South African Sign Language Lessons – Pets

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Only a few short years ago when we spoke about pets we meant dogs, cats, fish and birds. What counts as a pet now has grown to include a large variety of rodents, reptiles, arachnids and certain smaller primates; and as we learn more about the emotional support that is often provided by an animal, we are starting to see more people adopting certain breeds of horses and pigs as pets.

The reality is that a pet can be any animal that is kept for companionship and/or protection, regardless of what the animal’s traditional role is. Obviously there are laws that control this, especially when it comes to rare and exotic animals, but that is not the subject of today’s South African Sign Language lesson.

This week Thabo introduces you to a few signs relating to pets, including alternative signs relating to some animals.

What do yo think of the new format of our South African Sign Language lessons? Let us know at

So You Think You Can Sign?

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In Connect

In 2011 the Wits Language School presented the very first “So You Think You Can Sign” contest, challenging individuals and groups to perform any English song in South African Sign Language (SASL). Like any talent contest, entrants were judged on several aspects of their performance, with the winner walking away with R5000 cash, a trophy, and the recognition of their peers.

Although the contest is presented in recognition of Deaf Awareness Month, it also serves to raise awareness of Deafness and encourages colaboration between the Deaf and the hearing.

This week DTV showcases this year’s entries, and introduces you to the winner of “So You Think You Can Sign 2014”.

In South African Sign Language Lessons

An important part of learning something new – be it a new skill, a school subject, or even South African Sign Language – is revision; the opportunity to go over what was previously learned to ensure that you have retained the information, and more importantly, that you have remembered it correctly.

In this week’s South African Sign Language lesson Thabo revisits the last five lessons focusing on dialects.

What do yo think of the new format of our South African Sign Language lessons? Let us know at

In Candice @

Candice spends some time with Brandon Weir, a young golfer with a bright future ahead of him.

Brandon has been a keen golfer from the age of 4 already, and now at age 12 he is more determined than ever to be a future World Champion. Brandon has competed in tournaments throughout the world and has won more than 80 trophies, and that collection has definitely not stopped growing.

In Crazy Colin

Colin continues to astound with his popular street magic.

DTV Broadcast Times
This episode is broadcast on Saturday, 3 January 2015 at 09h30 (CAT), and repeated on Sunday, 4 January 2015 at 02h30 (CAT). Only on SABC 3.

South African Sign Language Lessons – Sign Names

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In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says (rather famously)

What’s in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet

and while there are many ways of interpreting this line, we do know that when it comes to people, names can be rather important. One example would be in a conversation, where a name helps us to identify who the speaker is referring to. And when there are more than one person with the same name, we will often revert to including a surname, or some unique identifier to distinguish between them.

The same principles apply to names in Sign Language, but since names and surnames have to be spelled out, it can be rather tiresome to constantly refer to someone by their full name. Especially if the person is famous, or well-known to at least one person in the group, in which case they will be referred to by their sign name.

Sign names are special signs that are used to identify a person and can either be descriptive (DNS system) or arbitrary (ANS system) – DNS relies on physical features, while ANS usually combines the first letter of the persons name with a specific feature or mannerism, or even interest. Like your birth name, you do not choose your own sign name, it assigned to you by someone close to you, or it just naturally evolves within the Deaf community.

Which brings us to this week’s South African Sign Language lesson – sign names. Thabo will first demonstrate the vocabulary covered in this lesson, before putting them together in a regular conversation.

K9 Search & Rescue

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In Connect

The K9 Search & Rescue Association of South Africa (K9SARA-SA) was established almost 20-years ago, and uses specially trained dogs to assist in finding missing persons. K9SARA-SA currently has units in the Western Cape and Gauteng, and sometimes relies on volunteers to assist with search and rescue training sessions.

The DTV team recently spent some time with the Guateng unit, learning more about what K9SARA-SA does, and even seeing the dogs in action.

In South African Sign Language Lessons

Do you have a pet? What is it? A dog? A cat? A reptile?

This week Thaba and Dimakatso introduce us to some Sign Language relating to pets, before using the signs in a conversation about favourite animals, and their less popular counterparts.

