ASL 101 Tutorial: beginner level
These basic lessons are offered for learners who are interested in learning ASL as a second language (L2) online. These self-paced, self-learning lessons are for your personal and educational interests only whether you are an ASL student, a parent of deaf children, or an individual in a remote area.
Click on the titles for more details.
ASL/Deaf Awareness quiz
NAME, WHAT?, WHO; all alphabetical letters; NICE, MEET-YOU
Using a wh-question signal.
Fingerspelling one's name.
Understanding pronouns and spatial referencing.
Pointing; acting out: strategies of asking what the sign is for.
SIGN, WHAT; BOOK, CHAIR, DOOR, COMPUTER, PAPER, etc.
Understanding a basic OSV structure.
[action] IX-me #DO++ WHAT?
[object]/\ YOU [verb] (giving a command)
Tell when: IN-PAST/BEFORE, NOW, FUTURE/WILL
Counting 1 to 12. NUMBER, NEXT, BEFORE/PREVIOUS
Farewell: BYE.
Voc: YOU, ME, YOUR, MY, etc.
Voc: SAME, DIFFERENT
Use [objects] WHOLE IX+ SIGN WHAT?
FEELINGS; HAPPY, SAD, MAD...
Negation: NOT
WHO: WOMAN, MAN, GIRL, BOY, PEOPLE, PERSON.
SHIRT, PANTS, GLASSES, HAT
COLOR, BLUE, YELLOW, etc.
Seasons of the year: SPRING, FALL, WINTER, SUMMER.
LIVE WITH, #PET
- Tell age.
A word of caution: online lessons are, in any way, no substitute for face-to-face instruction and live interaction in real life. I strongly recommend that you take a face-to-face course to attain a high level of communicative competency. However, these lessons may be beneficial supplementary materials or extra practice for ASL students, instructors, and individuals alike.
These online tutorials are only a scratch or a small amount from real life classroom where you would acquire the language more, consume a lot of information, practice live interactive communication, turn-taking, and so on. These lessons do not necessarily reflect the same from your real life instructor's curriculum.
The most efficient communicative competency is two-way interactive communication with a native or near-native instructor and fluent signers in Deaf/ASL community. It's an opportunity where you can acquire the target language in an immersive environemnt, develop and use your language through two-way interactive conversations and meaning negotiation, receive corrective feedback, develop your language structure, and understand subtle pragmatics, contextual meanings, and other complex aspects.
Got any question or a tutorial request? Send your email to Handspeak. These lessons are a personal, volunteer contribution; thus, many things are incomplete or are work in progress.
Got some memorable anecdotes, learning tips, and/or invaluable advice to share with others students and instructors? Instructors are welcome to contribute tutorial posts, tips, and/or ideas. Email me.