Sign language

Sign language is a natural language in which communication takes place through movements of the hands and fingers, body posture, head movements and facial expressions, rather than through speech. It is used predominantly by communities of Deaf people and by those who live among them.

Sign language is not a translation system for converting a spoken language into words. It is an independent language with its own grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure. For this reason, each country or community may have its own sign language, which need not correspond directly to the spoken language used in that place.

Linguistic structure

Each sign is analysed into several simultaneous components: hand shape, the location on the body where the sign is made, movement, the orientation of the sign, and non-manual features such as eye gaze, mouth movements and facial movements. A change in any of these elements can alter the meaning of the entire word. Like spoken languages, sign language has ways of expressing tense, questions, negation and the relationship between clauses.

Global diversity

There is no single universal sign language shared by all. Many different sign languages exist, such as American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language (BSL), French Sign Language (LSF) and many others. Some belong to the same historical family, for example through the influence of French Sign Language on American Sign Language, while others have developed independently in distinct communities. There is also a system called International Sign used at international meetings, but it is not a complete language naturally developed within a community.

Fingerspelling

Most sign language systems include a fingerspelling system in which each letter is assigned a hand shape. It is used for personal names, place names and words that have no sign. Fingerspelling is part of the language, but is not its foundation.

Community and education

Sign language is central to the identity of Deaf communities. Schools for the Deaf, associations and community gatherings have played a major role in how these languages have developed and been passed down from generation to generation. Historically, the oralist approach to education, which emphasized spoken language, restricted the use of sign language in schools, affecting the quality of education and language acquisition. In recent decades, many countries have legally recognized sign language and provided interpreter services.