Why Are Proper Greetings Important
You may be wondering why you need to learn about greetings. Maybe youre more comfortable using your native greeting, whether that be Hola, Konnichiwa, Ciao, or something else entirely. After all, you may think everyone will know what you mean. And you may be right. In a world that is quickly becoming one gigantic global village, the most common ways to say hello in different countries are becoming increasingly commonplace all across the world. No matter which English-speaking country you find yourself in, youll probably be able to get away with using non-English greetings. But, you know . . . when in Rome . . .
Youre probably already aware of a few ways to say hello to someone in English, but there are actually dozens of greetings to usein fact, too many to list here. Why does one silly language need so many different greetings, anyway? For one thing, English speakers like to avoid repetition. We would much rather create countless ways to convey one single message than face the possibility of having to repeat something someone else has already said. If one person says Hello, the other person will likely want to respond with another phrase. More important than this dread of redundancy, however, is that different circumstances call for different levels of formality. You would not greet a prospective employer in the same manner or tone that you would use for a classmate or friend
Learn How To Fingerspell Like A Pro
Once youve learnt how to fingerspell each letter of the alphabet, its time to polish your form! Check out these tips to improve your fingerspelling:
- Pause between spelling individual words. This improves the comprehensibility of your signing.
- Keep your hand in one place while spelling each word. This can take practice, but it makes it much clearer for others to read back. An exception to this is when you are fingerspelling an acronym. In this instance, move each letter in a small circle to let people know not to read the letters together as a single word.
- If you are fingerspelling a word that has a double letter, bounce your hand between those two letters to indicate the repetition of that letter. You can also do this by sliding the letter slightly to the side to indication it should be doubled. It can be difficult to not bounce between every letter when first learning to fingerspell. You can use your free hand to hold your write to help steady it while practicing. Eventually, youll get used to keeping your hand steady by itself while fingerspelling.
- Keep your fingerspelling hand at the height of your shoulder. This is the most comfortable position for your signing and the other persons reading.
- Keep your pace consistent. There is no need to race through when spelling a word. Its more important that each letter is clear, and the overall rhythm is consistent.
Practicing Common Phrases In Sign Language
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How To Learn Songs In American Sign Language
Scholars and sign language speakers alike consider International Sign Language the sign language equivalent of Esperanto. Also called Gestuno, IS is a constructed language with over 1,000 signs intended to unify sign language speakers around the world. Since it’s primarily a lexicon with no distinct syntax, speakers of IS tend to sign it using the syntax from their native sign language. There are no native speakers of IS, so you’ll likely have to use a dictionary to learn it.
Check out an International Sign Language dictionary at your local library . This will be in video or photographic form to help you visualize the signs. Check out a book on American Sign Language as well .
Choose one hand to be your dominant hand, the primary hand with which you sign. Typically, this will be the hand you write with.
Practice forming the signs in the IS dictionary. Shape and move your hands exactly as they do in the dictionary, as this is similar to pronouncing words properly aloud.
Practice forming sentences in IS. Use the book on ASL for instructions on syntax, since IS doesn’t have its own syntax.
Find at least one person in your area with whom you can speak IS. Contact a local center for the deaf and hard of hearing to find out if anyone there can help you. The best way to become fluent in a language is to use it regularly.
To Further Improve Your Sign Language Skills We Suggest You Do The Following:

- Learn the alphabet:: this is the basic and the building blocks to signing like a pro.
- Practice with native signers:: hanging out with Deaf people is a good away to practice as it is going to force you to use the signlanguage.
- Subscribe to 1 or more Sign Language teaching channels on Youtube:Check outSigned With Heart andASL Rochelle channelsto name just a few.
YouGlish for:
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Use Of Sign Languages In Hearing Communities
On occasion, where the prevalence of deaf people is high enough, a deaf sign language has been taken up by an entire local community, forming what is sometimes called a “village sign language” or “shared signing community”. Typically this happens in small, tightly integrated communities with a closed gene pool. Famous examples include:
In such communities deaf people are generally well-integrated in the general community and not socially disadvantaged, so much so that it is difficult to speak of a separate “Deaf” community.
Many Australian Aboriginal sign languages arose in a context of extensive speech taboos, such as during mourning and initiation rites. They are or were especially highly developed among the Warlpiri, Warumungu, Dieri, Kaytetye, Arrernte, and Warlmanpa, and are based on their respective spoken languages.
Sign language is also used by some people as a form of alternative or augmentative communication by people who can hear but cannot use their voices to speak.
Some sign languages have obtained some form of legal recognition, while others have no status at all. Sarah Batterbury has argued that sign languages should be recognized and supported not merely as an accommodation for the disabled, but as the communication medium of language communities.
Not A Universal Language
There is no single sign language used around the world. Like spoken language, sign languages developed naturally through different groups of people interacting with each other, so there are many varieties. There are somewhere between 138 and 300 different types of;sign;language used around the;globe;today.;
Interestingly, most countries that share the same spoken language do not necessarily have the same sign language as each other. English for example, has three varieties: American Sign Language , British Sign Language and Australian Sign Language .
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Doing Sign Language Around Others
Assessment Of Each Outcome
The students use the Unit 1 achievement checklist to assess each other, working in pairs. They demonstrate their learning for each outcome and jointly agree on whether it has been achieved.
Where students have not achieved an outcome, encourage them to work with others, using tasks that will help them to achieve it.
