![]() Thismultiple segmentation makes it an exciting language for linguists to studyand a frustrating language for Deaf-impaired (aka, hearing) peopleto learn. Unlike spokenlanguages where there is just one serial stream of phonemes, signlanguages can have multiple things going on at the same time. ASL Grammar and Linguistic StudiesĪs mentioned above, ASL has a very complex grammar. * OK, some people have e-mailed vociferous complaints (see below)that Esperanto is indeed alive and kicking in some small, isolated communities (Berkeley, CA being one). Perhaps as a newgeneration of Deaf Euro-kids grows up, they will develop a new, natural Euro-sign language. But neither Gestuno or the new European creole are truenatural languages from the linguistic perspective. In Europe, because of the increasingtrade and mobility, there is a lingua franca being developed, a creolesign language that some have taken to calling International SignLanguage. But no one really signs Gestunoas a native language, just as no one really uses Esperanto astheir native spoken language*. ![]() It's not reallya language, more a vocabulary of signs that they all agree touse at international meetings. There is no "universal sign language" or real "international sign language." There is a sign form called Gestuno that was developedby a committee of the World Federation of the Deaf. So if you know ASL, you're better offtaking a vacation in France than in England! But the French connection to America is rare, most sign languages develop independently and each country (and in some cases, each city)has their own sign language. Interesting, however, American Sign Language shares manyvocabulary terms with Old French Sign Language (LSF) because a French Deaf man, LaurentClerc, was one of the first teachers of the Deaf in the U.S. Many people consider it a shame that there isn't a universal sign language (see below), however it's also a shamethat there isn't a universal spoken language, right? I personally enjoy seeingthe great variety and diversity of languages and the first topic of conversationwhen I meet a Deaf person from another country is an exchange of vocabulary: "How do you sign this? How do you sign that?" For example, ASL is totally different from British Sign Language eventhough both countries speak English. Sign languages develop specific to their communities and is notuniversal. In addition,ASL makes use of the space surrounding the signer to describe placesand persons that are not present. Facial features such aseyebrow motion and lip-mouth movements as well as other factors such as body orientation are also significant inASL as they form a crucial part of the grammatical system. This is not absolutely correct because handgestures are only one component of ASL. Some people have described ASL and other sign languages as "gestural" languages. I have some information on JapaneseSign Language as well. In fact, in terms ofsyntax, ASL shares more with spoken Japanese than it does withEnglish. In terms of syntax, for example, ASL has a topic-commentsyntax, while English uses Subject-Object-Verb. ![]() ![]() Itis the native language of many Deaf men and women, as well as somehearing children born into Deaf families.ĪSL shares no grammatical similarities to English and should notbe considered in any way to be a broken, mimed, or gestural form ofEnglish. It is a linguistically complete, natural language.
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