Sign Languages

Why Sign Language?
Sign languages generally evolve in the deaf communities whose people are unable to communicate through speech as if the common people do. They use a combination of hand shapes, incorporate gestures and move their hands and body to evince their ideas fluently. In the earlier days, deaf people and people who could barely hear used visual prompts to communicate to their folks. As these people grew larger in number, they found ways to build a good vocabulary by normalizing the signs and symbols. The sign language, like any other language, requires a good understanding before one could use it.

However, there are numerous sign languages and people in different regions have a unique grammar of their own. Nevertheless, the interesting fact is that when people from different regions using different sign languages get to meet, they could very easily communicate unlike the languages we speak. Not restricting itself to any bounds, sign language even has the evolving poetry part of it. The sign language poets possess those mechanisms that are unavailable to the poets who speak.

American Sign Language (ASL)
The American Sign Language is predominantly used in more than ten countries of the world including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malaysia, Madagascar, Mauritania, not to mention the United States, Mexico and parts of Canada. There are schools widely spread in parts these countries that offer classes on ASL. More than 1 million people are estimated to have adopted ASL in the States alone.

In ASL, most of the signs are represented visually, which resembles the idea behind each sign. For instance, to express the idea of a ‘snake’, the palm of the hand is bent to represent the head of a snake when it is in a striking position. Basic actions, such as to eat, to sleep and to drink are conveyed through hand signals. As far as ongoing actions are concerned, the sign for the very word is represented twice in succession.

Baby Sign Language
Baby sign language is an effective tool to impart skills to the child and to improve their communication abilities. The baby sign language can be taught to the children when they are only six months old. Babies can learn a handful of words at the beginning. As the child gets used to this sign language it becomes eager to learn new words. However, parents are more interested teaching their children to express the basic needs such as to eat, to drink and on things that they find their child is interested in. Ironically, there is a myth that if child is used to the sign language, its speaking abilities tend to retard. However, scientists have proved that young ones who are used to sign language had more skills in grasping new languages that involve speaking compared to other children who were not taught sign languages.

The Sign Language Rule
During a sign language conversation, the listener is expected to wait till the speaker is done making his/her gestures. Upon his completion of a statement, the speaker would look at the listener indicating the latter has to respond. In contrast, if the speaker looks away from the listener, it means that he/she has still something to convey and will do so in a while. There are situations in which the speaker might be a deaf person whereas the listener is not. In such places, the listener must be patient enough to grab what the speaker means and respond in a polite and understandable way. Ignoring the speaker intentionally or unintentionally might be offensive to the speaker.

Other Sign Languages
As an alternative to the ASL, people in the United States are also used to the Signed Exact English and the Pidgin Signed English. Further, the people are used to what is called as the International Sign Language.