I’m so glad you liked the course, thanks for the feedback! Let’s set a tentative ASL 3 deadline for some time after the holidays…let’s say around the end of January.
2 Likes
@pdao, not to sidetrack this topic too much, but have you ever tried learning Chinese sign language? I know maybe three words (signs?) in it, and from what little I know, it’s pretty different from ASL.
@neoncube ~ thanks for the insight. As expected, Taiwan has its own variation of sign language. Different from Chinese Sign Language (CSL), as its origins stem from Japanese Sign Language (JSL), due to the Japanese occupation of Taiwan from 1895 ~ 1945, so it is more akin to JSL than CSL. From what little I have learned so far, there are even two distinct dialectical variations within TSL (more or less based on geographical location). So, I have some feelers out to see if I can find a local church, school or social agency that might offer some help to me in learning TSL.
Nothing I find here though will probably even come close to the in-depth lessons that Diana provides with ASL. She is a phenomenal teacher ! 
Sorry for also side-tracking this topic.
Interesting!
Well, I hope your search for some way to learn TSL goes well 
(And my apologies again to Dianna for somewhat derailing this topic)
That’s alright! For everybody’s convenience, I’ve also created a topic about it here so we can continue the discussion and make it easier to find.
Thanks
Unfortunately they seemed to have chosen a different time or place to exercise, and I hurt my shoulder, so I haven’t been able to practice with them since. I didn’t have much time regardless. I’m thinking about attending a class this winter semester, as I don’t see any other decent practice options. At least I can practice individual signs at any time thanks to your decks. There are some more complete signs in these decks but those actually are intolerably slow on my smartphone. 
Hello Diana,
I would like to introduce myself to help you understand my questions, which will be asked shortly. I am Deaf myself, and American Sign Language is my native language. I declared myself to be a natural linguistic, as I know ASL, English, Spanish, and Honduran Sign Language. I am currently learning Russian and Russian Sign Language. I am hoping to find some time to learn Hebrew, as I planned to travel to Israel. I learn languages bit by bit whenever I can because I also have a family to love =D
I came across this course and was surprised that it exists, as many language learning websites consist of only written and spoken languages. I looked at ASL 1 and saw GIF images of you signing. I was impressed by your professional presentation of signing signs. It looks like you enjoy putting this together for anyone who wants to learn ASL.
Now, to the questions, I want to know what motivated you to create ASL course on Memrise website and app? I also want to know if you have consulted with a Deaf individual for accurate signs posted on Memrise?
Your answers will help me understand the purpose of this course from a Deaf person’s perspective.
Oh, and I assume that you are hearing?
Looking forward to seeing your response soon
5 Likes
Hey Azael47, I’m glad you came across my courses! To answer your questions, yep, I’m hearing, and I suppose my motivation for creating these courses was to fill the gap you mentioned—there aren’t many sign language courses on language learning websites, so I was excited to share a bit of what I’ve learned, especially now that I’m no longer working as an ASL teacher’s assistant. I’d never seen a crowd-sourced language learning platform like this before, so I really enjoy having this opportunity to keep my skills fresh and help those who might not otherwise learn any ASL, particularly parents and teachers.
Most of the signs come from what my Deaf and hearing teachers and friends have taught me through classes and conversations; if I am unsure of a sign or if I know it has regional variations, I try to find it in multiple ASL dictionaries (Signing Savvy, Lifeprint, Handspeak, ASLPro, etc.) and choose the most common version.
Anyway, thanks again for stopping by, it’s awesome to have a native signer here on the forum. That’s cool you’re into so many languages; I studied linguistics for my bachelor’s degree and it was a blast! 
1 Like
Do you know that Taiwanese Sign Language exists? Why not learn that instead? That way, you will be able to converse with Deaf locals if you happen to run into them in the near future =P
@Azael47 ~ thank you for this message. Yes, as mentioned in this thread (see above) I am aware of TSL and am currently searching for a local resource.
