T in sign language. Sign language: training, lessons, courses. Types of language for the deaf and dumb

Few understand the power they have in their hands. There are times when your own hands can save or literally betray, and all this happens without your conscious participation. Of course, if you don't know how hand language works.

A person who speaks the language of non-verbal communication has a lot of advantages over his counterpart, and is able to hear not only what the interlocutor is talking about, but also understand what he is thinking about, or what he is not talking about. But let's talk about everything in order.

Some stories about the origin of hand gestures

Today, many of the hand-showing symbols are internationally spelled and are equally understood by New Zealand Maori and African Masai. Why did it happen?

Why do the military put their hand to the head to greet, or to praise a person, we raise the thumb up, and to insult - the middle one? The answers to these questions came to us from the past. Let's analyze the history of some of these gestures in more detail.

1. Thumb up. Shows that everything is fine, and you are doing well. This movement came to us from antiquity. The Roman public, during gladiator fights, signaled in this way that for the diligence and diligence shown by the defeated slave during the battle, he could save his life. A lowered thumb did not bode well for the unfortunate warrior. Since then, it has become customary: the thumb points to the sky - you are at a height, to the ground - you are a bit of a loser;
2. The greeting of the military when addressing the chief or when raising the flag, by offering an open palm to the head, is borrowed from medieval knights. In those ancient times, in order to show the purity of their thoughts, warriors raised their visor when they met, thereby demonstrating the friendliness of their plans. Another version of the origin of this sign is associated with earlier periods of human history. In ancient times, given in order to show that only the sun is higher than their ruler, when meeting with the autocrat, they covered their eyes with their hands, thereby demonstrating humility. Over time, the form of the gesture has changed slightly, but the content has remained unchanged. People in uniform show their respect and commitment to the authorities or the state symbol by raising their hands to their heads;
   
3. A hand extended at a meeting, or a handshake. The origin of this greeting is explained quite simply. In ancient times, an outstretched hand, without weapons, symbolized your peace plans and respect;
   
4. Raised middle finger. There are at least two explanations for this obscene gesture. According to one version, the ancient Greeks showed this symbol to those with whom they would like to perform actions, the meaning of which reflects what we mean by demonstrating this gesture today. Another option goes back to the beginning of the 15th century, when, during the Franco-English battle of Azincourt, French soldiers cut off the middle fingers of a captured English archer so that they could not shoot at them later. Naturally, those of the English, whom the vile Frenchmen could not catch, showed them their middle fingers from a safe distance, thereby showing their disdain and courage. Why didn't the French just kill the prisoners? The question remains open;
5. The so-called goat. A symbol that distinguishes true "metalheads" from the people around them. In one version, it is said that the sign originated among the ancient Vikings, and symbolized the Scandinavian rune that protects its owner from the evil eye. According to another version, this is the “springing” of Soviet prisoners, who, in order not to go to work, simply cut their tendons, and the hand took this shape spontaneously. Today, this symbol of coolness says that the person demonstrating it is a principled "thief in law", and he will not collect popcorn scattered in the cinema;
   
6. The well-known American OK. There may be variations in this gesture depending on the part of the world in which you are. In some nations, it symbolizes that your affairs are in perfect order, in others it means that you are a “complete zero”, and in some it demonstrates problems with the large intestine. According to one of the most plausible versions, this sign was borrowed from the non-verbal language of the native American inhabitants - the Indians, who thus showed their fellow tribesmen that there were no problems.
   

Some hand gestures and their meaning

Each gesture has its own interesting and multifaceted history, however, it's time to talk about their meaning and the practical use of this knowledge in everyday life.

open palm

In most cultures, an open hand is associated with honesty. Therefore, if you want to make people believe that you are telling the truth, it is not recommended to present your arguments with your hands clenched in fists.

At such moments, it is better to open your palms to show that you are not hiding anything.

On the other hand, be alert when someone says important things to you with their hands in their pockets or hidden behind their backs. Hidden palms do not make phrases more believable, even if they are correct. With a high degree of probability, it can be argued that your interlocutor is lying or hiding some important information from you.

