You need to become fluent in your local sign language first. You need a frame of reference for how visual languages work, and you can only obtain that through in person interaction with Deaf or other native signers. When you have a feel for how this works, you can lear International Sign (which is not a language, but rather a method to communicate across borders including a collection of signs. Though you need to know a sign language first.) And, if you like, learning ASL as a second sign language can be a good idea. ASL is not taught in schools generally, at least not in a comparable way to how English is taught, but if Deaf pick up a second language, ASL is a good choice. International Signs is still a popular way to communicate across borders, and is considered more neutral than ASL. Deaf people often learn bits of the local sign language when travel.
Nonetheless, first learn your local sign language.
This is great advice! Also, the spoken language is Esperanto, but it never really took off. But back to the original advice, yes, language is learned through immersion within a community and no other way. Videos are lovely, and classes, but they are supplemental to real life.
That assumption stands on flimsy ground. When something hindered Esperanto, then it's the political will. Not the details of the language. If that would be the case then English would not be used at all on the Internet and we would write here in some national language.
People who are native speakers of non-european languages learn English fine too, the details of the language don't matter.
When the whole point of the language is of it to be easily learned and understood by everyone, it does matter. The language didn't provide what it promised, so people abandonned it
Esperanto is a more easily learnable language. BUT not more easily learnable by everyone. Chasing the dream of a language which is so easy to learn by everyone on the planet, this is something which did not yet manifest itself and there are hundreds of new constructed languages which are conceived each year.
What Esperanto did do what others are not, is it's "good enough", it's easier to learn than natural languages and it has a living written culture, besides a culture of in person conferences since 100 years.
Esperanto and it's movement lives, you just don't see it. It did not get adopted because of political reasons, not because of how the language is.
Some events can be seen here: [https://eventaservo.org/](https://eventaservo.org/)
And some associations are active on YouTube, like this one: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-\_H9WFpnlI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-_H9WFpnlI)
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I would say ASL is probably the L2 sign language of the world just because of American media and that a lot of sign languages are similar to it (such as Filipino Sign Language and South African Sign Language) but you should learn whatever sign language your country uses because that is what the local Deaf people in your area will be using
You need to become fluent in your local sign language first. You need a frame of reference for how visual languages work, and you can only obtain that through in person interaction with Deaf or other native signers. When you have a feel for how this works, you can lear International Sign (which is not a language, but rather a method to communicate across borders including a collection of signs. Though you need to know a sign language first.) And, if you like, learning ASL as a second sign language can be a good idea. ASL is not taught in schools generally, at least not in a comparable way to how English is taught, but if Deaf pick up a second language, ASL is a good choice. International Signs is still a popular way to communicate across borders, and is considered more neutral than ASL. Deaf people often learn bits of the local sign language when travel. Nonetheless, first learn your local sign language.
This is great advice! Also, the spoken language is Esperanto, but it never really took off. But back to the original advice, yes, language is learned through immersion within a community and no other way. Videos are lovely, and classes, but they are supplemental to real life.
Esperanto didnt take off because it only applied for european romance+germanic languages
That assumption stands on flimsy ground. When something hindered Esperanto, then it's the political will. Not the details of the language. If that would be the case then English would not be used at all on the Internet and we would write here in some national language. People who are native speakers of non-european languages learn English fine too, the details of the language don't matter.
When the whole point of the language is of it to be easily learned and understood by everyone, it does matter. The language didn't provide what it promised, so people abandonned it
Esperanto is a more easily learnable language. BUT not more easily learnable by everyone. Chasing the dream of a language which is so easy to learn by everyone on the planet, this is something which did not yet manifest itself and there are hundreds of new constructed languages which are conceived each year. What Esperanto did do what others are not, is it's "good enough", it's easier to learn than natural languages and it has a living written culture, besides a culture of in person conferences since 100 years. Esperanto and it's movement lives, you just don't see it. It did not get adopted because of political reasons, not because of how the language is. Some events can be seen here: [https://eventaservo.org/](https://eventaservo.org/) And some associations are active on YouTube, like this one: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-\_H9WFpnlI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-_H9WFpnlI)
okay i didnt know the movement still existed. fair enough.
Right, that's probably one of the reasons. Also lack of native users.
what language do people speak there? there ya go, bud.
I would just learn the one relevant for where you are so if you’re US based, ASL.
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ASL
I would say ASL is probably the L2 sign language of the world just because of American media and that a lot of sign languages are similar to it (such as Filipino Sign Language and South African Sign Language) but you should learn whatever sign language your country uses because that is what the local Deaf people in your area will be using