What do yo think of the new format of our South African Sign Language lessons? Let us know at

In Candice @

For final-year high school students, the matric dance is a very important event. Candice recently attended a matric dance to meet a very lucky learner from TransOranje School for the Deaf, whose matric dance was even more magical than she could have imagined.

In Crazy Colin

Colin is ready to amaze everyone with more of his popular street magic.

DTV Broadcast Times
This episode is broadcast on Saturday, 27 December 2014 at 09h30 (CAT), and repeated on Sunday, 28 December 2014 at 02h30 (CAT). Only on SABC 3.

Copy the Look – Candice

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DTVs principle presenter, Candice Morgan, is always stylishly dressed thanks in part to her wardrobe being sponsored by Big Blue, and our new feature on the DTV website will now help you copy her look. Every 1-2 months we will present an assortment of her outfits, along with links to the Big Blue online store allowing you to buy any of the items regardless of where in South Africa you live.

About Big Blue

Big Blue started as a Pop-Up store in a flea market way back in 1986, and since then they have grown to 21 stores around the country, and an online store.

Big Blue has always been both environmentally and socially concious, using locally sourced fabrics where possible, along with recycled fabrics; in addition to this, Big Blue also supports local designers and crafters, and has recently started to implement energy efficient designs in their store layouts.

Big Blue is a Proudly South African company, and their brand has a strong sense of individuality and quirkiness that always translates into great clothing.

 

  1. Gold Drops Necklace by Big Blue – in Orange (also available in green)
  2. Rope Twiggy Dress by Olkapolka – in Magenta
  3. Aztec Dress by Smudj – in Orange

  1. Print Roll Down Skirt by Bindi – in Plum (various colours available)
  2. Crisscross Vest by Smudj – in Purple (also available in blue)
  3. Ladies Swallow T-Shirt by Big Blue – in Green
  4. 2015 Boardwalk Top by Smudj – in Boardwalk (various colours available)
  5. Pleat Front Top Fan by Zabebe – in Green

Please note: all items listed above were available at the time of posting. As with any fashion items, there is a possibility that the item(s) you are interested in may no longer be available.

South African Sign Language Lessons – Help

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In October 2012, in the middle of Hurricane Sandy, Lydia Callis managed to get people to pay a bit more attention to sign language. It was never her intention; she was simply doing her job.

It wasn’t only the general public that noticed, but also the media – even if they still failed to acknowledge that facial expressions and body language are an important part of sign language. In her own words:

I understand the need for facial expressions and active body movements, particularly when expressing uncertainty, danger, or consolation, as I was during the hurricane. The fact that I received so much attention for simply doing my job has raised the unfortunate truth about accommodations for the deaf and hard of hearing in America. That my use of ASL struck so many as a novelty, shows how unfamiliar most hearing people are with this language.

As you follow our South African Sign Language lessons, don’t only look at the signs employed, but pay attention too to the body movements demonstrated, body posture, and especially the facial expressions. These are all employed when communicating effectively using sign language.

In this week’s South African Sign Language lesson, Thabo introduces us to the foundations of asking questions, and asking for help.

We would love to hear what you think of the new format for our lessons, so please take the time to send us a message. Our handy form works even if you don’t have an email address.

20 Years of Democracy

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In Connect

Earlier this year South Africa celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first democratic elections, which took place on 27 April 1994. Some of us experienced this historic event first-hand, standing in queues that seemed to stretch on forever. But for anyone younger than 25-years it isn’t even a fuzzy memory, it is something that is taught in history lessons, and maybe recounted by older family members.

While it is important that we always remember this historic moment, it is equally important that when we tell younger generations about it, we explain why it is worth remembering, and celebrating.

Now, in the week that we celebrate Reconciliation, DTV presents a special programme that looks at the road South Africa has travelled since 1994.

In South African Sign Language Lessons

In today’s South African Sign Language lesson, Thabo introduces us to the concept of sign names. If you regularly pay attention to the Interpreter’s during news broadcasts, you’re probably familiar with Jacob Zuma’s sign name, but do you know what Candice’s sign name is?

