FF Student Lounge

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by erimir

Some of the grammatical properties of ASL (and other sign languages) are very different from spoken languages, partly due to differences in the visual vs. aural mediums. For example, there aren't pronouns like he/she/it, instead they're positional. Aside from pointing at yourself or the person you're referring to (if they're present), you can basically assign a position to someone/something you're talking about in the space around you, and then you and your interlocutor have to remember which space is assigned to who/what (in theory you could use as many positions as you can distinguish, but in practice it's usually less than 8).

Okay, this just makes me even more excited! That is too interesting.

And the word order is often quite unlike English, for example, you can sign "FOR YOU, I STORE GO CAN" to mean "I can go to the store for you". This isn't something specific to sign language tho, as there are also spoken languages with word order very unlike English.

It seems like in a visual medium you wouldn't necessarily need to "say" the words in a serial order at all, but you can convey a whole bunch of information in parallel, more like reading words and pictures on a page. The hand sign itself, its position, how you're moving it, whatever, I dunno anything about it. But I'm super excited to learn.

So now that's I've talked up the difficulty of ASL... good luck!

Thanks!

[Naru]

I visited NCSU's vet school yesterday

[Kyuss Apollo]

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

Next fall I'm taking American Sign Language and GLBT Studies. WHEE!

We have been teaching ASL to the Squid since she was about 6 months old (so for over 2 years now) -- her vocab and language skills are way ahead of the other people we had. We've mostly used the signing time videos, though Mrs. KA knew some ASL beforehand. Whether its the ASL or our superior genetic combination, she's definitely communicating pretty well for 2 1/2.

This is her "reading" to me and the bunny in the tooth while we were at the dentist the other day.



She'll sign when she's upset or hurt, which has been helpful when she either can't verbalize what she's trying to say yet or is too upset to.

So someday ES, thanks to the stupid residency requirements, you can teach your ASL skills to your little ensign-lings!

[ChuckF]

Originally Posted by Naru

I visited NCSU's vet school yesterday

[curses]

Shortest spring break ever. Blah. I have science of light, location photography, and contemporary art. Bonus. A photo of the carpet pattern thats giving me a headache.

[erimir]

Originally Posted by ChuckF

Cat-o-mite no call me either!

And I live, like, a mile away from the vet school.

[BrotherMan]

Shameful and wrong. Damn you Naru. Damn. You.

[curses]

LOL silly internet people thinking they're real.

[erimir]

Originally Posted by curses

LOL silly internet people thinking they're real.

True, I can't hear, touch, smell or taste(!) Naru so I can't really conceive of him as real.

[ChuckF]

It's exam time here. My first one (Wills, Trusts & Estates) is tomorrow. I'm not feeling huge pressure this year even though I still have quite a bit to learn what with the not reading. Also I have a paper to do on Thursday-Sunday.

I did get a pretty sweet summer gig in DC that is quasi-legal work, but more like international policy work, so is less awful.

[Ensign Steve]

Summer gig in DC? Awesome!

[Sock Puppet]

Yeah, my sympathy for Mr. Fristians just went down several notches. Congratulations!

[Ensign Steve]

Finals, am I right?

[curses]

Midterms!

[ChuckF]

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

Finals, am I right?

Ayup. I just tuned in my last paper and have my last exam at 2. Not really prepared for it but I just don't give a fuck and I'm going to the beach after that.

[Ensign Steve]

Jealous. I don't have my last two exams until the tenth.

[Kael]

I've got one (fucking matrix algebra) tonight, another Wednesday, and my last one Friday. And I need to finish revising like six papers to turn in final copies by Wednesday.

[erimir]

I turned in my master's project today with approval from my advisor.

[beyelzu]

For the first time in my college career, I have been told that I do not have to take the final so I have an a in american history. Yay.

Furthermore after a whole semester of goofing off with a mid b in biology, I have discovered that if I make an a on the final I can make an A in the class.

Yay

[viscousmemories]

I'm on track to get A's in both my current classes after finals next week and I've been putting in like 80 hrs. a week at work (or so it seems). Finals Wed/Thurs, fly back to Michigan for niece's wedding on Friday, back in Austin on Sunday and life slows down to work only (aka 100 miles an hour).

[Qingdai]

Holy hell you all get out early.
My students have finals in mid-June.

They're still cringing from mid-terms and clinic entrance tests.

[Crumb]

So balancing on your arm was the mid-term?

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by beyelzu

For the first time in my college career, I have been told that I do not have to take the final so I have an a in american history. Yay.

I got that email from my Art History prof last night after I posted here. It's a huge load off 'cause I'm ill-prepared for the final (even though it's not comprehensive).

[Deadlokd]

Update: So I applied to the second tier, Commonwealth supported uni a couple of months ago. Then I thought about the other, better, non Commonwealth supported uni and course, a lot. I worked out a plan to pay for it, cleaning for 10-15 hours a week. Then I spoke to Count about it. Then I spoke to other people. Then I found out there was a loophole that I could get partial support while doing it. I spoke to the agency involved and they said it could be done. So I sent the application that day. That was three weeks ago.

On Thursday I got an email from Tier Two uni offering me a place in their Master of Science (Biotechnology) program. I immediately rang the Tier One uni to see how my application there was going. The course coordinator phoned back today. Going on the information I gave him he said I should get in to the Master of Biotechnology program.

My written offer from Tier Two uni arrived today. I don't want to take it. I want to go to the good uni.

[Ensign Steve]

Spring grades are in. Three A's and a B. The A in Numerical Methods was a surprise, the B in Graph Theory was not. Soooo fucking happy I decided against adding the math minor.

359 days until graduation.