2006-11-13 21:39:41 · 12 answers · asked by 2 good 2 miss 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
No it is not. Some sign languages are similar, but each is its own language. For example, French and American sign languages are similar, because ASL is based on FSL. The sign for green in ASL is the shaking the "g" handshape, while in French it is the same motion, but with "v" handshape (because green is vert in french).
Here is a list of 114 different sign languages and the country where it is used (although some sign languages are used in more than one country, this list only provides one country per language).
2006-11-14 03:37:47 · answer #1 · answered by seasonsoflove 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, here in the UK we have British Sign Language and in the US they have American Sign Language..the same goes for other countries..they each have their own versions of sign language. Some signs are universal whilst the majority are not.
Indeed, here in the UK we even have regional accents!
"Because of the isolated nature of British Sign Language there is a very diverse variation in the signs that are used for particular words. Certain signs will often become favoured in some areas and these can then become associated with that particular area or region."
2006-11-14 05:50:13 · answer #2 · answered by sarch_uk 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
sign language is not universal. there are some hand signs/signals that are universal. asl=american sign language. russia has it's own sign language, as well as australia and south america. there is spanish and mexican sign language. the use of hand signing is very interesting...some signs we use in the usa, like the "a-okay" sign is not okay to use in the middle east. it's an obscene gesture there.
i used to use a modified sign language when i was working with non-verbal autistic kids. then there's the whole baby sign language thing that a lot of parents are using with infants and toddlers.
we native ppl used a form of sign language to converse with ppl of other tribes who didn't speak the same language dialect.
the history of sign language is really interesting to learn about.
2006-11-14 06:18:24 · answer #3 · answered by pirate00girl 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No it is not the same. Each language uses different signs.
2006-11-14 07:20:03 · answer #4 · answered by Raphael Z 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I was teaching on a course a few years back, and had two sign language interpreters in the room, one translating into British Sign Language and one translating into an Arabic Sign Language.
It was fascinating to watch.
2006-11-14 05:50:32 · answer #5 · answered by thebigtombs 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
it is not universal
the common sigh langauge in UK
is British Sign Language
although some signs are the same in different places
the language is different
(words can mean the same in other spoken languages)
2006-11-14 05:53:39 · answer #6 · answered by wwJad 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As I understand it, BSL is not English with words replaced by signs, it is a language in itself, with its own distinct grammar and vocabulary. Other countries have their own sign languagues - and in fact the USA has a different one, ASL, which is not the same as BSL.
2006-11-14 06:53:32 · answer #7 · answered by Daniel R 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there are varieties (BSL, One handed - USA I think), however most people use a standard language. Obviously the way a sentence is 'worded' could be different, but it should be possible to have understanding wherever the 'signing person' goes.
2006-11-14 05:52:27 · answer #8 · answered by Kanst 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Wikipedia has a really good article on sign languages which is a great answer to your question.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_language
2006-11-14 08:17:55 · answer #9 · answered by rbwtexan 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no different from language to another
2006-11-14 08:14:14 · answer #10 · answered by alaa_cancer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