Sign Language - Universal?

[RocketManJames]

Is sign language pretty much the same everywhere in the world? I don't mean to include physical gestures, such as giving someone the finger, or biting one's thumb. Those are definitely different depending on location. I am talking about the sign language that the hearing impaired or mute might use.

I know that different languages have different orderings of verbs and nouns in spoken language. Does this mean that sign language has slight variations in different locations?

-RMJ

[shant]

F

[shots]

Nope it's different in every country (for the most part) My mom is a sign language interpreter so I asked her and she said it's completely different depending on where you go in the world.

[rusellmj]

There are actually two different forms in the US. One is American Sign Language (ASL), and the other is SEE, which I believe is Signing Exact English.

While they use many common signs the big difference is ASL is a language that mearly get's the point across in the shortest amount of time. Both my step brother and sister are deaf. A typical written sentance would look something like this: I go store.

SEE is self explanitory.

My brother and sister and most of their friends use ASL and consider SEE a big pain in the ass.

[istewart]

Helen no talk Chinese.

[The Goober]

There's a good explanation of the differences here. (i just found this on google - I dunno [censored] about sign language).

There's also fingerspelling (which I mistakenly thought was called signed english until just now) which just maps letters to signs and I think is only used for teaching deaf folks how to read, or explaining a new word or name.

[RocketManJames]

Ok, this is just interesting to me. So, is there a reason why they are different in different parts of the world? I guess I can understand why language would be different. Maybe sign language is as old as language. I suppose the impairments that would make sign language quite useful have been around since the beginning.

Thanks for the answers. My assumption that sign language was similar everywhere was pretty off, I guess.

-RMJ

[jedi]

[ QUOTE ]
Ok, this is just interesting to me. So, is there a reason why they are different in different parts of the world? I guess I can understand why language would be different. Maybe sign language is as old as language. I suppose the impairments that would make sign language quite useful have been around since the beginning.

Thanks for the answers. My assumption that sign language was similar everywhere was pretty off, I guess.

-RMJ

[/ QUOTE ]

They were developed in different places, just like spoken languages. In fact, American Sign Language is an offshoot of French Sign Language, because the first schools for the Deaf in the U.S. had teachers from France, especially brought over to teach some students. When they got here, they found that the local Deaf communities already had their own language, and as a result, the modern ASL you see today is mostly based off of FSL + the local signs they had then.

It's a full fledged language, only difference is that it's manual instead of auditory.

If you study the history of signed languages you'll find interesting stories of pockets of deaf people wher they formed their own sign language like at Martha's Vineyard or in parts of Nicaragua.