Why is Sign Language Used? Sign language is a way for people that are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate with manual fingerspelling. Many hearing parents also use sign language with their hearing infants or young children because our hands and fingers develop before our mouths can start to form words. Different forms of sign language are used throughout the world.
First teachers of Sign Language Geronimo Cardano was the first scholar to discover that teaching doesn’t require hearing. You can teach by using written words in the 1500s. Pedro Ponce de Leon was also very successful with his teaching methods while teaching deaf children in Spain. Juan Pablo de Bonet was inspired by Leon’s methods and started to use his own teachings to teach deaf people. His teachings consisted of: writing, reading, and his manual alphabet to educate the deaf. The manual alphabet was the first ever recognized in history. The hand movements corresponded to different
sounds of speech. Abbe de L'Epee organized a social and religious organization for deaf people until around 1750. Start ASL.com calls him “One of the most important people in the history of sign language,”. He established the first free deaf school in 1771. The signs he taught his students soon became a standard language. This was called the Old French Sign Language. This language spread across Europe as more students were educated. L’Epee is known as the “Father of the Deaf” because of the 21 schools he established and all he has done for the deaf.
How Sign language Was Started “There are many famous deaf people who have made a name for the deaf throughout the history of sign language and proved that deaf people can, in fact, make history.” Aristotle was the first to have a law written about deaf people. His theory was that people can only learn from hearing a spoken language. Deaf people were then seen as unable to learn. So, they were denied their fundamental rights. Aristotle’s claim was then denied when scholars started attempting to educate deaf people. This mark in history started the creation of sign language.
How Does Sign Language Improve Language Development? “Signs enhance language development, and indicate that a child is understanding and using language. Signing can also help develop listening and visual attention skills because children observe parents signing the name of an object while hearing the corresponding word. Signs should be provided near, but not in front of the mouth because a child needs to watch how you move your mouth to say words,” -Say and Play Publisher.
Acquisition and Benefits of Sign Language If you start to use sign language early and if you are exposed it when you are young, it will be easier to acquire. Many hearing parents teach their hearing babies sign language, because babies’ hands grow and mature faster than their mouths, so they can communicate earlier with the parent. Also, in learning sign language, it will be easier later for the baby to learn a speaking language. Sign language can also help children already speaking and hearing to improve the child’s social and academic growth. Children who sign have a larger vocabulary than those who don’t. Even after they stop signing, they keep the superior knowledge of language skills. Learning sign language changes the way the brain works and helps them to use abstract thinking and better apply learning. Sign language has also proved to help children with autism and down syndrome.
Sign Language Around the World There are about three hundred sign languages in use around the world today. The main sign languages around the world are in Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and the middle east. The main sign language in America is called American Sign Language or ASL. ASL is the fourth-most used language around the world.
Differences Between ASL and BSL Although many of the American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) signs look alike, they are quite different in each language. One of the biggest differences between ASL and BSL is that ASL signs the alphabet with one hand and BSL signs the alphabet with two. One impression ASL users get from BSL is that they spell more words with the alphabet rather than using signs for individual words. This one reason why ASL isn’t considered a universal language.
"Baby Sign Lanugage: 5 Steps to Start Using Sign Language with Your Child Right Now - FYI Speech Therapy." FYI Speech Therapy. N.p., 02 Sept. 2010. Web. 05 Carissa Martos. "Why Would You Teach a Hearing Child Sign Language?" Examin er.com. N.p., 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 05 Nov. 2015. Grushkin, Don. "What Are Some Interesting Differences between American Sign Language and British Sign Language? Frequently Asked in." What Are Some Interesting Differences between American Sign Language and British Sign "History of Sign Language." Start ASL. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2015. "How Can Sign Language Help Improve Verbal Communication Skills?" Say and P lay Family. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2015. Martos, Carissa. "Why Would You Teach a Hearing Child Sign Language?" Examiner.com. N.p., 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 05 Nov. 2015.