Palm position up and down

The way you use your hands when communicating with others can greatly affect how they perceive your words and yourself. Ask a simple question with your palms up and people will think you're asking for a favor.

On the one hand, they will not be bothered by your request, but on the other hand, they will not feel threatened or pressured by you. If you ask this question with your palms facing down, it will be more like a requirement that must be met.

It can not only set the tone for any business or political meeting, but also influence its results. When two equal interlocutors shake hands, their palms remain in a vertical position.

But if the palm of one person is facing upwards when shaking hands, this can be perceived as a symbolic surrender, and denote the superiority of another person.

When talking, your interlocutor holds his hands behind his back and makes meaningless movements with them - he is not interested in you, you should stop the meaningless conversation, or move on to another topic.

What is the meaning of finger gestures

No less revelation can be gleaned from the position of the fingers on our hands. Let's give some examples.

There is a fine line between a hand gesture and a finger gesture, but we will talk about those cases in which the movement of the fingers is an independent signal.

Some finger gestures are unintentional, and by their position one can unmistakably read what emotional state the person is in, or about his attitude to the topic of conversation.

• finger on the mouth - they lie to you;
• during a conversation, the index finger involuntarily points in the direction of another person - a clear sign of dominance;
• index finger up - you should be wary of such a person, since the gesture is often used by parents in relation to a negligent child;
• fingers are straight and tightly pressed to each other - the person has made a firm decision to achieve his goal and he does not care about sentiment;
• fingers squeeze the wrist or palm of the other hand - the interlocutor is furious, trying to restrain his emotions;
• fingers are clenched into a fist from time to time - a clear sign of a hidden threat.

What about deaf people?

Many gestures, unconsciously used in communication, are reflected in the alphabet for the deaf and dumb.

The sign languages ​​of the deaf and dumb belong to independent languages, which consist of combinations of hand and finger movements in combination with facial expressions, the position of the mouth, lips and body.

It is a mistake to assume that sign languages ​​for the deaf and dumb were invented by hearing people in order to convey information to the non-hearing. In fact, these languages ​​develop quite independently.

Moreover, in one country there may be several sign languages ​​that do not grammatically coincide with the verbal languages ​​of this country.

As practice shows, in the absence of the ability to use sound language as a means of communication, people instinctively begin to use gestures for this. The main means of communication for this are hands and fingers.

At the same time, deaf people have a lot of gestures, the meaning of which can be understood by an unprepared person. For example, the word “peace” in the language of the deaf and dumb will look like hands clasping each other located in front of the chest, “love” is a palm raised to the lips in the form of an air kiss, and “house” is palms folded in a triangle in the form of a gable roof.

Youth hand gestures and their meaning

Our children also use sign language for their communication, and the variety of these non-verbal signs is constantly enriched by the emergence of new ones. Here are a few examples of such youth gestures, with the help of which teenagers can easily understand each other, and people of the older generation, and even middle-aged people, will remain in the dark.

Time and scientific and technological progress dictate their conditions, and this fully applies to our gestures.

More recently, a hand folded in the shape of an English L did not mean anything, but today it is a loser, a sign that you are a loser.

An extended middle finger pointing to the side can mean that you are being sent, at the same time it can be interpreted as an invitation to sex.

With fingers folded in the form of a heart, everything is simple: "I love you." But the “horned goat” with the thumb laid aside means simple sympathy.

The English V, performed by a teenager with the back of his hand turned towards you, can mean both two "Cola", and serve as the equivalent of the middle finger in the UK. And such a familiar sign as OK, but upside down, and shown at waist level or below, is a frank invitation to sex.

Due to its specific versatility, using the language of hands and a few common English words, you can communicate with a foreigner who happens to be met on a busy street. Of course, you won’t be able to conclude a contract for the supply of gas equipment with him, but you can easily explain how to get to the nearest metro station or stadium.

