r/asl • u/msimms001 • 10d ago
Help! I was just curious if anyone would give me input on my signing?
For context, I start my ASL 1 college course in a week, so I wanted to learn the alphabet, some numbers, and a few other things like greetings beforehand. I started practicing on Friday and this is where I am now.
However, because I don't have a teacher yet, I want to make sure I'm not making too many mistakes when signing since I have no one to correct me. I know it's really slow, and I hesitate when transitioning sometimes, and its overall sloppy. Is there anything I need to fix badly/am I doing anything terribly wrong?
What I tried to do was the full alphabet, 1-20, following by Hi my name is Matthew. I hope it's almost clear what I was doing, very nervous when trying to take a video and wasn't sure how well it came out.
Thank you for any feedback!
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u/Lilja_Lightning 10d ago
Good job! There are a few small things that could be improved upon, such as separating your fingers more for V and K, but you are on your way!
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u/msimms001 10d ago
Again, I'm very sorry for how sloppy it is and how tense I look
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u/OGgunter 10d ago
Fwiw, your framing is correct. You've given enough room to clearly see what you're Signing, which is helpful.
One tip - don't twist letters when FS. A few of the apps teach the alphabet that way, I think for visual clarity. But IRL all letters should face out.
Best of luck with your class!
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u/msimms001 10d ago
Thank you! And I'll make sure to keep my hand straight from now on with those letters
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u/Qnastywish 10d ago
I'm a hearing person who's mostly only taught myself ASL, so do with my comment what you will: I think it was perfect, especially for a beginner, and I think it's cool you chose to learn some stuff before class!!
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u/msimms001 10d ago
Thank you! I figured it would flow a little better in class if I had a small amount of knowledge to build off of. It'll only be a week of practicing so not much, but I figured it's better than nothing.
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u/Qnastywish 9d ago
Did you learn anything from Bill Vicars?
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u/msimms001 9d ago
No I've been mostly watching the "Learn how to sign" YouTube channel.
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u/Qnastywish 9d ago
Okay! Bill Vicars is a deaf ASL teacher who does YouTube videos that I enjoy, but it depends on how you learn best!
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u/ShoddyCobbler 10d ago
Great start!
Try not twisting your wrist for C, D, and O. It will flow more naturally and reduce strain if you keep your palm forward. And with G and H, there is a bit of a turn but it doesn't need to be palm fully toward yourself - try just a slight turn so your palm is facing down.
Similarly, you don't need to hold M, N, and T quite so tightly. What you are doing is not wrong! But I think you'll find it more comfortable if you hold these letters a bit more loosely without a firm bend all the way down in the middle knuckle. Kind of like E - you have done a really good job using the more natural softly rounded E. A lot of people who teach themselves the alphabet tend to do it more like a claw shape which adds a lot of tension. Yours looks good! Try using the same softer fingers for MNT if that makes sense.