Wednesday, July 20, 2011

OOPS! THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!



Oh, to learn a new language! If you’re one of the millions of people who have decided to learn a foreign language, perhaps you’ll consider learning American Sign Language. As you may know, ASL is a totally foreign language from English and it takes just as much time and dedication to become fluent in ASL as any other foreign language, like, say, Japanese.

As people begin to learn a language, there are inevitable mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes can get you in a heap of trouble, too. Almost as much as bluffing, if you aren’t sure what’s been said or how to say what you want to say, guessing can cause chaos…not to mention a pretty bad reputation.

So, as you begin to study ASL, please be aware of some of the signs that can get mixed up in a shuffle. Here are a few of the signs I’ve seen confused with each other:

PILL & SOON
CONDOM & MONTH
ENGINEER & FLIRT
MAKE, MAKE OUT, & COFFEE
RED & THIRSTY
SCHOOL & PAPER
MORE & KISSING
DATE & DESSERT
MOVIE & CHEESE
FAKE & MOUSE
FAMILY & IMPORTANT
VAGINA & TRIANGLE
RECENTLY & SEX
WAIT & FIRE
TEA & VOTE
HAMBURGER & MARRIAGE
LATE & NOT YET
ALL & ARRIVE
SOMEONE & ALWAYS
PEOPLE & VISIT
CHOCOLATE & CHURCH
COMPLAIN & COUGH
IF & COURT
ROCK & WORK
INTEREST & ISLAND
PLAY, SHOW, & SCIENCE
COURT & DECIDE

It’s true that some of the above signs are frequently rearranged. Check them out and see if you are guilty of a mix-up to two.

7 comments:

  1. I always confused dentist and glass, and football/pregnant/roommate.

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  2. Thanks, Bill and Skuz. Good examples!

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  3. I usually have to stop and carefully sign "early" because I sometimes move my hand in the wrong direction and wind up signing "naked" instead! :D

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  4. I was once having a conversation with my Deaf professor and a Deaf student. The student and I had approached the professor to ask a question about what was due that day. They were talking to each other mostly. At the end, they asked if I understood. I shook my head and wanted to sign "fast," but I signed run, instead. They looked at each other then back at me, then at each other again. He shook his head. When I realized what had happened, I felt so embarrassed. I had no idea if they knew what I meant. Either way they were probably trying to slow down for me. At which point, I WANTED TO RUN. LOL

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