What do yo think of the new format of our South African Sign Language lessons? Let us know at

In Crazy Colin

The jewellery we wear often carries with it special meanings and an emotional connection to something or someone. Even more so if it happens to be a wedding ring or family heirloom.

This week, Crazy Colin expects you to trust him with your favourite ring.

DTV Broadcast Times
This episode is broadcast on Saturday, 20 December 2014 at 09h30 (CAT), and repeated on Sunday, 21 December 2014 at 02h30 (CAT). Only on SABC 3.

South African Sign Language Lessons – Colours

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Tongue-twisters are not simply a humourus form of word play, but are also employed in speech therapy to help develope articulation and enunciation. One famous example is “Red lorry, yellow lorry”, repeated as fast as possible without making any mistakes.

What does this have to do with sign language? Nothing, except that the example used above does illustrate how the use of colour has found its way into many aspects of our lives.

In marketing, colours are often selected based on the emotional response they generate, so you will find specific colours used predominantly in brand names, packaging, and nowadays even in websites. In our personal lives we use colour as an identifier more often than we realise, talking about:

I live in the house with the green gate.

or

He has red hair and blue eyes.

and

I drive a silver S-Class.

Not forgetting we all have one colour we prefer above all others – just open your wardrobe and see what colour stands out.

In this week’s South African Sign Language lesson, Thabo begins with the signs for a few colours, and some related words, before using all of these words and colours in a conversation.

We hope you are enjoying the new format to the lessons, and we welcome any feedback you might have. You can always email us at .

Having difficulty viewing the video? Try this link.

Copy the Look – Thabo

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DTVs newest presenter, Thabo Ntatlo, is a multi-talented young man: not only does he present some of the DTV inserts, but he is also responsible for writing scripts for the inserts, and is the face of our weekly South African Sign Language lessons. Like Candice Morgan, Thabo has a very distinctive style that is at once fashion-forward, and reflects a young, vibrant energy, with many of the items he wears on the show provided by Big Blue.

About Big Blue

Big Blue started as a Pop-Up store in a flea market way back in 1986, and since then they have grown to 21 stores around the country, and an online store.

Big Blue has always been both environmentally and socially concious, using locally sourced fabrics where possible, along with recycled fabrics; in addition to this, Big Blue also supports local designers and crafters, and has recently started to implement energy efficient designs in their store layouts.

Big Blue is a Proudly South African company, and their brand has a strong sense of individuality and quirkiness that always translates into great clothing.

 

  1. Wife Free Zone T-Shirt – in Rust
  2. Mens Party Africa T-Shirt – in Charcoal
  3. Air Jordan 6 Retro “Infrared 2014” Sneakers (not available from Big Blue)
  4. Levi’s 511 Slim Fit Rigid Dragon Jeans – in Blue (not available from Big Blue)

Please note: all items listed above were available at the time of posting. As with any fashion items, there is a possibility that the item(s) you are interested in may no longer be available.

Miss Deaf South Africa

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In Connect

Started by Gert and Narda Els in 2001, the Miss Deaf South Africa pageant began receiving much wider attention after our own Candice Morgan won the Miss Deaf World title in 2004.

Since then, Gert and Narda have continued to manage and grow the event, and this years event took place on 11 October, with DTV there to capture all the excitement.

In South African Sign Language Lessons

In this week’s South African Sign Language lesson, Thabo introduces us to the foundations of asking questions, and asking for help.

What do yo think of the new format of our South African Sign Language lessons? Let us know at .

In Candice @

The Republic of Seychelles is made up of 115 islands, and lies 1,500 kilometres off the east coast of Africa. It is a member state of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU), and from the early 1600s the islands served as a transit point between Africa and Asia – with a bit of pirate activity included.

Earlier this year, Candice visited the islands to present a Zwakala workshop, and also spent a bit of time exploring the capital, Victoria, and meeting a few of the famous residents, including Michael Adams.

DTV Broadcast Times
This episode is broadcast on Saturday, 13 December 2014 at 12h00 (CAT), and repeated on Sunday, 14 December 2014 at 02h30 (CAT). Only on SABC 3.