Breakthrough BSL

What exactly is British Sign Language? You probably know that it's a visual language that's used by the deaf and hearing impaired community in Britain, but what else do you know about BSL?

Well, don't worry - Emma's here to help!

Watch the video to learn a little more about what exactly BSL is and how it works.

In this course, you're going to learn everything you need to start holding your first conversations in BSL.

The aims of the course are:

1. To give you a basic understanding of British Sign Language (BSL)

2. To teach you enough BSL to be able to hold a conversation with the deaf people and sign language users you meet

3. To teach common everyday BSL vocabulary

4. To help you build a solid foundation in the alphabet and numbers (which are central to all BSL)

By the end of the course, you'll be feeling confident in everyday BSL situations and ready to move on to more advanced topics!

This is a very practical course, designed to get you using and understanding British Sign Language from the beginning. As you progress through the course, you will be:

• Working on your fingerspelling skills

• Actively learning new vocabulary to expand your conversations

• Improving your ability to understand when other people sign

You'll learn the fundamentals of BSL through fun and engaging lessons with Emma, a BSL teacher and interpreter with years of experience working with learners just like you.

How The Course Is Structured

Each module of the course consists of:

• Video lessons covering the main topics of the module

• PDFs with detailed descriptions of how to make each sign and full colour images to help you learn

• Interaction with the videos that encourages you to play an active part in the role-play conversations

Completing the interactions and repeating the videos in each lesson will allow you to pick up the basics of BSL quickly.

We've designed the PDFs with full colour images and detailed descriptions, so you can download them and learn on the go.

It's a good idea to download these PDF's to your phone or ipad so that you can refer back to them if you're having a conversation in BSL and forget some of the signs you need.

If you're a complete newcomer to BSL, we strongly recommend following the course structure as it's laid out. We've designed the course so that you learn key elements like the alphabet and numbers first, because you'll need these later on when you learn more complicated signs.

However, not all the topics may be relevant to you so feel free to focus on the vocabulary you're most likely to use in your BSL conversations. As you go through the course, take note of the signs that are most important to you and pay extra attention to them.

And finally, remember, completing this course will give you all the tools you need to use basic BSL, but in order to really get the most out it, you need to go out and practice the signs you're learning.

If you have any friends who are learning BSL, practice with them! You can even arrange BSL coffee sessions - as Emma suggests - where you practice signing without speaking.

Alternatively, you practice with the deaf people you encounter at work or in your community. I'm sure they'll appreciate you making the effort to speak their langauge, and be happy to practice without.

Or, you could look for deaf clubs in your local area. These groups are always welcoming to new members and can be a great place to learn about deaf culture, as well as practice the new signs you're learning.

Got Questions?

You can ask any questions you have in the comments section at bottom of each lesson, where we'll be ready to help you out with any questions you may have!

If at any time, you require support or assistance for any issues you encounter, you can contact our support team by emailing: support@iwillteachyoualanguage.com

Best of luck!

Olly

One of the most common questions many BSL learners ask is "which hand should I use?". This is a great question and it's very important to be clear on it before we start learning new signs.

Most of us have a dominant or stronger hand that we use in everyday life for things like writing. It's the exact same in BSL - you'll have a dominant hand and this is the one you use the perform or dictate most of the signs you make.

• If you're right-handed, your dominant hand in BSL will be you're right hand

• If you're left-handed, your dominant hand in BSL will be you're left hand

In BSL, the dominant hand can also be thought of as your 'pen hand' and the non-dominant hand as your 'paper hand'. This is because the dominant hand will often 'write' or 'dictate' signs which are received by your non-dominant hand. This might sound a bit confusing right now, but don't worry - it will all become clear once you start learning your first signs.

Welcome to the first lesson of Breakthrough BSL!

In this lesson, you're going to learn the alphabet in British Sign Language and how to fingerspell each letter.

Fingerspelling is a fundamental part of British Sign Language, so it's worth spending some extra time on this lesson memorising the signs and perfecting your technique. You'll use these letters both on their own and to form other complicated words and signs in BSL.

Remember, in order to get the most out of the materials in this course it's really important that you pause the videos and practice the signs that Emma is teaching you.

Don't worry if you make mistakes or find it difficult at first - that's perfectly normal! Just keep practicing and you'll soon get the hang of it!

We've included a PDF below this lesson which you can download and take on the go with you to practice the signs you're learning. It includes full colour pictures demonstrating each of the signs taught in the video, with useful explanations for how to make each one.

