essential in learning ASL. You must learn to think in ASL rather than using ASL signs matched to English words. * If you “mouth” words or talk silently in English while signing, then you are not using ASL. * Some Deaf people do sign and mouth English words at the same time, but only when they choose to sign in English word order. * Deaf people do this most often with signing with hearing people who are not fluent in ASL.

* Fingerspelling is an important part of ASL, but is not a substitute for signs. * When in conversation try to communicate in other ways (facial expression or miming) before fingerspelling. * Learning fingerspelling is challenging for most ASL students, but remember it is a step by step process.