sign language
Sign Language
1 [The speaker begins by using Signed English to express the words, “You are my friend.”] Do you know what I just told you? The message I communicated probably escaped most of you. Communication through hand motions is something we do all the time without even thinking about it. For most of us, it’s a supplement to spoken language. But for many deaf and hearing-impaired people, sign language isn’t just a supplement, it’s a primary mode of communication.
2 I’m not an expert in sign language, but I’ve been interested in it for several years. My father is the treasurer for a group of deaf and hearing-impaired people, and I’ve attended some functions with that group. At those times, I had a chance to learn bits and pieces of sign language. I also had the chance to learn more in researching for this speech.
3 In the speech, I’d like to first give you a bit of background about sign language. Then I’d like to teach you how to sign one important sentence, the one I started with: “You are my friend.” By sharing this sentence with you, I hope to help you realize that sign language is just as expressive as spoken language. Let’s start with a little background.
4 There are two broad categories of sign language used in America. One is Signed English, and the other is American Sign Language. Both use most of the same hand gestures. Signed English usually uses one hand gesture for each spoken word and presents the signs in the same order as the spoken words. On the other hand, American Sign Language—also called ASL—doesn’t always have exactly one sign for each spoken word, and might present them in a different order. This distinction will become clear during the demonstration.
5 No one knows exactly how many people use sign language as their primary language today. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that about 20 million Americans have some sort of hearing impairment. Depending on the exact definition of “deafness,” about half a million
1 [The speaker begins by using Signed English to express the words, “You are my friend.”] Do you know what I just told you? The message I communicated probably escaped most of you. Communication through hand motions is something we do all the time without even thinking about it. For most of us, it’s a supplement to spoken language. But for many deaf and hearing-impaired people, sign language isn’t just a supplement, it’s a primary mode of communication.
2 I’m not an expert in sign language, but I’ve been interested in it for several years. My father is the treasurer for a group of deaf and hearing-impaired people, and I’ve attended some functions with that group. At those times, I had a chance to learn bits and pieces of sign language. I also had the chance to learn more in researching for this speech.
3 In the speech, I’d like to first give you a bit of background about sign language. Then I’d like to teach you how to sign one important sentence, the one I started with: “You are my friend.” By sharing this sentence with you, I hope to help you realize that sign language is just as expressive as spoken language. Let’s start with a little background.
4 There are two broad categories of sign language used in America. One is Signed English, and the other is American Sign Language. Both use most of the same hand gestures. Signed English usually uses one hand gesture for each spoken word and presents the signs in the same order as the spoken words. On the other hand, American Sign Language—also called ASL—doesn’t always have exactly one sign for each spoken word, and might present them in a different order. This distinction will become clear during the demonstration.
5 No one knows exactly how many people use sign language as their primary language today. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that about 20 million Americans have some sort of hearing impairment. Depending on the exact definition of “deafness,” about half a million