This workshop will take participants on an adventure through etymologies of American Sign Language. Like Chinese characters are taught along with stories for each set of strokes as images, the same could be done for ASL. Signs and their meanings also have their unique history. To really begin to understand the richness of ASL we must journey back to its Motherland of France and further into history behind the days of Laurent Clerc.

During this event, participants will learn the origins of many everyday ASL expressions and colloquialisms that have crossovers in French, Spanish and kin sign languages. As practitioners we present arbitrary rules of ASL as we use them and seem to know them but do we really KNOW them? Come and find out the difference between FINE and Y-EN-A-PLEIN! (sign
transcribed as “FINE!”) as Buck begins to guide participants through investigations on important roots in ASL.

Part 1: 11:00am-1:00pm est

Lunch 1:00pm-2:00pm est

Part 2: 2:00pm-4:00pm est

Instructor: Buck Rogers

0.4PS CEUs Approved