Differences in the interpretation of familiar gestures in different countries

Do not rush to apply your wide knowledge of sign language when you are abroad. Some common symbols may have opposite meanings in different parts of the world. Let's look at the examples again.

1. If you're in France, the worldwide OK turns into a big fat zero. And in Turkey, with such a gesture, you will signal that your interlocutor is gay - not a very pleasant statement in a country where the majority of people are Muslims;
2. A thumbs-up and an outstretched forefinger means loser in teenage sign language, and in China this symbol represents the number eight;
3. A thumbs up in Europe and America says: “Everything is cool”, and in Iran, Afghanistan and Greece this obscene gesture will be read: “I ..., you ..., and all your relatives ...”, you understand;
4. The crossed index and middle fingers protect Europeans from the evil eye, and in Vietnam, such a figure denotes the female genital organ;
5. The stretched forward five stops all over the world, and, as it were, says: “Wait,” and in Greece it literally translates as “Eat shit.”

If, as the proverb says, silence is golden, then continuing the associative series, in some countries, the absence of gestures is a diamond.

The gestures and their interpretation that you have read are not limited to the examples given. The purpose of our article is to popularize, interest and direct. Perhaps our theses will help solve small life problems. Or maybe not small.

Some more additional information about the most popular gestures is in the next video.

Our world is diverse. It cannot be said that there are people who are one to one friend to another, both externally and internally similar. So, another universe, which has its own properties, is also inhabited by those who are commonly called deaf and dumb people. Their perception of the environment is many times different from how a person who does not have such physical abnormalities understands reality.

But it is important to note that the sign language of the deaf and dumb has the same versatility and colorfulness as that of a healthy person. There are more than 2,000 gestures in the dictionary. And sign signs are whole words, so showing yes and learning some of them will not be difficult.

Non-verbal sign language

Before proceeding to the dictionary of sign language, it will be appropriate to note that one of the misconceptions about it is the opinion that it depends on the verbal language that we use every day (sound and written) or that it supposedly evolved from the latter, and even that the language of the deaf and dumb was founded by a hearer. Not only that, it is commonly misunderstood that the gestures of a silent language are accepted as dactyling of letters. That is, letters are depicted by hand. But it's not.

In this language, dactylology is used to pronounce geographical names, specific terms and proper names. It is very easy to get acquainted with its basics, since there is a well-established alphabet. And you will be able to easily communicate with a deaf-mute, pronouncing the word with the help of gestures by letter. The sign language for the deaf in Russian dactylology has 33 dactyl signs.

Sign language lessons

More detailed information about the language of the deaf and dumb can be found in the book by Zaitseva G.L. "Gesture speech". Let's take a closer look at the most common gestures.

If you ask yourself the question: “Do I, a healthy person, need to know such a language?”, The answer is simple - there is not much knowledge sometimes, sometimes they are unclaimed. But perhaps someday, thanks to them, you will be able to help, for example, a lost deaf-mute.

It is a paradox, but often posture and facial expressions say more about a person than words, and gestures make speech vivid and expressive. According to psychologists, the ability to read the gestures of the interlocutor and use them will not interfere with successful communication. Therefore, mastering the sign language will help any person both at home and at work.

What is sign language

In psychology, sign language (sign language) is a system of movements of the body and hands, which helps to better convey information, understand others, for people with hearing impairment is the main way of communication. Currently, sign language is popular among psychologists as an effective means of reading non-verbal cues.

For your information. Sign language (SL), naturally occurring, independently functioning, is a combination of gestures, facial expressions, and posture.

The history of the appearance of the deaf and dumb language

Although sign language has existed for many centuries, it began to be systematized in the 18th century, during the period of industrialization of European cities. There were concentrated groups of deaf people who needed to be trained. The first person who came up with the idea of ​​teaching deaf and dumb children with gestures was the Italian doctor J. Cardano. The languages ​​of the deaf and dumb, which have national characteristics, became the basis of education. They were the basis for creating a gesture interpretation.

Today, sign language is rapidly developing, transforming into a full-fledged communication system. With its help, people with hearing impairment are taught in schools and universities. An artificial international SL has been created - gestuno, which is used at international events.

