Dutch Sign Language course level 1

This course introduces you to Dutch Sign Language (NGT). It’s the ideal course if you would like to interact with deaf or hearing impaired people for personal or professional reasons. There are also many hearing people who speak Dutch Sign Language, such as parents of deaf children, relatives of deaf people and interpreters or other professionals who work with deaf and hearing impaired people. When you first become acquainted with sign language, you will learn language in a whole new way. Your visual comprehension will improve considerably!

In this course you will learn:

• To introduce yourself.
• To greet and say goodbye.
• To draw the attention of the person you are talking to.
• The right listening posture for having a conversation.
• Basic grammar aspects of casual gestures.
• The difference between questioning, denying and confirming sentences.
• How to make an appointment.
• About the importance of facial expressions.

The language of the course is Dutch Sign Language. You will lay a foundation for understanding NGT through a lot of repetition, visual support from images and the iconic nature of many gestures.

• The language used during the meetings is Dutch Sign Language. In the first lesson, questions may still be asked in spoken Dutch. In the following lessons, everything will be communicated in Dutch Sign Language, but you are also allowed to act out if you do not know what the gestures are. This is done to break the visual communication as little as possible. If there are no other options available, drawing or written Dutch is also a possibility to ask a question or make something clear.
• The course materials are from the Dutch Sign Language Centre and are included in the course. The material will be handed out during the first meeting.
• You will receive a certificate of participation if you have participated in 8 out of the 9 meetings.
• Do you work at Utrecht University or are you registered at this university as (exchange) student? Then you will receive a 15% discount on this course! Register with your UU e-mail address and the discount will be processed automatically.

• The course consists of nine sessions of 1,5 hours at Babel in Utrecht.
• To ensure that you learn as much as possible from the meetings, we ‘d like to ask you to spend approximately 3 to 4 hours per week on self-study. You will receive teaching material and assignments for this, which will be discussed during the meetings.

• The material used in the lessons comes mainly from the Dutch Sign Language Centre of the course NGT- AB1.
• This method also has a digital learning environment, in which you can watch homework videos and learn sign language vocabulary, for example.
• The teacher also adds his/her own exercises and assignments to the lessons. Additional course materials will be provided during class sessions.
• The lessons will be visually supported by means of pictures and video material.