January 19

Sign Language Myths

I thought about what to write on my blog, about my experiences on Slowly maybe or maybe about writing in general… but then I thought about something else: Sign Language. I actually study sign languages at University for about 2 years now and there is much that I have learned. First and foremost, I have learned, that there are many myths surrounding sign languages and deaf culture, because it’s not taught in schools at all o_O So I wanted to give a brief look into the first things that I have learned in my 4 semesters.

1. Sign Language is not international

There is not one sign language that all deaf people learn, there are actually as many sign languages as there are spoken ones. I live in Germany so I am learning german sign language called DGS(Deutsche Gebärdensprache), in America, they sign in ASL(American Sign Language) and in the UK they sign in BSL(British Sign Language) just to name a few. There are also dialects, like in spoken languages, but that’s another topic 😉

2. Not all deaf people can lip read

Of course, deaf people have to face many issues in their lives, such as having to communicate with hearing people who can’t sign. They try to adapt to them and they also do that by lip-reading, but that can’t help them to understand everything. Actually, you can only understand about 20% of a conversation by only looking at the lips. That’s because most of our vowels look the same because the sound is often created inside of our mouth with the teeth, the tongue, and other organs. There are some people who have a talent for lip reading, fun fact there is even a deaf football fan who can understand what swearwords german football coaches are using and twitters about it xD But just keep in mind, that not everybody can have such a talent and if you can’t sign, try to write your words down, when communicating with a deaf person.

3. Deaf People CAN drive

That’s a very strange thing to talk about because it was never a thought that came to my mind, but I remember that it was being asked about a lot in the first semester. People wanted to know how deaf people drive or if they are even allowed to do it at all! Maybe that comes from the fact that as a driver, you know how important sound can be. I don’t have a license myself, but I do see my husband turning down the radio every time he sees warning lights, so he can concentrate better. However deaf people have no problem driving and can get a license as everyone else does. The only problem one of our professors told us about, is hearing sirens. But thank god warning lights exist so, most of the time it not a big deal 😉

4. Sign Language not only uses hands for communication

The first thing you think about when you hear sign language might be interpreters on TV. You think about seeing them in the little boxes when live speeches air, but what you remember about them later is just the movement of the hands, right? But sign language is not only about that. To communicate deaf people use a lot of facial expressions, storytelling techniques, and in some sign languages(like the german DGS) the oral image that the lips form is important too. Combining them is one of the reasons why sign languages are so complex and my husband wanted me to include that 😉

I think that’s enough for today^^
If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments!
Greetings and good wishes
The Mad Hattress

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Posted January 19, 2021 by Mad Hattress in category "Sign Language

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