Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
How This Book Is Organised 3
Part I: Starting to Sign 3
Part II: Everyday BSL 3
Part III: Getting Out and About 3
Part IV: Looking into Deaf Life 3
Part V: The Part of Tens 3
Part VI: Appendixes 4
Icons Used in This Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part I: Starting to Sign 5
Chapter 1: Discovering Who’s Who – and How They Communicate 7
Different Groups of Deaf People 7
Who’s dumb? 7
Understanding who’s who 8
and how do they communicate? 10
Attracting a Deaf Person’s Attention? 13
Touching on the arm or shoulder 13
Waving 14
Stamping on the floor 14
Switching the light on and off 14
Watch My Lips! 14
Chapter 2: Sign Language You Didn’t Know You Knew 17
Signs That Make Sense 17
Gestures 17
How do you sign this word? 18
How does BSL create new signs? 19
Making It Clear with Body Language 20
Let Me Spell It Out: Finger-spelling 20
Left or right? 22
Watch my lips – not my fingers 23
Now you see it, now you don’t 23
Funny Faces 24
Using funny faces 25
No! Not me! 25
Oh yes! 25
Are you happy? 25
Getting Your Hands into Shape 26
What is a hand shape? 26
Simple Sentences: Sign Order 28
Chronological order 28
Question forms 28
Part II: Everyday BSL 31
Chapter 3: Meeting and Greeting 33
Greetings! Starting a Conversation 33
Asking questions: Who? What? Why? When? Where? Which? How? 34
WH questions (open) 35
Yes/no questions (closed) 36
Rhetorical questions 37
Getting to Know You 37
What’s in a Name? 40
Where do you live? 40
So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye 47
Chapter 4: Knowing Me, Knowing You 53
Don’t Point! It’s Rude! Or Is It? 53
Telling Others about Yourself 54
Family and friends 54
Talking about your job 58
Discussing your workplace 60
Chapter 5: Expressing Your Feelings 69
How’s Life? Talking about Your Feelings 69
You OK? Talking about your health 75
Where does it hurt? 79
Just take one of these 85
999 Emergency 88
Chapter 6: Nailing Numbers 95
Explaining Regional Signs 95
Numbers? Count me in 96
Who’s first? 102
Telling the time 103
Talking about money 105
Asking someone’s age 107
Chapter 7: Describing Weather, Colour, and Clothes 119
Signing Come Rain, Come Shine 119
Describing Colours 123
Developing Dress Sense 125
Eyeing up everyday clothes 126
Mentioning the unmentionables 129
Wrapping up winter warmth 130
Putting a spring in your signs 134
Summer sun (if you’re lucky) 135
Part III: Getting Out and About 141
Chapter 8: Getting from A to B 143
Signing Space 143
Placement of signs 144
Prepositions 144
How Do I Get to ? 145
Getting to and from work 148
Location, location, location 152
Looking out for local landmarks 153
Countryside landmarks 157
Out on the Town 159
Chapter 9: Arranging Not So Blind Dates 167
Getting Tense about Time 167
Arranging to Meet 169
Today’s the day 169
When shall we meet? 172
Mastering months 178
Special Celebrations 181
Chapter 10: Fancy Fish and Chips? 189
On Today’s Menu 189
Which knife and fork to use? 189
Want breakfast? 193
Grabbing a quick lunch 197
Tea, a drink with jam and bread 204
What’s for dinner? 206
Eating Out 209
Take-away food 210
Fancy a drink anyone? 213
Chapter 11: Making the Most of Your Free Time 217
Having Fun with Leisure Activities 217
Getting Sporty 222
Playing Indoor Games 230
Having Fun with Hobbies 234
Part IV: Looking into Deaf Life 243
Chapter 12: Deaf Community and Culture 245
Digging Into the History of BSL 245
Exploring the Origins of Deaf Education 246
Deaf 1880 Milan conference 246
The oral method 247
Enlightenment at last! 247
The Social Side of the Deaf World 247
Discovering Deaf clubs 248
Embracing the new 248
Access for Deaf people – Language Service Professionals (LSPs) 249
Investigating interpreters 249
Communicators/Communication Support Workers (CSWs) 251
Lipspeakers 251
Manual notetakers 253
Electronic note-takers 253
Palantypist/speech-to-text reporter (STTR) 254
LSP etiquette 254
Chapter 13: Technology and Modifications for Deaf People 257
Keeping in Touch 257
Minicoms and Text-phones 258
Type-Talk and Text-Direct 259
SMS 259
Fax machines 259
Email 260
Videophones/webcams 260
Wakey-wakey! Flashing Lights and Vibrating Alarms 260
Somebody at the door 261
Fire! Fire!/Baby’s crying! 261
Wake-up call 261
Part V: The Part of Tens 263
Chapter 14: Ten Top Tips to Improve Your Signing Skills 265
Watch My Face 265
RSVP Please 265
Showing the Sign! 266
Spotting the Difference 266
Being Honest 266
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall 266
Being a Film Star 267
Keeping a Record 267
Hare or Tortoise? 267
The Way of the World 267
Chapter 15: Ten Top Tips For Good Communication 269
Get an Attitude 269
Lights, Camera Action! 270
Does He Take Sugar? 270
Get Body-Conscious 270
What’s the Point? 271
Keep Clear – Access Required 271
Be Environmentally Friendly 272
One at a Time Please! 272
English versus BSL 272
Don’t Give Up! 273
Chapter 16: Ten Top BSL Resources 275
Honing Your Skills at BSL Classes 275
Attending a Communication Club 275
Going to Deaf Pubs 276
Taking a Trip to the Theatre or Cinema 276
Attending Deaf Workshops and Conferences 277
Watching BSL Signed DVDs 277
Taking in TV Programmes 277
Wising Up to Websites 278
Weighing Up Webcams 278
Making Deaf Friends 278
Chapter 17: Ten Really Useful Phrases 279
How Are You? 279
You All Right? 280
Again, Please 280
I’m Sorry 281
I Don’t Understand 281
Do You Need Help? 282
That’s Right! 282
That’s Bad/Wrong! 283
Excuse Me 283
See You Around/Soon! 284
Chapter 18: Ten Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know about Deaf Culture and History 285
British Sign Language (BSL) 285
St John of Beverley 286
Early Signs of Sign Language 286
Vows of Silence 286
To Read and Write – Right? 286
Finger-spelling Circa 1720 287
Give Us a Bell 287
Deaf Church to Department Store 287
The Queen Amused Others 287
Deaf to the Crowd 288
Part VI: Appendixes 289
Appendix A: Answer Key to Fun & Games 291
Appendix B: About the Online Content 293
What You’ll Find Online 293
Dialogues 293
Customer Care 295
Index 297
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