Loadstar 128 #37/q37.d81/t.american sign

Text File | 1993-01-01 | 5.6 KB | 136 lines

                        AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE TUTOR

                      Program and Text by Bob Markland


     American Sign Language (ASL) is a system of hand movements and
gestures by which as many as 500,000 deaf individuals in North America can
communicate. Many of the advanced signs and gestures can convey not only
words but sentences and complete concepts.

     Becoming proficient in ASL requires considerable time and study. ASL,
for example, does not use articles (a, an, the) nor does it use tense to
indicate when something took place. However, you can learn basic ASL skills
in much the same way hearing children begin learning English -- by learning
the alphabet.

     After mastering the 26 alphabet signs, you can at least establish
communication by spelling out words one letter at a time. Granted, signing
at this level is cumbersome and time consuming, but it is a beginning.

     Other problems to overcome include the different signing styles and
regional variations. I consulted four different reference sources in search
of a standard alphabet, and no two were identical.


 USING ASL TUTOR
 ---------------

     The program is divided into four modules with progressive degrees of
difficulty. Use CRSR DN/UP and RETURN from the Main Menu to make your
selection. If this is your first introduction to ASL you will probably want
to study the modules in order. Otherwise you may wish to skip the
rudimentary levels. The program is keyboard intensive, but you may use the
FIRE BUTTON on a joystick in port 2 in place of the SPACE BAR.


 Study in Order

     This level introduces you to the ASL alphabet just as a child learns
his ABCs. The alphabet is presented in order, with the sign on the left and
the letter it represents on the right.

     Take time to form the sign yourself and begin to associate it with the
corresponding letter. When you are ready to move on, press SPACE or FIRE.
After studying all 26 letters choose -- AGAIN Y/N. Repeat this level until
you can quickly and easily identify and form all the signs. Exit at any
time by pressing the BACK ARROW key.


 Study Randomly

     Continue to familiarize yourself with each sign and its letter
equivalent on this level. All 26 signs and letters are displayed in random
order. The keyboard functions are identical to Study in Order. Take as much
time as you like with each letter.


 Practice Letters

     Each sign is presented once, in random order, without benefit of the
corresponding letter.

     To the left is a timer display. Adjust the length of time each sign is
displayed, by tenths of a second, using the plus (+) and minus (-) keys.

     To the right is a counter and your score. The goal is 100% accuracy in
the shortest amount of time.

     As soon as you can identify a sign, enter the letter it represents
from the keyboard. The sign is replaced by the letter and you are told
whether or nor you were correct. If the time expires the correct letter is
revealed and you move on to the next sign. Exit at any time using the BACK
ARROW key.


 Practice Words

     Here you put everything you have learned thus far into practice and
attempt to identify words. ASL TUTOR can recognize 20 lists, each
containing as many as 250 words. The LOADSTAR disk includes two lists of 50
words each, containing words which make use of every letter of the
alphabet.

     Personalized lists can be made with EDSTAR II or any word processor
capable of saving a file in PETASCII SEQuential format. Leave the first
line blank, terminated with a carriage return. Then begin entering one word
per line (20 characters maximum), followed by a carriage return. Use ONLY
lowercase letters a-z, and DO NOT include spaces or any form of
punctuation. Enter as many words as you like up to the capacity of 250,
then mark the end of the list with the English Pound Sign, on a line by
itself, followed by a carriage return. Save the list to any disk in
PETASCII format as a SEQuential file, using a prefix of "asll.", followed
by a unique filename.

     When you select the Practice Words level, ASL TUTOR searches the disk
in the active drive for all files with an "asll." prefix and displays them
in menu form. Use CRSR DN/UP and RETURN to choose a list.

     The list is randomized and a word is displayed, in sign, one character
at a time. Use plus (+) and minus (-) to adjust the display interval for
each letter.

     Following the last sign, a prompt and cursor appear in the lower
window, asking for your answer. Enter the word and press RETURN. Be careful
-- the word must be spelled correctly. Use the delete key if necessary to
correct errors.

     ASL TUTOR checks your answer and tells you if you are correct. If not,
the correct word is displayed. In either case, you automatically move on to
the next word. Continue through the entire list, or press the BACK ARROW
key to return to the Main Menu.


 Quit

     To exit ASL TUTOR, select this option from the Main Menu and confirm
your choice. The program searches the active drive for a LOADSTAR disk. If
none is found the program exits to BASIC.


 FENDER'S POSTMUMBLE: I ran this program by C. E. Prince, a longtime
LOADSTAR employee who is deaf, and he said that the pictures in this
program are pretty close to what he uses when he signs.

 I found that just in the relatively few times I ran this program while
testing it, I was able to learn the 26 letters. You'll notice that they are
not just random hand signs; they very much resemble the letter they stand
for. In my opinion, the letters of the sign alphabet are so easy to learn,
everyone should know them. Why not teach them to every student in the third
or fourth grade?

                   \\\\\ R - Run   RETURN - Menu \\\\\