Krown's handheld teaches you sign language

Sign language pocket tools aren't all that uncommon, but Krown's latest just exemplifies utility. This relatively low-fi device can reportedly display "short video clips showing how to sign any of 4,500 stored words in US sign language." Unfortunately, there's not a lot of details beyond that right now, but the firm is aiming to launch it in approximately three to four months at around $180.

[Shane Reustle @ Jan 12th 2008 2:19PM]

The picture looks like a mug shot.

[Mim Song @ Jan 12th 2008 2:26PM]

right, that's the sign for "only one call? do you have a tty?"

[Greg Mcp @ Jan 12th 2008 7:35PM]

He does look a bit Hannibal Lector.

[Kyle @ Jan 12th 2008 2:56PM]

I would rather sacrifice size for color and video quality. If you are impaired, shouldn't you be getting the best visible tool? It seems like it could be a little hard to see hand gestures with this thing. But I suppose at this price with this screen and the amount of words that it contains isn't too bad. I mean, for a decent portable dictionary device, you still pay roughly $100. Pretty good for a device with a good purpose.

[weissmanscott @ Jan 12th 2008 3:07PM]

Does anyone know what the main advantage of this would be and its uses in daily life for the hearing impaired?

[Wwhat @ Jan 12th 2008 3:13PM]

You sell it to school libraries so kids can pick up sign language.

[Mike @ Jan 12th 2008 3:22PM]

It wouldn't be very useful for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. They tend to hate it when hearing people use their language. I can get away with it because I am severely hearing impaired.

The major flaw this this device is that it probably employs English Sign Language, as opposed to American Sign Language. ASL is immensely preferred by the deaf over ESL, whereas hearing people prefer ESL over ASL.

[Legodude522 @ Jan 12th 2008 3:57PM]

I'm hard of hearing. I prefer English rather than American. I know both though. It really depends on who you are with.

[John @ Jan 12th 2008 4:05PM]

Mike, what are you talking about? I go to school in Rochester and deaf people love it when hearing people take the initiative to learn ASL and make an attempt at breaking the communication barrier. Unless you're using ASL to ask "why don't you just get a cochlear implant?," I think you're fine. Plus, Signed English and ASL aren't all that different in terms of sign formation (except that Signed English uses initialization much more often), so a person who just needs to know the way to sign a particular word as opposed to the entire ASL grammatical structure should be okay.

[Wwhat @ Jan 12th 2008 8:06PM]

Well mike seems your reading isn't too good either, for it says clearly "4,500 stored words in US sign language."
Notice the 'US'

[Guernico @ Jan 12th 2008 9:25PM]

Mike,

I seriously doubt that deaf people in the US 'hate' it when hearing people 'use' their language. I think it's more the whole 'Hey! I can sign! Let's go find some deaf people!' mentality that some - SOME - hearing people do have. You don't see someone pick up a few words of Spanish and assume that any native Spanish speaker will completely understand whatever falls out of their mouth. Respect's the issue here.

I won't touch the ASL/Signed Exact English issue here.

As for the device itself, I'm not sure how useful that would be outside of an educational/institutional setting. While I can see students using it to help freshen up their vocabulary, I think that $180 would be better off going to taking some ASL classes, or getting a good camera and a volunteer.

[Guernico @ Jan 12th 2008 9:28PM]

Wwhat,

American Sign Language and Signed Exact English are both US Sign Languages. You're thinking of British Sign Language

[Samuel @ Jan 12th 2008 3:25PM]

They can be useful for American Sign Language class. For myself, I am deaf and ASL user.

[Ian @ Jan 12th 2008 3:42PM]

This would be a great thing for everyone to use if it teaches ASL not ESL because I think every American should learn this as a second language. You can use ASL to your own advantage in situations where it is very loud and in situations where you want to talk to someone through a window or if you are out of a friend's hearing range (i.e. across a basketball court at a Nets game). ASL is being employed by many parents for their newborn children so that the children are able to communicate with their parents before their vocal cords are fully developed. This has also been proven to boost IQ as well as visual acuity. Also, you would be able to communicate with a deaf person if you encounter one in daily life - like me! We learn spoken English in order to be able to communicate with our hearing peers but how about our hearing peers also learning to communicate in ASL as well in addition to their own benefits from it?

[JoeSmack @ Jan 12th 2008 5:57PM]

Which dictionary does it use? ASLpro.com's library of terms? Also, "US Sign Language", which was probably meant to be American Sign Language in this case, is very very regional. It changes over time like any natural language, and because it is relatively new in comparison to other languages, you can see the difference between signing to a senior citizen and to a teenager.

This dictionary is in a video modality, which is wonderful. I seriously laugh when I see sign language books showing only hands and no face. This is clearly a step ahead of these. But the best, even arguably the only way to learn sign is to find a Deaf community and start communicating.

[pc @ Jan 12th 2008 6:26PM]

700mb divx file por favor

[Wwhat @ Jan 13th 2008 3:44AM]

It's clear, deaf people are a bunch of discontents, oh well, at least they have a handicap as an excuse.

[John Monteith @ Jan 14th 2008 1:09PM]

Seems like a waste of money for three reasons:

1. If you have a laptop/PDA/iphone with you, you can look up signs in whatever language you need (ASL, SEL, etc.);

2. If you are trying to learn sign language, you really NEED to take a class--I've tried teaching myself with books and online research, but nothing beats actual conversation with someone who signs well;

3. If you find yourself in a situation where you are interacting with a deaf person and you don't know how to sign, this thing is far less useful than either a)the deaf person's natural lip-reading ability, b)a pad of paper and a pen, or c)a little improvised sign language.

I'm not trying to sound smart; I just don't get the market that they're trying to fill here. Who would use this? Or where?

[Roxianna3 @ Jan 28th 2008 7:13AM]

I agree. This device is no more useful to learning American Sign Language than passing an English dictionary to someone who does not speak English would help them learn language.

Language is not a just bunch of vocabulary words; it has grammar/syntax, cultural rules for appropriate use -- and every language is structured differently. You can't pick up a French dictionary and string some French words together in English word order and say, "I know how to speak French!" The same is true with learning a few signs and putting them together in English word order -- you are not using American Sign Language (ASL).

By the way, I have a MA in Linguistics (ASL) and have been teaching in the field for almost 30 years.
I am also a certified ASL Interpreter, and advocate for the linguistic rights of the Deaf Community. ;)