So my 10 year old daughter recently became interested in learning sign language after watching a movie with a deaf child in it. She wrote down everything that was said and has learned the signs. Now she wants to take a class to really learn the skill and of course I am encouraging this as I think not only is it a great thing to do but could be a really valuable job skill in the future. But I realized and don't know why I didn't think of it before. But that is a true world language, the only one. However, I can see complications in the use possibly because of limitations in vocabulary. Does anyone else have training in this and to what extent is it able to adjust to allow new word meanings etc that come up in a conversation ? I just think it's really cool that it trancends language barriers that the rest of us encounter. Plus, you don't need a phone to communicate over visual distances.
well my 3yo learns it in school since she cannot talk right, so she trys to use it to tell us what she wants, but we dont know SL... But she knows the phonic alphabet... lol... but I had a few friends who could use SL for any word in the english vocab. but I am proud of your daughter too!! That is a good skill to know, and people may not relize it... As a former waitress, u deal with all kinds of people. and one time I had a huge table and they where all deaf.. was crazy!!
Yes, I was telling her that she should start learning spanish as I feel that will be very valuable as well, but I was sorted of suprised myself how truly universal SL is. I hope she sticks with it.
Nope not at all. ASL is the common sign used in America. But sign language in Spanish is completely different. Every language has its own sign language.
Not just every language, but every country. British Sign Language is different from ASL. Even the way they spell out words is different; the Brits use both hands. Even the sign languages of Australia and New Zealand are slightly different from each other and from BSL, which they were derived from. 82% of signs are identical and 98% are cognate. They're similar enough to be intercomprehensible with a little patience and practice, so they count as dialects of a single sign language: BANZSL. But ASL and BANZSL are not dialects, unlike our spoken languages. Only 31% of signs are identical and 44% cognate.