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Signing The Alphabet Numbers And Common Words
What Is American Sign Language
American Sign Language is a complete, natural language that has the same linguistic properties as spoken languages, with grammar that differs from English. ASL is expressed by movements of the hands and face. It is the primary language of many North Americans who are deaf and hard of hearing, and is used by many hearing people as well.
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Relationships With Spoken Languages
There is a common misconception that sign languages are somehow dependent on spoken languages: that they are spoken language expressed in signs, or that they were invented by hearing people. Similarities in language processing in the brain between signed and spoken languages further perpetuated this misconception. Hearing teachers in deaf schools, such as or Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, are often incorrectly referred to as “inventors” of sign language. Instead, sign languages, like all natural languages, are developed by the people who use them, in this case, deaf people, who may have little or no knowledge of any spoken language.
As a sign language develops, it sometimes borrows elements from spoken languages, just as all languages borrow from other languages that they are in contact with. Sign languages vary in how much they borrow from spoken languages. In many sign languages, a manual alphabet may be used in signed communication to borrow a word from a spoken language, by spelling out the letters. This is most commonly used for proper names of people and places; it is also used in some languages for concepts for which no sign is available at that moment, particularly if the people involved are to some extent bilingual in the spoken language. Fingerspelling can sometimes be a source of new signs, such as initialized signs, in which the handshape represents the first letter of a spoken word with the same meaning.
Visual Prompting In Deaf Culture

This clip shows examples of visual prompts.
Before you view the clip, ask your students what visual prompts they already know or use.
After you watch the clip, discuss what changes your class could makes to ensure they use appropriate cultural behaviours when learning and using NZSL.
Changes could apply to physical behaviour and to the use of classroom space.
Examples include:
- horseshoe or circle-seating arrangements so that each person can see everyone else
- attracting attention by turning the light on and off;
- stamping on the floor to cause a vibration
- waving your hands in the air to applaud instead of clapping.
Ending the session
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American Sign Language: Hey
HEY:The sign “hey” is a good way to get someone’s attention when you want to sign to them.; Do NOT do this sign close to somebody’s face.; That would be rude.; Do it from at least several feet away.; The closer you are, the smaller the movement. The further away you are, the larger you can do the movement.
SHOULDER-TAP You use this sign to tell someone to tap so-and-so on the shoulder so that person will look at you so you can tell him something or ask him a question.
Want to help support ASL University?; It’s easy:;DONATE Another way to help is to buy something from the ASLU “Bookstore.”Want even more ASL resources?; Visit the “ASL Training Center!“; ;;CHECK IT OUT>
Bandwidth slow?; Check out “ASLUniversity.com” ;;VISIT>
You can learn sign language online at American Sign Language University ;Sign language lessons and resources.; Dr. William Vicars © Lifeprint.com
What Is A Greeting
Hola! Shalom! Czesc! Marhaba! Salut! Hallo!
Well, hi there! Now that youve been thoroughly greeted, lets get down to business and talk about using different greetings in English. According to Merriam-Webster, a greeting is a salutation upon meeting someone, or an expression of good wishes. More simply, to greet someone is to say hello or to extend a polite word of welcome.
Each country or culture has its own way of greeting others, and these greetings are a part of every conversation. Think about how you greet new people in your native country. Do you have different ways to say hello when you meet someone in a store, at a job interview, at school, or at your own house? Just as there are different ways to say hello in your native language, there are different conventions to follow in English. It is important to know the common greetings and how to use them properly and confidently. They say that first impressions are everything, but I say that a first impression is nothing without the proper greeting.
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Formal Greetings: How Do You Do
The phrase featured in the heading above is formal, a bit outdated, and not often used today. However, certain greetings are appropriate for use in more formal situations or when respect and courtesy are called for. These instances include business meetings, formal classroom or workplace presentations, or meeting a friends parents. You may encounter such greetings when doing business in restaurants and shops. There are many other options, but here are six of the most common formal ways to say hello:
1.Hello!
4.Good evening.
5.Its nice to meet you.
6.Its a pleasure to meet you.
Lets take a look at how these phrases might be used:
Mr. Piper : Good morning, Mr. Drummer. How are you today?
Mr. Drummer: Hello, Mr. Piper. Im very well, thank you! Please come in and we can review that contract.
Dr. Feelwell : Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight I would like to present the results of my study on Healthy Fast Food Options.’
John : Er . . . ah . . . Its nice to meet you, Mr. Wolverine, sir.
Nsfw: 9 Smutty Sign Language Phrases
Learning a new language is always a two-part process. You go to class and learn the basics of polite conversation and everyday objects, like “How are you?” “What is the weather like?” and “Where is the library?” Then you go home and search on your own to try and find out how to say the dirtiest words you can think of. Everyone does this. After four years of learning French in high school, the two sentences I remember best are “I would like a ham sandwich” and “You have a porcupine stuck up your behind.” I think it’s human nature to want to learn about the raunchy side of a new culture.
It was the same in college, when I started to learn American Sign Language. My friends and I would learn new vulgar words and phrases, and excitedly share them with each other. It was so interesting to see what this other culture did to express the same taboo concepts, to see how we were united in that, hearing and deaf alike, we all thought about these unmentionable things and put names to them. And the more I learned about American Sign Language, the more I wanted to share it with people! I wanted to let everyone else see how exciting and fun it was. After two and a half years of a successful YouTube channel posting videos as I’ve learned new phrases, I’m proud to share my new book, “Super Smutty Sign Language” , chock full of the best and filthiest phrases I’ve learned in ASL. Here are a few examples:
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