For your information. Unlike Europe, where SL developed in a civilized manner, in the countries of Africa and North America it was actively used by the entire population, for example, during hunting or war.

The difference between sign language and spoken language

Experts clearly distinguish between sign and spoken languages. It is believed that the sound is too cumbersome: each letter is indicated by its own sound, that is, a phoneme, only then a word is formed. Unlike spoken language, gestures denote both letters and whole words, which is more convenient for presenting information. Therefore, sign language is considered more effective.

In real life, every person daily uses a non-verbal way of communication, and he, as a person, is characterized by his gaze, manner of speaking, and gesticulation. It turns out that the speech method of communication is not available to the deaf, and ordinary people easily use the language of the deaf and dumb.

For your information. ZL is actually a foreign language, which, if necessary, must be studied in accordance with all the requirements of a foreign language.

Where is sign language used?

It is a mistake to think that only the deaf and dumb use non-verbal. Any person intuitively uses gestures for expressive coloring of speech. ZhYa is necessary in many areas of activity: on television, a sign language interpreter transmits information for the hearing impaired, divers and astronauts use special signs due to the inability to talk in water or air. In the theatrical sphere, politics, medicine, the army, professional body movements are needed everywhere.

Differences in the language of the deaf and dumb

Sign languages ​​can differ geographically and nationally. Studies have shown that countries with a common sound language have different SLs, and, conversely, in places with a large number of dialects, a single sign language is used. A striking example of American SL, which is more similar to French and has nothing in common with British, although it is common to the population of these countries, is English.

In Europe, the situation is similar: the unified German language in Germany and Austria does not affect the Austrian SL and the German SL, which are not even similar.

According to experts, the main difficulty lies in the lack of a unified system in the language of the deaf and dumb, which is why it differs so much in different regions, which makes it difficult to assimilate.

How to quickly learn sign language in Russian

With Russian Sign Language (RSL) there is another problem. To study it, you need to know the features of the linguistic system, which differs from other SL lexically and grammatically. The main thing is that the grammar of Russian SL is different from the Russian colloquial one due to the complex morphological transformation of words.

In addition, most of the RSL gestures are taken from German, Austrian, French sign languages, so its vocabulary is close to international.

Despite such subtleties, there are many Russian words in RSL. The initial letters of these words are shown in finger alphabet (fingerprinting), for example, the days of the week.

For your information. It is important for RSL students to know that there are 33 letters in the Russian dactyl alphabet. They correspond to the letters of the Russian alphabet and are reproduced with the help of fingers and hand movements.

The structure of teaching the language of the deaf and dumb

Now you can learn any foreign language, including the language of the deaf and dumb. The main thing is to have the desire and desire to learn. Experts advise to start learning sign language from a selection of videos, memorizing signs on specially designed sites.

It is advisable to join groups that are created for learning sign language. It is now easy to find them on social networks and work out practical skills there. However, this method is effective when the basics of CL are studied. For faster mastering of the language of the deaf and dumb, you can use the self-instruction manual.

How to learn sign language on your own from scratch

There is no single theoretical and methodological basis for teaching sign language, mastering it on your own. For those who wish, printed dictionaries and online dictionaries have been developed: the deaf teacher demonstrates a gesture in accordance with the word and gives a clear articulation.

Important! When studying gestuno, the following feature is taken into account: dactylology is needed for proper names (cities, people) or for words that do not have a gesture.

How to start self-study

Study plan:

1. The main thing is to study the dactyl alphabet - 33 gestures corresponding to a certain letter of the alphabet. In reality, the alphabet is rarely used, but knowing it is useful when learning new words for which there are no special gestures, for proper names, when letter gestures are used.
2. As soon as the theory is mastered, the alphabet is learned, and a basic vocabulary is acquired, communication with native speakers is necessary to train conversational skills. This can be done on thematic forums, specialized sites, where the audience is hard of hearing and deaf people.