Ok, so are you ready to get started? Great - then let's dive in! Click the play button and start watching the first video.

In this lesson, you're going to learn how to sign numbers in BSL.

Just like the alphabet, numbers are a very important part of British Sign Language and you'll use them all the time, in many different situations.

Remember, in order to get the most out of the materials in this course it's really important that you pause the videos and practice the signs that Emma is teaching you. You can repeat the videos as many times as you like.

Don't worry if you make mistakes or find it difficult at first - that's perfectly normal! Just keep practicing and you'll soon get the hang of it!

We've included a PDF below this lesson which you can download and take on the go with you to practice the signs you're learning.

Click the play button to get started!

In this lesson, we're going to practice the fingerspelling you learned earlier on in the course.

Fingerspelling is a fundamental element of BSL and these signs are used both on their own and to form other more complex signs. For that reason, it's very important you learn them well before moving on to other material.

In this video, Emma will finger spell a number of words and you'll have to figure out what they are. Each word will be fingerspelled silently and repeated twice so you have two chances to work it out. Emma will them give you the answer and fingerspell the word once more.

To really test yourself, try to practice fingerspelling yourself along with the video!

In this lesson, we're going to learn one of the most important things you'll need to be able to do in BSL - How to introduce yourself!

You'll learn how to sign:

• My name is...

• What's your name....

• How old are you?

• I'm ... years old.

In the resources section, you'll also find a PDF with detailed explanations of how to make the signs and images demonstrating each one.

Now that you've learned how to introduce yourself, we're going to put these signs into practice in our first basic conversation.

In this video Emma will do a role-play between two characters who've just met. This practice session is made up of two parts:

1. Watch Emma's Demonstration: Emma will go through the conversation once, demonstrating each part.

2. Your Turn To Practice: The second time around, Emma will pause between signs to allow you to practice by making the signs yourself.
   

Remember, if you need more time you can always pause the video. You're in control so practice at the speed that feels comfortable for you. With more practice you'll get faster.

Don't worry if you make mistakes or find it difficult at first - that's perfectly normal! Just keep practicing and you'll soon get the hang of it!

Welcome to Module 3 of Breakthrough BSL!

In this module, we're going to learn the basic core vocabulary you'll need to hold simple conversations in BSL. We'll cover things like:

• Colours

• Animals

• Household items

• Verbs

In this first lesson, we'll be focusing on colours. Watch the video below and follow along with Emma to learn how to sign the different colours in BSL.

You can also download a PDF in the resources section which gives detailed explanations of how to make each sign.

In this lesson, we'll learn the BSL signs for some common animals. These are very useful to know because they allow you to talk about any pets you might have.

They're also great fun to use with children, since many of them are very visual, fun signs.

Watch the video and follow along with Emma's demonstrations. You can also download a PDF of these signs to practice with in the resources section.

In Lesson 3, you're going to learn how to sign a variety of common objects that can be found in the home, office or workplace.

This vocabulary is verb useful for referring to things that are located in the room where the conversation is taking place. For example, when offering someone tea or coffee, you may want to tell them that there's milk in the "fridge" or that they can sit down in the "chair".

Watch the video and follow along with Emma's demonstrations. You can also download a PDF of these signs to practice with in the resources section.

In this lesson we're going to learn some of the most important words you'll need in BSL - Verbs.

No matter who you chat with or what topics you discuss, you're going to need verbs in order to communicate effectively in BSL. In this video you'll learn twenty-eight of the most common BSL verbs, including:

• to have

• to give

• to want

• to like

Watch the video below and follow along with Emma's demonstrations. You can also download a PDF of these signs to practice with below the video.

A Note About Adverbs

To create adverbs - such as run faster, jump higher, eat slowly, etc. - you will use your non-manual features (NMF) - i.e., your body language and facial expressions.

You may speed up or slow down the sign. This all gives the verb context, and further meaning. NMF’s are an important part of BSL.

Negative Verbs

You can make a verb negative, by simply changing your facial expressions to match the verb and shaking your head to clarify the negative.

You've reached the final lesson of Module 3!

In this module, we've learned lots of important new vocabulary BSL and now, it's time to put it into practice.

In this video Emma will do a role-play between two characters using the vocabulary we've learned so far in the course. This practice session is made up of two parts:

1. Watch Emma's Demonstration: Emma will go through the conversation once, demonstrating each part.

2. Your Turn To Practice: The second time around, Emma will pause between signs to allow you to practice by making the signs yourself.
   

Remember, if you need more time you can always pause the video. You're in control so practice at the speed that feels comfortable for you. With practice you'll get faster.

