Dec 12 2007
Learning curve
Every so often when I’ve been learning sign language I feel like suddenly something clicks and I’m noticeably more competent than I was before. It’s like climbing a sheer cliff and finding a little shelf, wide enough to sit on and take stock of the view and realise how far you’ve come. I don’t know if there’s ever a reason for this sudden jump in (apparent) competence — maybe doing a little bit more practice, or thinking a bit deeper? Who knows.
But whatever the reason, yesterday I felt like I’d just made another little plateau. I was signing direction and placement and handshape exactly as I’ve always wanted, but with less hesitation and more fluency than I had ever had in the past.
All that said, I was probably still pretty rubbish. But it felt better, which was nice.