I did however find some glee a couple of days ago when I randomly flashed a “Hello” sign (in ASL) to everyone on an MRT train in Taipei and someone responded back in like fashion. Unfortunately the person got off at the next station before I could continue with any more signs. Diana’s teaching reaped its first rewards in Taiwan !
Hello again, thank you for writing back! I appreciate it
I saw that your minor was some kind of computer and now understand why you created great GIF images of signs.
After reading your replied post, I have been thinking about my family and my wife’s family, especially around holidays. As you should know that 95% of the Deaf community are born to hearing parents, my family and my hearing wife’s family aren’t proficient in ASL enough to maintain conversations at depth with me. However, my wife is a professional ASL Interpreter and natural ASL linguistic. She is an advocate for ASL and against simultaneous communication (i.e., one who uses sign language and spoken language at the same time), which is a rare gem to be found among hearing people who are involved in the Deaf community.
Back to the topic…I was watching this video and knew that most of the suggestions in the video are effective to language learning. I can confirm this from my personal experience, as ASL and English are my primary language and Spanish and Honduran Sign Language are my second languages. I am currently learning Russian and Russian Sign Language.
I am hoping that you are willing to either revisit the courses you have created or create a whole new course with the approach shown in the video. I believe that my families (my own and my wife’s) along with others who have a Deaf family member will benefit greatly from your courses (because your GIF images are impressive) and the method shown in the video combined. Now, I know this is a huge request, and this is from a ASL native user 
I am more than willing to help out! I want to be able to enjoy time quality with my family and give my family a chance to get to know me personally. If you are considering the request I just made, I will be writing down the signs and phrases that my family and I might encounter over this weekend to help you jumpstart.
Please let me know your thoughts on this, and if you are interested in doing this project, we can do this in private correspondence 
Azael
Thanks for your thoughts, Azael! I’m not sure at the moment about taking on
a new project, but definitely make that list of signs/phrases that are
useful to you this weekend, and I can consider it further! I’ll PM you
sometime after the holidays.
Hey guys, I just wanted to keep you all updated: ASL 3 isn’t up yet, but it’s soooo close; the videos are clipped into individual signs, which takes the biggest chunk of time. Looking forward to making the course public before Valentine’s Day! 
I hope you’re enjoying your Memrise learning!
9 Likes
@Diana.S ~ I hope you had a blessed and wonderful holiday season.
This is wonderful news !
I am sure that many of us are looking forward to the new course, and the new learning opportunities it will provide. I wish you all the best with the assemblage of it, and by all means take your time. It is quality that counts, not a self-imposed deadline. Blessings.
Hello Diana! In my zeal to learn as fast as possible, I’ve been avidly plowing through your ASL levels for 11 days now. As I approach the end of ASL2 I’m wondering when ASL3 will be released? Also I’m finding that the farther I go the choppier the videos are, to the point that the app is almost unusable on my Galaxy Tab A note pad. They freeze, jump and sometimes some or all four don’t load at all (I’m a full member with offline downloads). Also I’m trying to figure out how to set up a separate account on the same tablet for my wife, so far no matter what I try the app goes back to my account. Are there mobile device improvements lined up? Thanks again for your tireless efforts, you are not unthanked by any means!!!
Iankennedy76
@IanKennedy76, when you say the that farther you go, the choppier the videos become, do you mean that videos towards the end of a learning or review session are choppier, or that if you learn items in a level that’s further along in the course, the videos are choppier?
Hi there, what I mean is the videos themselves are glitchy and jumpy. some don’t load or just freeze. It’s the same on my phone and my Tablet (both are late models). I’ve tried shutting down as much as possible on the device to see if it’s a processor issue on my end but it doesn’t make any difference. I’ve tried various Wifi insert points too. I’ts almost impossible to identify some signs in stop action, especially numbers. The PC version works great though.
I see. Sounds like a bug to me, too.