In my ongoing epic quest for misc. knowledge about linguistics, I not too long ago fell into the rabbit hole that is sign language. Not only are sign languages a crucial tool for Deaf communities around the world and an increasingly important part of many a modern polyglot’s repertoire; sign language is also unique in that it revolves around a facet of communication that is only just becoming widely studied.
Maybe you’re here because you know absolutely zilch about sign language. Maybe you know a lot about sign language already and you’re here out of curiosity/just for kicks.
Whatever brought you here (fate, destiny, a horse), sit down and buckle up. The train is leaving the station, and like it or not you’re about to learn a thing or two about sign language.
Early Sign Language?
Little is actually known about how sign languages actually emerged in the first place. The study of sign languages is a still-maturing field, and it’s difficult to draw conclusions based on the information we have. One theory is that sign language naturally evolved from or is somehow related to gesturing in spoken conversation.
In terms of when sign language became a thing, signed languages have likely been around for as long as there has been society, although it’s hard to say to what degree. What we do know for sure is that for a long time, people who were deaf, mute, or both were often persecuted, deemed “dumb” or incapable of learning.
This meant that although sign languages certainly already existed across the globe, the first free public sign language school in the world was not founded until 1760 by Abbe Charles Michel de l’Eppe. He had added on to the existing Old French Sign Language system with a series of hand movements mapped to different phonetic sounds (to my understanding, basically a form of fingerspelling). For seemingly the first time, deaf and mute people could formally train to communicate using sign language. The rest? History.
Sign Language vs. Spoken Language
This part seems rather obvious, but there’s some interesting story behind it.
At a basic level, the main distinction between signed and spoken languages is the medium. Spoken languages use phonologies, sounds, syllables. Things you can hear. Signed languages use parameters—things you can see—like facial expressions and specific hand positions.Besides that, signed languages are every bit as complex and expressive as spoken languages. They’re simply aligned with a different audience.
Signed languages are not direct counterparts to their regional spoken equivalents. American Sign Language or ASL has entirely different grammar from spoken English, for example. And like with spoken language, there’s no such thing as a single sign language. In fact, rough estimations put the total number of sign languages around the world at between 138 and 300. Some are mutually intelligible. Others not so much. Furthermore, sign language appears to have evolved similarly to spoken language. Some languages are descendants of others, and languages exist in families with common traits and gesturing strategies.
Your Friendly Neighbourhood Sign Language
In Canada, there are two official sign languages. ASL is probably the most common—and it’s the one used in the US as well. The other is Quebec Sign Language or la langue des signes quebecoise (LSQ). There is also a regional dialect used in the Maritimes called, you guessed it, Maritimes Sign Language (MSL).
Resources:
If you’re in the market to learn some sign language, there are a number of fantastic free resources out there for your use. For ASL learners, check out Bill Vicars’ Youtube channel, Sign Language 101. As with any language, immersion is the best tactic. But these provide a great jumping off point.
If you’re looking for more information on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) community in Canada or beyond, Deaf and Hear Alberta, the Canadian Association of the Deaf, and Canadian Hearing Services are all Canadian organizations with lots of resources to help you learn! The r/deaf and r/asl subreddits are also a good source of perspective, although as with any social media platform, peruse at your own risk. And if you’re looking for more linguistics shenanigans, check out my article “I Never Said She Stole My Wallet” And What Makes us Human for an intro to human vs. animal communication. Happy learning!
Thanks for sharing Lara! I think it may have been a horse that had brought me here…