Important! It is impossible without practice to master the language of the deaf and dumb. Language skills are acquired only in the process of direct communication. Then it is possible to understand the sign language and the ability to explain it.

Introduction to fingerprinting

Getting acquainted with the sign language, one must understand that it is not universal for different countries. Each region has its own alphabet and vocabulary that do not coincide with others. This is the whole difficulty, since often in non-verbal communication a gesture means not a letter, but a word or even a whole phrase. Therefore, knowledge of dactylology is necessary - a peculiar form of speech, which includes the dactyl alphabet. In it, each letter has its own sign (dactylema), composed of fingers.

It is difficult for beginners to distinguish between sign language and the dactyl alphabet, while dactylemas spell words, and gestures - whole words.

Fingering technique

Dactylology is a manual alphabet, many gestures in it begin with a letter, for example, a teapot - the letter h. It is necessary to study the dactyl alphabet step by step, slowly, it is important to work out the technique of placing fingers well. At first, the hand will get tired, but with constant training, the fingers become more flexible. For beginners, wooden gestures are observed at first. Flexibility is gained through exercises to stretch the ligaments and develop the hands.

The following explanation serves as the principle of clarity in SL:

• fingers not involved in the configuration remain straight;
• in the configuration, each finger acts independently;
• there are no intermediate configurations between dactylems;
• fuzzy, blurry configurations are defects.

Sequence of study

The dactylology of ZL in each country is different, there is no single language of the deaf and dumb. Therefore, when studying on your own, you should adhere to certain rules:

• When mastering dactyl, you need to remember the basic words, names, names.
• It is advisable to immediately master the account, the simplest numbers. This will help to consolidate the YA.
• Then they study the language itself - about 2000 different designations.
• The study of gestures begins with simple words: thank you, please, hello.
• It is necessary to memorize words gradually, to learn several gestures in one lesson.

SL is an informative way of communication that is perceived better than verbal communication. By learning to control non-verbal signals, you can interact more effectively with your interlocutors.

Video

Target audience: a course for a wide range of people who want to learn RSL from scratch.

Course length: 72 hours.

Purpose: for self-development and initial practice of communication with the deaf.

Course “Russian Sign Language. Started." 80 hours

Target audience: a course for teachers teaching the deaf in SVE and VPO organizations. Supplemented with lectures on the psychological characteristics of the deaf.

Course length: 80 hours.

Purpose: for the initial practice of communicating with the deaf as part of the educational process.

Therefore, this course will be useful not only for beginners to learn sign language, but also for the deaf, for whom RSL is their native language: they will be able to see the living connection of gestures with the language of those who hear.

The volume of the course is 72 academic hours.

In this course, the very beginnings of Russian sign language are given: the basic lexicon and the beginnings of RSL linguistics. For the first time, gestures, as lexical units, are given not as a mirror reflection of Russian words, but as independent concepts, which they are in essence, and a variant translation of these into Russian is offered for these concepts.
The course includes lectures on the basics of the psychology of deafness, which are read by a candidate of psychological sciences, a professional sign language interpreter, chairman of the Academic Council of the Institute Kuzmin Vyacheslav Vyacheslavovich.

Therefore, this course will be useful not only for beginners in learning sign language, but also for teachers of secondary and higher professional education working with the deaf in inclusive groups.

The volume of the course is 80 academic hours.

For the first time, a sign language course is equipped with full multimedia support - that is, all the gestures included in the educational lexicon are filmed on video, which saves students from the need to take notes of lectures and record gestures shown by the teacher (in this case, each note turned into a Stirlitz cipher), which is inevitable led to distortions and made it difficult to memorize the studied material. Now this is not necessary: ​​each student is given a set of 3 books - a textbook, a workbook and a dictionary. Let's talk about this set of tutorials in more detail.

It all started again with the series. Although, to be completely accurate, then from a beautiful interior. I was looking for series with interiors from Greg Grande, the same one who was the artist on .

So I came across the series "They were mixed up in the hospital."