Don't worry if you make mistakes or find it difficult at first - that's perfectly normal! Just keep practicing and you'll soon get the hang of it!

Next, we're going to learn vocabulary for talking about your family. In this lesson you'll learn the signs for:

• mother

• father

• brother

• sister

• husband/wife

• and many more...!

By combining the new signs you learn in this video with the numbers and verbs we've already learned, you'll soon be able to talk about your family and tell people how many brothers and sisters you have, whether you're married and other interesting information.

Watch the video below and follow along with Emma's demonstrations. You can also download a PDF of these signs to practice with in the resources section.

In this video lesson, you'll learn how to tell the time in British Sign Language.

In English, we tend to use the phrase "o'clock" when talking about time, but it's a little different in BSL. You're going to learn:

• How to tell the time on the hour (2 o'clock, 3 o'clock, etc.)

• How to sign

• How to sign quarter-past, quarter-to, etc.

Watch the video below and follow along with Emma's demonstrations. You can also download a PDF of these signs to practice with in the resources section.

In the previous lesson you learned how to tell the time in BSL. Now, we're going to learn more time vocabulary so you can talk about things like day, night and the time of day. You'll learn:

• Today, yesterday, tomorrow

• Next week/month/year

• Last week/month/year

• and much more!

Watch the video below and follow along with Emma's demonstrations. You can also download a PDF of these signs to practice with in the resources section.

Now, we're going to learn how to sign the days of the week in BSL. Learning the days of the week is very important for being able to make plans and arrange appointments.

Whether you work in an area such as healthcare where you'll need to arrange appointments with deaf patients or you just want to arrange to visit friends or family, you're sure to find these signs useful.

Note: Fingerspelling is a key part of signing the days of the week, so make sure you've practiced and are feeling confident with your fingerspelling before moving on to this lesson.

Watch the video below and follow along with Emma's demonstrations. You can also download a PDF of these signs to practice with in the resources section.

In the last lesson, we learnt the days of the week in BSL, and now we're going to move on to the months of the year.

These signs are very useful for making plans, talking about past experiences or discussing upcoming events.

Note: Fingerspelling is a key part of signing the days of the week, so make sure you've practiced and are feeling confident with your fingerspelling before moving on to this lesson.

Watch the video below and follow along with Emma's demonstrations. You can also download a PDF of these signs to practice with in the resources section.

Next, we're going to learn how to talk about money and prices in BSL. This is especially useful if you work in the services industry, so that you can communicate effectively with deaf customers.

Whether in a corner shop, hairdressers or your local café, a little BSL can go a long way!

It's time for some more conversation practice!

In this module, we've learned lots of important new vocabulary BSL. You'll now be able to hold more complex conversations and handle topics like making plans and dealing with money and prices. So, let's put it all into practice!

In this video Emma will do a role-play between two characters using the vocabulary we've learned so far in the course. This practice session is made up of two parts:

1. Watch Emma's Demonstration: Emma will go through the conversation once, demonstrating each part.

2. Your Turn To Practice: The second time around, Emma will pause between signs to allow you to practice by making the signs yourself.
   

Remember, if you need more time you can always pause the video. You're in control so practice at the speed that feels comfortable for you. With practice you'll get faster.

Don't worry if you make mistakes or find it difficult at first - that's perfectly normal! Just keep practicing and you'll soon get the hang of it!

One of the most important things you need to be able to do is ask questions and understand when other people ask you questions.

We've already learned some simple questions forms throughout the course, but in this video we'll focus on getting to grips with all of the most common question forms.

We'll also tackle basic emotions in BSL such as happy, sad, tired and ill.

These basic emotion signs will allow you to find out how others are feeling and build a closer bond with them.

Watch the video and follow along with Emma's demonstrations. You can also download a PDF of these signs to practice with below the video.

Before you finish the course, it's time for a little more conversation practice.

This last practice session will combine everything you've learned in the course so you can practice the kind of conversation you might find yourself having in BSL.

In this video Emma will do a role-play between two characters. As always, the practice session is made up of two parts:

1. Watch Emma's Demonstration: Emma will go through the conversation once, demonstrating each part.

2. Your Turn To Practice: The second time around, Emma will pause between signs to allow you to practice by making the signs yourself.

Remember, if you need more time you can always pause the video. You're in control so practice at the speed that feels comfortable for you. With practice you'll get faster.

Don't worry if you make mistakes or find it difficult at first - that's perfectly normal! Just keep practicing and you'll soon get the hang of it!