Is sign language universal or does each nation have their own 'version' of sign language?

Answer 1

Every country has its own form of a signed language. ASL derives from LSD (French Sign Language). Even though we got the basics of ASL from France it has developed over the years and become a unique and separate language. Many people think our sign is like that of England, but is it very different. BS (Britain Sign Language) is a two handed sign language much different than ASL. Many of the colonies outside of Britain in the early years use a sort of BS, but like ASL it changes over time.

Mexico has its own unique sign language also. While living in Texas there were many Deaf Mexicans who came to American and I had to learn to communicate with their signed language. Many countries have their own language. Iraq, New Zealand, France, Spain, etc.

Even Japan has its own unique signed language, and so does China. Some of the other oriental countries do not though because within their countries deaf children are less than adequate and are shunned from the culture. But, the children will sometimes develop "home signs" to help communicate.

Yes, there was an International signed developed called Gestuno but no one really uses it. The reason is because they love their language. Just like we think our native tongue should be Universal. The Deaf think the same of their signed language.

Hope this clarified some things for you!

Answer 2

It is not universal. almost every country has their own sign language. Although there are sometimes similar signs, for the most part sign languages are as different in other countries as spoken languages are. I'm an American Sign Language interpreter, and I was in Kazakhstan 2 years ago where they use Russian sign language (because it used to be part of the Soviet Union). I met deaf people and went to a deaf club, and there were only about 4 signs that I recognized. Also, the alphabet is completely different because they use the cyrillic alphabet, so the handshapes are completely different. I would not even say that "large part of sign language is universal". There are some parts of all sign languages that are natural looking gestures, expresssion, and pantomime, but the signs for words and concepts are different place by place. The sign for "eat" in American sign language is very obvious, so anyone would understand it, as well as the sign for "drink". But most signs are more abstract, and reflect not only the spoken language of that country, but also cultural differences as well. In Kosovo, the sign for engaged is "ring, earring", because when they get engaged they are given different types of jewelry besides just a ring like in the US. In ASL it's the letter "E" (as in engaged) placed on top of the left ring finger in the position where a diamond would be. This not only reflects the lanugage (in kosovo an e would not be the same letter that starts their word for engaged) but also the traditions of that culture.

Answer 3

Sign language is not universal around the world but some signs may be similar. It's just like spoken language. Even in the US, the Southerners have "southern accents" when signing in American Sign Language.

Answer 4

The type of sign language used in a specific region can depend on the local language, or which organisation runs the schools for the deaf. There is since 1951 International Sign, with a dominant influence from ASL and European sign languages. And in Europe there is a kind of European SL growing.

"International Sign" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Sign

Answer 5

Sign languages are like spoken languages. One country may have multiple spoken languages or several countries may share a spoken language. The same is true for sign languages. Spoken language isn't universal, neither is sign language.

Read about this here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_language

(Interestingly, sign languages originated similarly to spoken languages. And are constructed not unlike spoken languages.)

Answer 6

Each country has a different language, just like verbal communication. Some signs are adapted from other languages. Like, for example, the sign for "African American" or just "African" or "Black" etc. was the same sign as the color black. That got looked at as kind of negatory, so people traveled to Africa and asked them what their their sign for their people was and the sign was adapted to ASL (American Sign Language). They did this for almost every country and race. It's pretty awesome. When it comes to grammar, such as the context of sentence structure for SOV, (subject, object, verb) and most words in the vocabulary they are completely different.

Answer 7

Sign language is NOT universal - even when the language is (more or less) universal. E.g. English and US sign languages are quite different.

Answer 8

Each country has it's own sign language.

Answer 9

Although the sign languages are different, it is much easier to communicate with a person who uses a different sign language than it is to communicate with a person who uses a different spoken language.
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Answer 10

I have a friend who is deaf, yet travels the world. He tells me that every language has it's own version of signing, yet they are very similar. He was in Israel and met a deaf Arab boy and they were able to communicate by signing. He said the Arab boy told him that he'd learned his sign language in Egypt. He found it ironic that the other Americans he was with, who normally found communication so easy, were unable to communicate with the Arabs, yet he and this boy had a nice conversation.