Is sign language universal? Is it the same in any country?

Answer 1

No, sign language is not universal. Each country has its flavor of sign language. I know American Sign Language and I talked to someone who knew Chinese Sign Language (by talking, I mean both of us could actually vocalize to each other). We discovered that ASL and CSL are entirely different from each other. And I would assume that's the case for all the other sign languages all over the world.

However, if by sign language, you mean giving people the middle finger type of sign language; then I believe this kind of sign language is universal.

Answer 2

Well first of all it's for deaf people, not blind people. And someone long ago decided that it would not be a good idea to invent a universal sign language that ignored the written language and alphabet for each country. It seemed it would be a lot easier to use the alphabets already in existence and contrive equivalent hand signs so that deaf people could "read" the hands.

Now your belief in the possibility that the language was universal would mean that it was invented before reading or alphabets. But symbolic language came from hearing people trying to represent graphically what they were hearing and saying. Now since deaf people could not hear anyone, they didn't come up with any language in that particular fashion.

Now if the greater community had been deaf, it's possible they would have come up with some universal means of communication. But it turned out they could not become a larger community without the protection of the hearing community - otherwise they would not have heard the carnivores approaching and with no-one to warn them they wouldn't have been around long.

So perhaps one should only ask questions when there's a possibility the answer could be more than just a "no." Although there is a universal sign for that, I understand.

Answer 3

There's an international sign-language alphabet but the sign language is NOT universal. It's different in every country. (Some words may be universal -like "thanks"- but this doesn't mean the whole language is universal).

I know some American sign language and some Guatemalan sign language. They're very different.

I'll explain why: Sign language is based on culture.

For example: The sign for "red" in Guatemala uses the sign-language letter "R" over de lips. This is because the word "red" in Spanish is "Rojo" and the lips represents the "lipstick". That way people can think of the color of the lipstick and relate it to "red".

See? This won't work for a country where woman can't use lipstick (like in Afganistan) or where the word for "red" doesn't start with an "R" or where they don't use a latin-alphabet.

The same happens with lots of words...

Answer 4

No, Sign Language is not universal or the same in every country ...

Sign language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sign_langua...
This seems to be a very good description of the varieties of Sign Language.

For those who use sign language,
http://www.watchtower.org/languages/sign.htm
Publications Available in Sign Languages

Answer 5

No. British Sign Language is totally different from American Sign Language, which in fact is close to the old French Sign Language (by reason that its inventor moved to the USA). The US system was brought by missionaries all over the world, and modified to local needs. Sign languages are distinct languages, not translations of anything, and so they develop their own regionalisms, dialects and slangs.

There are lots of good Web sites; I suggest you do some Googling.

Answer 6

Sign language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
A sign language (also signed language) is a language which uses manual communication instead of sound to convey meaning - simultaneously combining handshapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to express fluidly a speaker's thoughts. Sign languages commonly develop in deaf communities, which can include interpreters and friends and families of deaf people as well as people who are deaf or hard of hearing themselves.

When people using different signed languages meet, communication is significantly easier than when people of different spoken languages meet. Sign language, in this respect, gives access to an international deaf community.

However, contrary to popular belief, sign language is not universal. Wherever communities of deaf people exist, sign languages develop, but as with spoken languages, these vary from region to region. They are not based on the spoken language in the country of origin; in fact their complex spatial grammars are markedly different. However, various signed "modes" of spoken languages have been developed, such as Signed English and Warlpiri Sign Language. Hundreds of sign languages are in use around the world and are at the core of local Deaf cultures. Some sign languages have obtained some form of legal recognition, while others have no status at all.

Answer 7

There are different versions of sign language. There is the American version, which is universally excepted in the United States. There are also French, German, and Spanish versions of sign language, amongst others. Each of the different versions are used in, there respective countries.

Answer 8

No, it varies from language to language, and even from the UK to the US. However, American Sign Language is very similar to French Sign Language. The reason for this is because when the US organization for the deaf was establishing its sign language, they approached the UK organization, but they didn't want to cooperate. They were not forthcoming. So the US went to the French.

I only know this because I used to teach "The Miracle Worker" to my students. This was part of the background information I gathered to introduce the play.

Answer 9

yes it's universal but it's a little different in some countries but if you speak sign language to someone from another country they will still understand you. That's what happen to me when i was in mexico. This guy came up to me and spoke to me in sign language because he saw me talking to my brother in sign language.

Answer 10

AmSLan. American Sign Language.