It is about two girls who were mistakenly confused by doctors in the maternity hospital, and the families found out about it only when the daughters were 16 years old. This is where the series begins, and then everything seems to be as usual: first love, conflicts with parents, disputes between the parents themselves, rivalry at school, parting and trying on. Oh yes, all this in beautiful interiors.

The trick is that one of the main characters is deaf.

She became deaf after an illness at the age of two and now wears a hearing aid, goes to a school for the deaf and speaks sign language. And the plot twists around it too.

I became seriously interested when I started watching interviews with actors and found out that some of the actors are really deaf.

Actress Cathy Leclerc, who plays the title character, has Ménière's disease, whose syndromes include hearing loss and dizziness. The disease does not prevent her from working, but it helps to talk about this diagnosis in an interview and more people go to the doctors to get tested.

Even at school, Kathy learned sign language. Imagine, in the States, you can easily choose a sign language as a second language for learning.

One of the episodes of the series is filmed entirely in sign language, not a single word is used in it. At the very beginning, the two main actresses appear, who warn the audience, they say, do not worry, everything is fine with your TV, but some of the scenes will be filmed in complete silence.

It's so cool! Talk about people with special needs, not through short commercials or tear-jerking speeches.

I watched the series and realized that people with disabilities are not only the people we imagine in wheelchairs.

Oh, this stereotype, firmly settled in my head thanks to the sign on the windows of cars and on the pavement of parking lots.

And so I ran into a deaf company at a crossroads. I remembered that at the age of eight I myself suffered a serious otitis media with the risk of losing part of my hearing. The organizers of the event, who invited me as a speaker, asked me to speak louder, as there was a participant in the hall with a hearing aid.

It felt like the universe was desperately hinting to me, “Would you like to learn sign language?”

I entered into the search "training in sign language" and very quickly found in St. Petersburg school of sign language "Image". The school is located on the territory of the Herzen Pedagogical University, which means that at least twice a week I find myself in the very center of the city.

The university campus that I need to completely cross - from the checkpoint with a strict security guard to building 20, our teacher Denis Aleksandrovich - “So, you already learn these gestures at home, now there is no time to spend on this” (in fact, he is very cool!) - all this brings me back to the nostalgia for the student past.

Training twice a week for two months. This is an express course, the regular course lasts four months. The session goes on for an hour and a half. What you need to learn something new and not get tired. And most importantly - no sportswear hated by me in a bag, changing clothes and showering in open booths. In general, one hundred thousand five hundred times better than sports.

There are many students in the group. One of my classmates born in 2000. Imagine! I thought they were still somewhere in kindergarten, but they are already in higher educational institutions. It's hard for me to believe this. But there are also older students like me.

Most of my classmates ended up in class for the same reason I did. Interesting.

Only a few classes have passed, and I can already tell about myself, what my name is, what I do, how old I am and what year I was born. I can talk about my family and keep the conversation going: “Do you have a dog?” "No, I don't have a dog, I have a cat."

It's funny, but incredibly exciting.

Some interesting things about sign language

• The sign language in different countries is different, in our country it is Russian Sign Language (RSL). For some reason, this is terribly disappointing for everyone, so, they say, they could agree on one language and they would have super-strength.
• Dactylology is a form of speech where each letter is transmitted as a sign, but it is not a sign language. For example, you can dactylize a name or a foreign word for which there is no sign yet.
• Deaf people read lips, so it is important for them to see not only the hands that show gestures, but also the lips that pronounce words.
• Sign language has a different grammar and therefore uses a different word order. For example, a question word is always placed at the end of a sentence.
• A sign language is not a tracing-paper from a real language, but a full-fledged language with its own linguistic features, structure, and grammar. In sign language, the form of the sign is important, its localization (the same gesture at the forehead and at the chest means different things), the nature of the movement and the non-manual component (facial expressions, turn of the body, head).

What I like most about my studies is that for the first time I try not to be an excellent student.

There is no need to write down anything in the lessons - I put the notebook out of my bag after the first meeting. Yes, there are homework assignments, but I don't always do them. No grades or tests. I remember well what they say in class and that's enough for me.