AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE Chloe M. What is American Sign Language (ASL)? ASL is a form of communication used by deaf or hearing impaired American people, dating back to about two hundred years ago. It is a visual language that is practiced through hand signals, or “signing.” To have a conversation, the speaker must engage all parts of the body into action. The eyes, the hands, and even body movement are all crucial to the language of no words. As the title indicates, American Sign Language is mainly used in the United States and bits of Canada. American Sign Language is not universal, and varying degrees are spoken in some parts of the Middle and East Asian countries. Each country has its own version of sign language, and somebody from Britain would probably not understand ASL, even though both countries are English-speaking. Instead, that person would speak British Sign Language (BSL). According to LifePrint, ASL is spoken by nearly five hundred thousand associates of deaf communities in North America. American Sign Language, in comparison to spoken English, is much more complicated and has a very complex grammar system. This is because most signs have multiple meanings, and in addition, words and phrases are arranged differently. This can make the language very challenging for hearing or hearing impaired people to learn. However, there are some perks to this arduous language. Because ASL is very rich and complex in the field of linguistics, this makes sign language an excellent study resource for future linguists. ASL is very important to the deaf culture in North America and it helps those with deaf impairments to speak without speaking.
“I
hope I inspire people who hear. Hearing people have the ability to remove barriers that prevent deaf people from achieving their dreams.”
-Marlee Matlin